Research the leadership traits, behaviors, and skills from the literature that contemporary leaders

demonstrate. Then answer the following questions:

1. Identify three leadership traits, styles, behaviors, or skills that you believe are important for
organizational success. 

2. Why is leadership considered an art form?

3. Name a leader you admire. What qualities attract you to him/her? 

4. Is your manager a leader or a boss? Explain. 

Being the last of 6 kids, growing up I recall being told on numerous occasions “do as I say
not as I do”. I never did relate it to the leadership skills of my older siblings.

There are numerous definitions of leaders - 2 definitions stand out for me. John Maxwell’s
definition – “a leader is one who knows the way, goes the way and shows the way” and
Nelson Madnela’s “A leader is like a shepherd. He stays behind the flock, letting the most
nimble go out ahead, whereupon the others follow, not realizing that all along they are being
directed from behind”.

From both definitions it indicates that leadership is an act of service – leading/guiding people
to reach their full potential. There are many traits that leaders possess which are valuable
assets to an organization. (Doyle, 2015) highlights 10 traits that strong leaders should
possess;

- Communication
- Motivation
- Delegating
- Positivity
- Trustworthiness
- Creativity
- Feedback
- Responsibility
- Commitment
- Flexibility

If I may add to the list, I believe one of the most important traits/skills of a leader is a high
degree of knowledge of the subject matter in question. (Worcester 1941) notes that a
thorough understanding on one’s vocation and the potential challenges associated with is
required. While it may not guarantee leadership, it is one of the basic thing without which one
may not lead.

My first role when I moved to Canada was assisting project managers, while I may have been
over qualified for the job, I was able to learn and see how things were done here – a lot
different from where I was coming. Being from the tropics, design and construction is totally
different from the temperate zone. There was no way I could have successfully led a design
team when I did not have sufficient knowledge of the design standards and applicable codes.

I often wonder if leadership is inbuilt or is learned over a period of time. There are some
personality traits every leader should possess to be successful. (Schoenfeld, 1948) highlights
that based on studies; there is a correlation between personality and leadership. Personality
traits such as confidence, adaptability, tactfulness, cheerfulness, charisma, vision, empathy,
initiative, loyalty, knowledge of followers, and proper use of feedback all contribute to the
leadership skills of leaders. While the traits listed above are personality traits the other side of
leadership which involves – problem solving, negotiation, planning, organization are skills
that need to be learned, reviewed, applied and practised over time to become good at them,
hence the classification of leadership as a form of art. The combination of both will produce a
successful leader.

I call my department head my work “father”, he is one of the reasons I enjoy working in the
organization – he is able to navigate through office politics, difficult clients and keep the
team focused on the tasks at hand all with the right amount of humour.

I recall when I recently made a mistake on a project - I misunderstood a client’s intent and
provided a solution that I felt was right, but the client disagreed and demanded we pay to
rectify it to what she intended. I was never asked why or how this happened (even though I
freely gave my explanations) instead I was asked how we resolve the issue at hand.

He is an advocate for all employees, he does not hesitate to challenge/call out any member of
senior management when the employees interests are not being considered.

He does not believe he knows it all and is not ashamed to ask for help when needed, he is
open minded and gives you freedom to own your projects and only butts in when asked or
when there is a major issue.

Most importantly, he has an open door policy. You can have an open and honest
communication with him at any time about anything. As he spends quite a bit of time in the
office, he aspires to make the workplace, comfortable, fun and enjoyable for all employees.
This motivates us to make his work easier by efficiently managing projects and maintaining
or surpassing productivity.

In Oprah Winfrey’s words – “For every one of us that succeeds, it’s because there’s
somebody there to show you the way”. In my career journey my present department head has
definitely made a large contribution.

References:
Doyle A (2019, August 15) Important leadership skills for workplace success. Retrieved
from: https://www.thebalancecareers.com/top-leadership-skills-2063782

Schoenfeld, B. (1948). The psychological characteristics of leadership. Social Forces, 26(4),

391-396. doi:10.2307/2571872. Retrieved from: https://www.jstor.org/stable/2571872

Worcester, D. (1941). Leadership. The American Journal of Nursing, 41(3), 280-284.

doi:10.2307/3414789. Retrieved from: https://www.jstor.org/stable/3414789