Distinctive personalities in leadership

Personality has been defined as the characteristic way in which an individual thinks, feels, and behaves; it accounts for the ingrained behaviours patterns of the individual and is the basis for predicting how an individual will act in particular circumstances. This embraces a person's moods, attitudes, and opinions and is most clearly expressed in interactions with others. A person can benefit by studying the personality traits considered important to a leader. By careful self-analysis and application, he can improve in those traits in which he is deficient and further strengthen those in which he is strong.

"Leadership isn't just about having a powerful position. Anytime you use your influence to affect the thoughts and actions of others, you are engaging in leadership. So you can be a leader as a parent, spouse, friend, or citizen." ~ Ken Blanchard.

It will be necessary to study certain human personalities which seem to be connected with behaviour of leaders. Most of leaders like to think that they understand themselves fairly well. They feel that they have a sense of who they are, how they tend to think and feel, and what they are likely to do in almost any situation. To a lesser degree, they also feel that they understand a few other people they know particularly well, such as work-mates, very close friends and family members.What is more difficult is to understand the personality of those people they do not know well.

Personalities of leaders

A leader's true nature or personality cannot change with situation. Some leaders will act and behave one way with their subordinates, another way with their superiors, and behave a different way with people outside their organisation. Leaders have different personalities and behave in distinctive ways. There are many personalities but the most notable are:

Paranoid Personality in leadership

Leaders with this personality are marked by suspiciousness and unjustified mistrust of others and their subordinates. They can talk in perfectly rational manner until the conversation approaches some topic on which they are sensitive. Then the underlying suspicions quickly come to the surface. These are paranoid leaders who are very tricky, secretive, hostile, quarrelsome, and they are excessively sensitive to any criticism. They do not like delegating and when they do, they carefully watch every move of the subordinates. If they think someone has it in for them, they may actually fire that person or in extreme cases they may kill that person. Paranoid leaders have remarkable memory for names, dates, and events. They have memories like video recorders. They never forget a single detail. Every unpleasant attitude is minutely observed and carefully memorized. Every unpleasant scene is lived over in all its lurid reality. Here and there a few touches are added. In the end the whole picture is completely distorted and given a false meaning. They misinterpret words and actions of others. They use all these in their plans to get even with those who do not tow their line and especially with the one they believe to be their enemy. Such leaders have paranoid reactions to situations. Even the usual sound from a radio may be so misinterpreted. One must be careful how he laughs and what he laughs at when dealing with them. Paranoid leaders are autocratic and power hungry. They are not only bad leaders, they are mentally ill.

Narcissistic Personality in leadership

Leaders with this personality have a grandiose sense of self-importance and a preoccupation with fantasies of success, power, and achievement. These leaders act like spoiled children when they do not get their way or when things are not moving according to their wishes. They are full of pomp and pride.

The essential characteristic of these leaders is an exaggerated sense of self-importance that is reflected in a wide variety of situations. Narcissistic leaders have a sense of self-worth that exceeds their actual accomplishments and are typically egocentric.

They are often insensitive to the perspectives and needs of the subordinates. They shout at their subordinates or correct them in public. They do not accept criticism and lack emotional control. They are likely to be seen as arrogant and sarcastic. They lack respect and sincerity. They can be both autocratic and democratic.

Neurotic Personality in leadership

Leaders with this personality are self-centered and childish. They are always busy devising ways to increase their own comfort and satisfaction. Everything must be centered on them. They are very selfish. Yet in the end they are never really satisfied. They do not appreciate and must always be placated and pleased.

They are autocratic and power hungry and focus more on the negative things that subordinates do. Such leaders breed tribalism, nepotism, favouritism and regionalism. These are attention seekers and time-wasters.

Obsessive-Compulsive Personality in leadership

Leaders with this kind of personality show perfectionistic traits that are expressed in feelings of meticulous conscientiousness, excessive orderliness, and rigidity of behaviour.

These leaders are preoccupied with rules and procedures as ends in themselves. Such leaders tend to show a great concern of efficiency, are overly devoted to work and productivity, and are usually deficient in their ability to express warm or tender emotions. They tend to over-supervise. Many of these leaders are victims of their school or college training. They very much depend on conventional wisdom, that is, on old ideas and antiquated methods. These leaders are condemned to strictly stick to rules, procedures, old ideas and antiquated methods which only perpetuates conventional thinking and stifles creativity, learning, and growth among subordinates. They may also exhibit a high degree of moral rigidity.

Body type and one's personality in leadership

There is a high correlation between a leader's physical appearance and a leader's personality. A leader's physical stature may very well set limits on what can and cannot do and may limit the range of his possible reactions. A leader's personality may have direct effects on the a leader's physical appearances through overindulgence, vanity or neglect. Physical appearance can be classified into three:

Leaders who are soft, flabby, and un-muscled. They have a love of physical comfort, have love of eating and have pot-bellies. They lack power of concentration and lack physical endurance. They easily doze off. They have a high sense of justice and are impartial and consistent in their dealings. They are complacency and have evenness of emotional flow.
Leaders who are hard, tough, rectangular of build, and well-muscled. They have love for physical adventure, need and enjoyment of exercise, have love of chance and risk, and are competitive aggressiveness. They display intense interest and zeal in the performance of duties, tasks, or job. They are courageous, have mental and physical endurance.
Leaders who are thin, fragile and delicately boned. They are brainy and have mental over-intensity. They have love for privacy, and have overly reactions and have poor sleep habits. They have high sense of alertness and have mental endurance. They have the power of judgment. They lack sense of humour.

Blood type and personality in leadership

In East Asian countries, it's widely believed that a person's ABO blood type predict a person's personality, and temperament. Some behaviourial studies suggest that there is statistically significant relationship between blood type and personality. Recently, some medical hypotheses have been proposed in support of blood type personality theory. However the scientific community generally dismisses blood type personality theories as a superstition or pseudoscience. In leadership, it's important to know the difference between a leader and a manager. A manager is confined to stipulated and scientifically proven methods while a successful leader functions more in the realm of imagination, art, creativity, observation and judgement.

Blood type A personality

While they are capable of leadership positions, they may not take them because the stress is not good for their tightly wired systems. They are artistic, conscientious, trustworthy and sensitive. While outwardly calm, they have such high standards that they tend to be balls of nerves on the inside. Famous Leaders with type A; Adolf Hitler, George H. W. Bush, Richard Nixon, Lyndon B. Johnson.

Blood type B personality

They tend to be balanced, and thoughtful leaders. They are goal oriented, and strong minded. They will start a task and continue it until completed. They easily understand other's point of view, yet often hesitating to challenge or confront. Famous people with type B; Leonardo DiCaprio, Luciano Pavarotti.

Blood type AB personality

They are split personalities. While responsible, too much responsibility will cause a problem. They are trustworthy and like to help others. Famous leaders with type AB; John F. Kennedy.

Blood type O personality

They are natural leaders and initiators, although they don't always finish what they start. They tend to be loners and are intuitive, focused, self-reliant and daring. They are very social and handle stress better than those with other blood type. Famous leaders with type O; Queen Elizabeth II, Ronald Reagan, Mikhail Gorbachev, Gerald Ford.

How to know a leader's behaviour

Leaders, like anyone else, constantly reveal who they are in ways that are both conscious and unconscious. They reveal who they by how they act, how they look, and what they are wearing. The way a leader dresses, and the way he carries himself are conscious signals.

Body language, posture and posturing are unconscious signals. Conventional wisdom says that if a leader slumps in the chair, he or she is not very commanding; the converse also supposedly holds true.
The way a leader dress forms an immediate impression about who he is. Leaders who show up for work wearing loafers with no socks, their shirts half unbuttoned, and gold chains and tattoos visibly exposed can evoke disturbing generalities about their entire personalities. Good leaders dress conservatively.
The people who work with the leader can provide revealing information about that leader. Subordinates within an organisation tend to pick up many of the characteristics of their leaders. The subordinates are the official link with the outside world, and how they deal with issues is a mirror image of how the outside world see their leader. If they drop confidential information, the leader is perceived to drop confidential information etc.
Leaders are known by the office they keep and how they choose to decorate it. The efficiency of an office is directly proportionate to how efficient it looks. An office that is overly cluttered with degrees, diplomas and mementos or is obviously contrived to create a certain impression is usually a dead giveaway. You have to be careful in dealing with leaders of this sort. Such leaders are more likely to be interested in looks than in performance, in appearance rather than real accomplishment.

Importance of maturity in leadership

Maturity is not a matter of years. It is not measured solely by the calendar, but rather measured by ones ability to learn from past experiences and the silent reflection on the consequences of ones action. It is also measured by one's ability to accept corrections, remarks, suggestions given to him by others.

Maturity is being able to have your opinions and beliefs challenged or attacked. Success in human relations depends on maturity which is the ability to strike a balance between consideration and courage.
Maturity leads to inner freedom which is the ability to discern between right and wrong and to choose what is right. This inner freedom which includes freedom from fears, anxieties, worries and compulsions make mature leaders not to panic in crisis.
Maturity leads to all round growth in leaders themselves and their subordinates as persons. The leaders relate with their subordinates in a manner that makes the subordinates feel respected. The subordinates are challenged constantly, but they never feel threatened or brainwashed. To demand blind obedience from senior subordinates is dangerous, because it is against human nature which has been endowed with common sense. It can make the subordinates rebel or keep them immature.
Maturity leads to wisdom which is the ability to see leaders themselves, subordinates and the things around in an objective way. They build and learn to work among their subordinates.

Signs of mature leaders

The leader is an individual with the right leadership skills and have the technical know- how about what they do; bring new ideas and new values into the organisation.
The leader knows what the goal of the organisation is and works towards it.
The leader has knowledge of the needs of the time and will try to find out which needs are not met and how he can go about to meet those needs.
Consults with experts including subordinates. The leader knows that subordinates possess much data. The leader takes this and their strengths and weaknesses, fears and anxieties, temperament and talents etc. into account before deciding on any course of action. In fact subordinates will find it very hard to disobey a leader who they find genuinely interested in them.
The leader is available and so the subordinates feel like approaching him whenever they feel the need for it.
The leader will not throw his weight around and treats everyone with respect. Once the subordinates feel respected, they will be only too willing to take orders from the leaders.
The leader notices the little things subordinates do and compliments them.
Speaks only well of all his subordinates. He will try to help those in difficulties. He trains them, guides and corrects in a manner appropriate. He knows that obedience is not the result of fear, but of respect.
Good leaders are leaders who are mature enough to let their subordinates have their way, especially when no serious problem is involved. But it is surprising how often a leader who is old enough to know better must always have his own way over some petty things just like any pampered child. Such leaders are really not mature, no matter how old they may be.

Actions that mature leaders avoid

Violation of dignity of subordinates.
Mass punishment or ridicule of subordinates.
Blaming his superior or subordinates for failure in a specific task.
Meetings that waste time.
Favouritism and moral weakness

Personal and cognitive qualities of a good leader

Different leaders posses varying qualities. Some of the important qualities that a leader must have to lead effectively are listed below:

Self-confidence: This quality enables a leader to win respect and confidence of others.
Self-knowledge: A leader must know who he is and know where he is going.
Vision: A leader must have the ability to see all of an issue and eliminate biases.
Intelligence and wisdom: A leader is one who perceives situations and challenges and comes up with new approaches, insights and solutions. He understands sentiments and aspirations of subordinates.
Courage: This is a mental state and is the quality that recognizes fear or danger or criticism but enables a person to proceed in the in the face of it with calmness and firmness.
Integrity and intellectual honesty: This means uprightness of character, the quality of absolute truthfulness and honesty. One has to be honest with not only oneself but also with the people one leads and the people with whom he works
Initiative: This means one does not wait for things to happen but one has the ability to quickly do what needs to be done, making up one's mind to do it and accomplish. It also means taking responsibility and not waiting for a miracle in situations where human effort can find solutions. Initiative is the capacity for assuming responsibility and doing new things, the ability to carry through an undertaking of a job with too detailed supervision.
Sense of humour: The ability to appreciate amusing or lighter moments in life. It is also the ability to remain cheerful under stress. Humour relieves strain and enables people to relax and see things in a slightly different or fresh light.
A good leader understands the nature of power and authority. Authority is the right to do something and authority is given to a person to make decisions by virtue of position held in the organisation. .
A good leader has the ability to communicate, persuade and listen. He is receptive to views and suggestions of subordinates.

Characteristic of good leaders

Good leaders are self-confident and inspire self-confidence in others.
They know how to speak in a way that moves subordinates to action.
They project dynamism.
They build and learn to work among their subordinates.
They know how to nurture and coach others. They help others to be more creative.

Traits that are important for effective leadership

We may define a trait as "any distinguishable, relatively enduring way in which one individual differs from others." Not all leaders posses all traits. A good leader will capitalize on his or her strong traits and at the same time try to improve his or her weak traits.

Alertness of mind is what helps a leader to pick up opportunities at the right time and exploit the situation to his advantage.
Bearing: a desirable physical appearance in dress. A leader's appearance and manner must depict competence and confidence.
Language is another of the outward marks by which a leader will be judged and through which a leader influences subordinates. Speak plainly and clearly. Make your sentences short simple, positive and direct.
Courage: There are two types of courage; namely: (i) Physical courage: It is an emotional state which urges a person to risk injury or death; (ii) Moral courage: It means knowing and standing for what is right in the face of popular condemnation.
Knowledge: This is being aware of one's job, the task one is required to carry out.
Decisiveness: It is the ability to make decisions promptly when required and announce them concisely, and clearly. A logical thought process is essential for solving a problem or making a plan.
Dependability: It is the high standard for both work one gets through and the quality of work irrespective of supervision.
Endurance. It is the mental and physical stamina measured by the ability to withstand pain, fatigue, stress and hardship.
Initiative: It is the willingness to act or offer well considered recommendations in the absence of orders. It is the capacity for assuming responsibility and doing new things.
Integrity: It means uprightness of character, the quality of absolute truthfulness and honesty.
Judgment: It is the power of mind to access various factors and values quickly, often under difficult circumstances and arrive at a wise decision.
Justice: It is the quality of being impartial and consistent in exercising authority.
Loyalty: This is the quality of faithfulness to your superiors, equals, subordinates and others.
Sense of humour: It is the ability to appreciate lighter moments in life.
Respect: Treat all human beings with respect and dignity.
Accountability: It is having to explain actions/performance to the person from authority was obtained. It means acceptance of responsibility.
Tact: It is the ability to relate with others without creating offence.
Discipline: This is an area where many "wanna be" leaders fail because they try to be nice to everyone."

Principles of leadership

The eleven (11) principles of leadership are as follows:

Be tactically and technically proficient. The first principle is to know your job. As a leader, you must demonstrate your ability to accomplish the mission and to do this you must be capable of answering questions and demonstrating competence in your job. Tactical and technical competence can be learned from books and from the job on training.
Know yourself and seek improvement. Evaluate yourself by using the leadership traits and determine your strengths and weaknesses. Strive to overcome the weak ones and further strengthen those in which you are strong. With a knowledge of yourself, and your experience and knowledge of group behaviour, you can determine the best way to deal with any given situation. Self-improvement can be achieved by reading and observing.
Know your subordinates and look out for their welfare. Put your subordinates welfare before your own. Correct grievances and remove discontent. Be approachable. You should know your subordinates and how they react to different situations. Encourage individual development among subordinates.
Keep your subordinates informed. To promote efficiency and morale, a leader should inform the subordinates of all the happenings and give reasons why things are to be done. Stop rumours by replacing them with the truth.
Set the example. As a leader your duty is to set the standards for your subordinates by personal example. Show your subordinates that you are willing to do the same things you ask them to do. Your appearance, attitude, physical fitness are all watched by your subordinates. Conduct yourself so that your personal habits are not open to criticism. Leadership is taught by example.
Ensure the task is understood, supervised, and accomplished. Before you can expect your subordinates to perform, they must know first what is expected of them. You must communicate your instructions in a clear, concise manner. Before your subordinates start a task, allow them a chance to ask questions or seek advice. Supervision is essential and without it you cannot know if the assigned task is properly accomplished.
Train your subordinates as a team. Teamwork is the key to successful job. You must insist on teamwork from your subordinates. Train, play, and work as a team and be sure that each person knows his position and responsibility within the team framework.
Make sound and timely decisions. The leader must be able to rapidly estimate a situation and make a sound decision based on that estimation. Hesitation or reluctance to make a decision leads subordinates to lose confidence in your abilities as a leader. Loss of confidence in turn creates confusion. Announce decisions in time to allow subordinates to make necessary plans. Consider the effects of your decisions on all members of your department. Therefore develop a logical and orderly thought process by practicing objective estimates of the situation.
Develop a sense of responsibility among your subordinates. Provide clear, well thought directions. Tell your subordinates what to do, not how to do it. Hold them responsible for results, although overall responsibility remains yours. Assigning tasks and delegating the authority to accomplish tasks promotes mutual confidence and respect between the leader and subordinates. Let your subordinates know that you will accept honest errors without punishment in return; teach from these mistake by critique and constructive guidance.
Employ your department in accordance with its capabilities. Successful completion of tasks depends upon how well you know your department's capabilities. Do not volunteer your department for tasks it is not capable of completing. Failure lower your departments morale and self-esteem. Be sure that tasks assigned to subordinates are reasonable. Analyze all assigned tasks. If the means at your disposal are inadequate, inform your immediate supervisor and request the necessary support.
Seek responsibility and take responsibility for your actions. Seek different leadership positions that will give you experience in accepting responsibility in different fields. Seeking responsibilities means that you take responsibility for actions. You are responsible for all does or fails to do. Stick by convictions and do what you think is right, but accept justified and constructive criticism. Carefully evaluate a subordinate's failure before taking action. Never remove or punish a subordinate for a failure that is the result of your own mistake.

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The Eye of a Leader

Distinctive personalities of leaders and the importance of maturity in leadership