Disruptive By Design: From Traits to Perceptions: A Fresh Look at Leadership Characteristics

Debate surrounds whether leaders are a result of nature or nurture. Rather than debate, let’s look at some agreed-upon areas of leadership traits and characteristics per scholars. I’d also like to offer thoughts on the infamous “what if” instances of someone not possessing these traits, and if the individual can still be an effective leader. Then, we’ll conclude with trait perceptions. 

First, the Big Five Personality Profile, according to psychometrics, leads me to believe the traits and personality characteristics most important for leadership are extraversion and conscientiousness. Those are just two of an ocean to choose from. I’ve ebbed and flowed like waves while serving in and around the finance career field, and have seen this pair recurring in scholarship.

Then, arguably of equal or greater importance, come agreeableness and openness to experience. I believe the former pair of traits serves to fuel the latter, thanks to authors Gary Yukl, J.M. George and Gareth Jones in Leadership: Building Sustainable Organizations. 

Neuroticism, or inclination for negativity, is also essential for leadership, although collective research from the previously mentioned researchers, as well as a study from K.S. Kendler and J. Myers, The Genetic and Environmental Relationship Between Major Depression and the Five-Factor Model of Personality, and personal experience, cause me to deem neuroticism in moderation both useful and contradictory for successful leadership. 

And what about the elephant in the room, the effectiveness of leaders lacking these traits? A person could still be an effective leader without them. Effectiveness varies, as shown in ongoing research on traits and personalities, as well as leader development, as demonstrated by authors Mark Martinko, Paul Harvey and Scott Douglas in The Leadership Quarterly and Stephen Zaccaro’s Trait-based perspectives of leadership. Zaccaro focused on the importance of adaptability to various situations, highlighting that a leader in one context may not prove a leader in another. Take firefighters versus financial managers—one I trust more with fires than finances and vice versa. The context changes, and I’m quick to follow the leader and learn from them.

A person can attain traits in the same fashion as competencies (i.e., knowledge, skills and abilities) according to researchers Stewart Tubbs and Eric Schulz in Exploring a taxonomy of global leadership competencies and meta-competencies. A relevant example may be our own switch in career series, industries, service branches and levels of organizational hierarchy, which require substantial learning to manage and lead others and oneself—lots of leaps and even humbling steps backward to concede to context and recalibrate for the best contributions—at the recommendation of mentors and coaches plus their collective example. Praises for our nurturing mentors and coaches with a side of helpful nature!  

Success likely comes from combating the negative affectivity and capitalizing on extraversion, neuroticism, agreeableness and conscientiousness.

And while many perceive extraversion as advantageous, some extroverts create friction based on others’ traits of neuroticism. Further, high measures of agreeableness, extraversion and openness to experience could result in negative “Pollyanna” perceptions. An extremely high or low positive trait ranking could create an imbalance of the remaining traits. Here, self-regulation seems best.

Finally, among cultures, traits fluctuate in measure and dominance. Some traits create different perceptions of individuals simply because the individual’s demographics or audience differ. An example would be the assertive behavior of a female versus a male or even mannerisms during presentations. Some countries are inclined toward agreeableness and conscientiousness, while others aren’t.

Regardless of the cultural clashes, leaders in an international context should deal with multicultural perceptions through education, training and experience. In my experience, programs exist for acculturating individuals traveling to other cultures and nations, as well as for hosting individuals from outside of the continental United States. A frequently recommended book, Kiss, Bow or Shake Hands, and associated website material, can help avoid mishaps. There are tons of virtual and in-person opportunities to share and learn, if you’re willing to be open and capitalize on experiences others are willing to share. 

Life is learning!