Bryon Gaskin
MBA601 Fall 2003
Dr. Honrsby
3/7/2016
LEADERSHIP: DO TRAITS MATTER?
Normally when writing a paper I wait to the end to give my opinion on it, but I am going
to start by saying that the author of this paper does not set a very good example for being
a leader when he himself cannot do one thing that he states that leaders must be able to do
and that is be decisive. The whole paper deals with the idea of leadership traits and
behaviors. Where is the author’s decision about what is leadership, it really doesn’t give
one, all he ends up saying is that it leaders could be born or the could be made or the
could be a combination of both. What? What? What? I can see the advantage to this
type of answer, because now the author can walk away and not have to worry about being
wrong. If one day it is proved that leadership is 100% hereditary, or if it is 100% learned,
or some multitude of combinations of hereditary and learned factors, the author can rest
assured that he won’t be wrong and he can “I WAS RIGHT”
It is my belief that physical characteristics and traits do matter a long with situational
factors. How successful or unsuccessful the leader is always will depend on the
circumstances.
Take two very different circumstances. Think about the teamwork needed to climb
Mount Everest. You have a very specific goal to reach some 29,000 feet in the air, the
leader must have the “TRAITS” of ambition, drive, achievement, and energy, and they
most also have “knowledge” of how to lead the group up the mountain so as not kill
them. This leader must also have the “physical” traits to be able to do so. Some people
no matter how hard or long they trained. In this case one’ inherited ability to function in
sub-zero temperatures for extended periods of time and ability to function cognitively in
a oxygen poor environment are qualifiers for the leadership role, if certain physical
attributes are inadequate then they could not perform in the leadership role.
The other situation is take the chairmen for MENSA. MENSA membership required
minimum IQ before being allowed entrance into the organization. Someone with average
intelligence could never be the chairmen over MENSA, even if he or she was the most
motivated, ambitious, driven, energetic, tenacious person in the world. On the flip side,
the mountain guide cold have every physical advantage in the world and the MENSA
chairman could have the highest IQ, but without the drive, energy, ambition, and need for
achievement, neither would be leaders.
On honesty integrity, honesty and integrity are important, but not nearly as important as
the “PERECEPTION” of them. Perception is reality, often times people who have little
integrity and honesty cover it up and those who are actually honest and have integrity can
be viewed as not having it due to other non-related actions such as bad moods and other
verbal and non-verbal communications.
The correct mix of inherited and learned traits and abilities depends on the what the
situation calls for. It clearly not all “Great-Man” traits and it is clearly not all learned
behaviors. In reality the correct mix is like pizza crust, do you want thin and crispy or
hand tossed.