Leadership: Nine Traits of Effective Leader.

Figure 2: Universal traits of effective leaders

Studies have shown that there are some traits which commonly and consistently appear in a successful and effective leader, as such, trait theories do have some claim to “universality”. For the theory to be truly universal, all leaders should have to have all the same traits. The above mentioned common traits are illustrated in Figure 2.

Dominance

Dominance is synonym to leadership, the one that every successful leader should have. It is about the willingness and eagerness of taking in charge or being a manager, ahead of everyone else. It is one of the traits on surgency dimension in Big Five Model.

High Energy

High energy in leaders should means that they have stamina to drive and work hard toward achieving a goal, in same time, they be able to tolerate stress as well. Leaders possesses enthusiasm and don’t give up easily and also high tolerance for frustration as they strive to overcome obstacles through proper preparation and anticipation of problems.

Self-Confidence

Self-confidence is about the self-assurance that demonstrated by a leader in making any judgments, decision making, presenting ideas, and showing his capabilities. A leader who has positive self-image and display certainty wills fosters confidence among his followers, gains respect and admiration and very determine to takes on challenges.

Locus of Control

Locus of control is on a continuum between external and internal belief in control over one’s destiny. Internalizers (leaders) tend to be future oriented and believe that they control their fate and that their behavior directly affects their performance. Leaders take responsibility for who they are, for their behavior and performance, and for the performance of their organizational unit. Meanwhile externalizers believe that they have no control over their fate and that their behavior has little to do with their performance. They generally have lower levels of performance.

Stability

Stability is associated with managerial effectiveness and advancement. Stable leaders are emotionally in control of themselves, secure, and always positive. An effective leaders also have a good understanding of their own strengths and weaknesses, and they are oriented toward self-improvement rather than being defensive.

Integrity

Integrity refers to behaviour that is honest and ethical, making a person trustworthy. Many studies show that the ability to influence people is based on integrity. The fact that if a leader found untrustworthy, it is difficult to retain the loyalty of his followers or to obtain cooperation and support from peers and superiors.

Intelligence

Leaders generally have above-average intelligence, that why, a company will seek a graduate from college or university for a management position rather than an average high school leavers. Intelligence refers to cognitive ability to think critically, to solve problems, and to make decisions. There are two most recognize intelligence which as Intelligence Quotient (IQ) and emotional intelligence or Emotional Quotient (EQ). IQ is the ability to think critically and creatively while EQ is the ability to work well with people. There are four components of EQ as follows:

· Self-awareness relates to being conscious of your emotions and how they affect your personal and professional life.

· Social awareness relates to the ability to understand others.

· Self-management relates to the ability to control disruptive or negative emotions.

· Relationship management relates to their ability to work well with others, build effective relationships by communicating, responding to emotions, handling conflict, and influencing others.

Flexibility

Flexibility refers to the ability to adjust to different situations. Effective leaders are flexible and adapt to the situation and possess the ability to influence others bring about change.

Sensitivity to others

Sensitivity to others refers to understanding group members as individuals, knowing their issues, and finding the best way to communicate and influence them. To be sensitive to others requires empathy i.e. the power of understanding and imaginatively entering into another person's feelings.