A plethora of research has delved into the analysis of whether leadership is a behavior, skill, or a trait due to the multiple personalities that most leaders exhibit. From the perspective of cognitive development, leadership is a skill that partly depends on the Contingency Theory. The theory claims that an environment determines how a leader suits a given situation. Again, self-modeling of conducts to conform to the organizational culture may regard leadership as behavior as regards maintaining the professional and mutual respect based on the assertions of the behavioral theory (1950s-1960s). However, this literature supports the idea that leadership is a trait because the Trait Theory (1940s-1950s) ascertains that management solely depends on inherent traits related to personal ability and social skills (Derue, et al., 2011).
The Great Man Theory (the 1900s) supports the Trait Theory because the former proves that leaders are born rather than being made; hence, this idea further conforms to the fact that experts are born (Germain, 2008). Notably, the Trait Theory considers the specific personalities existing in an individual and who possesses those characters rather than just concentrating on the desirable kinds of leaders required due to arising circumstances. Therefore, when a true leader is born with the traits, he/she can evolve with it to become a successful influencer towards attaining a common goal rather than just developing skills to become effective leaders (Pyke, 2018).
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Therefore, my view is unique because it is the leader and his/her sets of personality traits that are crucial in the management process. Ideally, situational leadership that relies on behavior and skills lacks the depth and breadth to support its credibility (Germain, 2008). This implies that nurtured leadership can fail in situations where the leader should make informed decisions, especially when the stakes are high and the fate of his/her subordinates are at risk (Pyke, 2018). Finally, those who believe that skills and behavior form the nexus to leadership may fail because self-assurance, self-confidence, charisma, judgment, and intuition are the fundamental attributes for leadership (Derue, et al., 2011).
References
Derue, D. S., et al. (2011). Trait and Behavioral Theories of Leadership: An Integration and Meta-Analytic Test of their Relative Validity. Personnel Psychology , 64, 7–52. Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Retrieved February 10, 2019, from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/fe88/c8ef75a9947bb1043b5dc4167b3870a57ef7.pdf
Germain, M. (2008). Traits and Skills Theories as the Nexus between Leadership and Expertise: Reality or Fallacy? St. Thomas University Press. Retrieved February 10, 2019, from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED501636.pdf
Pyke, M. M. (2018). The Psychology of Leadership Theories: Trait or Learned? Exploratory Paper. The American College of Medical Practice. Retrieved February 10, 2019, from https://www.mgma.com/MGMA/media/files/fellowship%20papers/2018%20Fellows%20Papers/The-Psychology-of-Leadership-Theories-FINAL-w-Abstract.pdf?ext=.pdf
