Trait Theory [Everything You Need to Know]

The search for the characteristics or traits of leaders has existed for centuries. History’s greatest philosophical writings, from Plato’s Republic to Plutarch’s Lives, have explored the question of, “What qualities distinguish an individual as a leader?” 

Underlying this search was the early recognition of the importance of leadership and the assumption that leadership is rooted in the characteristics that certain individuals possess. So, it is natural that the first systematic attempt to study leadership researched the traits of leaders. 

The theories that began were also dubbed, “Great man” theories since early research focused on the innate qualities of historical leaders such as Lincoln, Napoleon, and Gandhi.

Every trait researcher ultimately had the same aim: to develop a definitive list of the traits of leaders. However, each researcher inevitably arrived at a different list. There are at least five major trait theories, each listing different necessary traits. Some of the traits that commonly appear on this list are:

• Intelligence: general intellectual ability
• Self-Confidence: certainty of one’s skills and competencies
• Determination: desire to achieve a certain end
• Integrity: honesty and trustworthiness
• Sociability: ability to create pleasant interactions with others

Trait theory argues that effective leadership isn’t contingent on the situation or the followers but rather on the level to which leaders have certain characteristics. Not surprisingly, trait theory has given birth to a host of trait assessments and selection criteria used by organizations to identify those who demonstrate the potential to become leaders.

Allport’s Trait Theory

Trait theory states that all people have some basic personality traits or attributes. Depending on how strongly built these are into our characters determines our personality differences. The first ever trait theory was proposed by Gordon Allport in 1936. He bases his theory on a dictionary, enlisting over 4000 words talking about different personality traits.

He classified these traits into three distinct categories:

• Cardinal
• Central
• Secondary

Cardinal Traits

Cardinal traits are very rare and usually part of a dominating personality. These tend to develop over time and are depictive of a person’s personality.

Some examples of cardinal traits include:

• Narcissist
• Don Juan
• Machiavellian.

Central Traits

It includes characteristics that form the basic personality of an individual. You can use these terms to describe a certain person though they aren’t as dominating in character as the cardinal traits.

Examples include

• Honest
• Shy
• Intelligent
• Proud

Secondary Traits

This set of traits is concerned with attitudes or personality preferences regarding a particular situation.

For instance, it includes feelings of anxiety, impatience, etc.

Cattell’s 16-Factor Personality Model

Allport’s theory was further refined by Raymond Cattell, who reduced the initial list from 4000 to 171. He used a factor analysis technique to identify the closely related ones and further narrowed the list to only 16 traits.

Eysenck’s 3 Dimensions of Personality

Hans Eysenck brought biological bias into developing the personality model based on three universal traits.

• Introversion/ Extroversion
• Neuroticism/ Emotional Stability
• Psychoticism

Five-Factor Model of Personality

Both models faced criticism as one focused on too many traits while the other one focused on too few.

So, to balance out it, a new Five Factor Model of Personality or the Big Five theory evolved. 

This theory represents five core traits of human personality.

• Agreeableness: It defines cooperation and concern for others.
• Conscientiousness: The thinking mechanism and thoughtfulness.
• Extraversion: It defines how expressive you are.
• Neuroticism: Shows emotional resilience and mood stability
• Openness: Depicts creativity and adventure.

However, critics argue that traits are not the best predictors of behavior, and individuals may rank higher on the assessment of a trait, but they may not behave the same way in all situations.
Also, trait theories do not explain why individual differences develop in personalities.

Wrap Up

The trait approach is not only supported by our intuitive visualization of what makes a leader but it is also supported by a century of research and analysis. Aspiring leaders can objectively assess their capability to lead using an inventory or traits. 

However, trait theory has also been criticized for its relative uselessness in developing leaders. Recent research also suggests that followers may need different behaviors from leaders at different times. To both of these criticisms, trait theorists would respond: In essence, you either have it, or you don’t.

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More Articles in This Series:

• Intro to Leadership Theory
• Why Theory
• A Word on Theory
• Trait Theory
• Skills Theory
• Style Theory
• Contingency Theory
• Situational Leadership Theory
• Path-Goal Theory
• Leader-Member Exchange Theory
• Transformational Leadership Theory
• Servant Leadership Theory
• Strengths-Based Leadership Theory