As the chapter opener stated, we often view leaders as men and women who have strong verbal skills. If someone asked you to identify other defining characteristics of a good leader, you might say things like “smart,” “decisive,” “sociable,” and maybe even “physically attractive” or “tall.” A traits view of leadership assumes that all talented leaders share certain personal and physical characteristics. For instance, a CareerBuilder.com interview with business professionals suggested that effective leaders are honest, passionate, confident, caring, engaging, humble, fearless, genuine, and supportive (Farrell, 2011). Other studies have shown that in the business world, successful leaders possess drive, knowledge of the business, self-confidence, and integrity (Kirkpatrick & Locke, 1991).

Although the traits view helps us think about the desirable qualities we look for in leaders, a person who has the “right” leadership traits may still not perform well as a leader. For example, extraversion (being sociable and outgoing) is a quality found in many leaders (Judge, Ilies, Bono, & Gerhardt, 2002). But an extravert who is unable to make decisions may have trouble being a group leader. Similarly, as the chapter opener points out, it’s just as likely that a person who is quiet or shy—traits not normally associated with leaders—could be a valuable leader if he or she has expertise crucial to the group’s goals. Friendliness and attention to detail are important traits for leading teams on routine tasks, but creative and dynamic work teams need leaders who are imaginative and open to taking risks (De Hoogh, Den Hartog, & Koopman, 2005). It’s important to remember that the traits view is not an “all or nothing” perspective. Each member of a group may possess different traits that contribute leadership in certain situations.