In recent years, the field of psychology has determined the key traits of acknowledged leaders, thus making an important contribution to the field of business. Psychological tests have been used to determine the characteristics most commonly noted among successful leaders. This list of characteristics can be used for developmental purposes to help managers gain insight and develop their leadership skills.

The increasing rate of change in the business environment is a major factor in this new emphasis on leadership. In past decades, managers were expected to maintain the status quo in order to move ahead. Now, new forces in the marketplace have made it necessary to expand this narrow focus. The leaders of tomorrow are visionary. They are both learners and teachers. Not only do they foresee paradigm changes in society, but they also have a strong sense of ethics and work to build integrity in their organizations.

Raymond Cattell, a pioneer in the field of personality assessment, developed the Leadership Potential Equation in 1954. This equation, which was based on a study of military leaders, is used today to determine the traits which characterize an effective leader. The traits of an effective leader include:

• Emotional stability. Good leaders must be able to tolerate frustration and stress. Overall, they must be socially well-adjusted and have the psychological maturity to deal with challenges they are required to face.
• Dominance. Leaders are often competitive and decisive, and they usually enjoy overcoming obstacles. Overall, they are assertive both in their thinking and in their behavior towards others.
• Enthusiasm. Leaders are usually seen as active, expressive, and energetic. They are often very optimistic and open to change. Overall, they are generally quick and alert and tend to be uninhibited.
• Conscientiousness. Leaders are often dominated by a sense of duty and tend to be very exacting in character. They usually have a very high standard of excellence and an inward desire to do their best. They also prefer order to chaos and tend to be self-disciplined.
• Social boldness. Leaders tend to be spontaneous risk-takers. They are usually socially aggressive and generally thick-skinned. Overall, they are responsive to others and tend to have high emotional stamina.
• Tough-mindedness. Good leaders are practical, logical, and to-the-point. They tend to be comfortable with criticism, and are not generally sentimental. They are usually insensitive to hardship and are very poised.
• Self-assurance. Self-confidence and resilience are common traits among leaders. They tend to be free of guilt and have little or no need for the approval of others. They are generally secure and are rarely emotionally affected by mistakes or failures.
• Compulsiveness. Leaders were found to be controlled and very precise in their social interactions. Overall, they were very protective of their integrity and reputation and consequently tended to be socially aware and careful, abundant in foresight, and very careful when making decisions or determining specific actions.

 Beyond these basic traits, leaders of today must also possess traits that will help them motivate others and lead in new directions. Leaders of the future must be able to envision the future and convince others that their vision is worth following. To do this, they must have the following personality traits:

• High energy. Long hours and some travel are usually a prerequisite for leadership positions, especially as your company grows. Maintaining alertness and focus is one of the greatest obstacles you will have to face as a leader.
• Intuitiveness. Reasoning and logic will not get you through all situations. In fact, more and more leaders are learning the value of using their intuition and trusting their gut when making decisions.
• Maturity. To be a good leader, personal power and recognition must be secondary to the development of your employees. In other words, maturity is based on recognizing that more can be accomplished by empowering others than can be by ruling others.
• Team orientation. Business leaders today put a strong emphasis on team work. Instead of promoting an adult/child relationship with their employees, effective leaders create an adult/adult relationship which fosters team cohesiveness.
• Empathy. The ability to put oneself in another person's shoes is a key trait of leaders today. Without empathy, you can't build trust; without trust, you will never be able to get the best effort from your employees.
• Charisma. People usually perceive leaders as larger than life, largely due to the charisma that leaders often possess. Leaders who have charisma are able to arouse strong emotions in their employees by defining a vision which unites and captivates them. Using this vision, leaders motivate employees to reach toward a future goal by tying the goal to substantial personal rewards and values.

But while personal traits play a major role in determining who will and who will not be comfortable leading others, it's important to remember that people are forever learning and changing. Leaders are rarely (if ever) born. Circumstances and persistence are major components in the developmental process of any leader, so if your goal is to become a leader, work on developing those areas of your personality that you feel are not up to par. For instance, if you have all of the basic traits but do not consider yourself much of a people person, try taking classes or reading books on empathy. On the other end, if relating to others has always come naturally to you, but you have trouble making logical decisions, try learning about tough-mindedness and how to develop more psychological resistance. Just remember, anyone can do anything they set their mind to.

References:
• Small Business Administration

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