3.

“Traits and Behavioral theories of leadership are important in understanding how leaders can
be effective but remain inconclusive. Following on, leaders were found to be most effective
when their behavior is contingent upon situational forces.”

I. Compare and contrast two(02) situational or contingency theories of leadership.

i. Trait theory is also known as the virtue theory of leadership. The foundation of this
theory is the characteristics of different leaders – both successful and unsuccessful
ones. The trait theory emphasizes that leaders have inborn traits; these are “born
leaders”, who cannot help but take control and guide situations. Basically, a leader is
born with specific virtues according to trait theory. The core traits identified in this
theory include emotional maturity, cognitive ability, self-confidence, business
knowledge, honesty and integrity, leadership motivation, and drive for achievement.

Behavioral theory explains that it is possible to train and develop a leader. It rejects
that leaders are born or that certain people have their inborn potential to become
leaders. According to this theory, anyone can be a leader, but there must be a good
atmosphere and training for leadership qualities to develop. Also, it mainly focuses on
specific behavior and actions of leaders, instead of their characteristics. Moreover, as
per this theory, best leaders are those that have the flexibility to change their behavioral
style and choose the right style suitable for different situations.

Relationship Between Trait and Behavioral Theories of Leadership

Both models often emphasize that there are recognizable actions that any leader must
be capable of performing in any given condition. Behaviourism is a “trait” theory, in
the sense, it too holds that leaders must show certain common personality markers or
habits of mind. However, it claims that it is possible to prompt these from anyone at
any time and that no one person has more potential than another.

Difference Between Trait and Behavioral Theories of Leadership

According to behavioral theory, becoming a leader is just a matter of proper training,

while trait theory emphasizes that a leader must have certain inherent, inborn qualities.
So, this is the key difference between trait and behavioral theories of leadership.
Basically, trait theories believe that a leader is “born.” They often describe leaders in
terms of their personal characteristics, such as charismatic and driven. Behaviorists, on
the other hand, believe leadership can be taught, or fostered, by providing the necessary
training and skills to an individual. Therefore, this explains the difference between trait
and behavioral theories of leadership.
ii. Explain with examples in what ways might the knowledge of each of the theories
mentioned
above could assist a leader towards his or her leadership.
Leadership is the personnel ability which unites power and influence. It means that
Leadership not only needs power that position given but also needs inner influence that
can attract the followers, change their behavior, and inspirit performance and finally
lead to achieve organizational goals. In the past leadership theory has gone through
sorts of changes with continue development and improvement to trait theory &
behavioral theory. These two theories have substantial different in definitions;
however, there is a progressive relationship that means the performance has increased
though developing leadership theory.

Traits & behaviors most commonly associated with great leadership include:

a. Intelligence and action-oriented judgment: Great leaders and smart and make
choices that move the group forward.
b. Eagerness to accept responsibility: Strong leaders take on responsibility and don't
pass the blame on to others. They stand by their success and take ownership of their
mistakes.
c. Task competence: A great leader is skilled and capable. Members of the group are
able to look to the leader for an example of how things should be done.
d. Understanding their followers and their needs: Effective leaders pay attention
to group members and genuinely care about helping them succeed. They want each
person in the group to succeed and play a role in moving the entire group forward.
e. People skills: Excellent interpersonal skills are essential for leading effectively.
Great leaders know how to interact well with other leaders as well as with team
members.
f. A need for achievement: Strong leaders have a need to succeed and help the group
achieve their goals. They genuinely care about the success of the group and are
committed to helping the group reach these milestones.
g. Capacity to motivate people: A great leader knows how to inspire others and
motivate them to do their best.
h. Courage and resolution: The best leaders are brave and committed to the goals of
the group. They do not hide from challenges.
i. Perseverance: Strong leaders stick with it, even when things get difficult or the
group faces significant obstacles.
j. Trustworthiness: Group members need to be able to depend upon and trust the
person leading them.
k. Decisiveness: A great leader is capable of making a decision and is confident in his
or her choices.
l. Self-confidence: Many of the best leaders are extremely self-assured. Because they
are confident in themselves, followers often begin to share this self-belief.
m. Assertiveness: A great leader is able to be direct and assertive without coming off
as overly pushy or aggressive.
n. Adaptability and flexibility: Effective leaders don't get stuck in a rut. They are
able to think outside of the box and adapt quickly to changing situations.
o. Emotional stability: In addition to being dependable overall, strong leaders are
able to control their emotions and avoid overreactions.
p. Creativity: Perhaps most importantly, great leaders not only possess their own
creativity, but they are also able to foster creativity among members of the group.