Leaders don’t always have the right personality traits for the job
The personality characteristics that get you promoted to a leader aren't necessarily the qualities that make you a good one.
A recent study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology suggests that the traits which lead to individuals being promoted into leadership positions do not necessarily guarantee they will be successful leaders. The research found that characteristics important for effective leadership include traits such as achievement motivation, order, self-discipline, and optimism. However, it also revealed that individuals who are often thrust into leadership roles may not possess the qualities needed to excel in those roles.
For instance, assertiveness is frequently associated with people becoming leaders, yet the study found that high assertiveness does not correlate with effective leadership. Christopher Nye, a professor at Michigan State University's psychology department and co-author of the study, emphasized the importance of organizations understanding what qualities to look for when hiring leaders or facilitating the development of current employees into leadership positions.
The study also highlighted that the traits associated with successful leadership can differ depending on the level of the position. Student leaders, for example, may exhibit different personality characteristics leading to their success compared to lower or upper-level managers. To reach their conclusions, the researchers conducted a meta-analysis, which involves reviewing and analyzing the results from various existing studies on the subject.
They collected all the studies that explored the link between personality traits and leadership effectiveness or the process of becoming a leader, then combined the findings to identify the most significant personality characteristics.
The findings of this meta-analysis suggest that organizations may need to reconsider their approach to selecting leaders based solely on certain personality traits linked to success. Christopher Nye expressed hope that the results of this study would help organizations improve their hiring and development processes to identify and nurture more effective leaders in the future. The study's findings were initially shared by Futurity.
Written by urgent.news from Futurity's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
