What personality traits make an effective leader?

Abstract

The recent wave of negativity stemming from corporate and geopolitical problems call attention to the need for more positive leadership in the world, and the result has been a re-emphasis in the use of a personality traits’ lens for leadership theory, research, and practice (Cameron, Dutton, & Quinn, 2003; Luthans, 2002a, 2002b; Luthans & Youssef, 2007). Cameron (2008) refers to three connotations of the concept of ‘positive’: (1) a focus on positively deviant performance that dramatically exceeds the norm in a positive direction; (2) an orientation toward strengths rather than weaknesses, supportive rather than critical communication; (3) a focus on virtuousness. It is stated that human lives operate in accordance with heliotropic effect, which is the tendency in all living systems toward something that gives live and away from something that depletes it (Cameron, 2008). This effect can be applied to organizational processes as well. However, what is ‘light’ and what ‘gives life’ in management of organizations? Definitions of effective leadership vary across different cultures and economic systems, and this offers a premise that different factors are bringing life to organizations as well as different factors can devastate its survival. Recent research has revealed universal factors that can be applied to any given organizational and leadership context. This implies personality traits of leaders, and these new trends are discussed in this article. The article also presents the results of research which aimed to study the relationship between leaders personality traits and constructive thinking in Lithuanian public organizations (n=105).