Running head: STYLE AND TRAIT

Style and Trait as Components of Solid Leadership

Dion Meneley
LEAD 500/ Southwestern College
Dr. Ronald Beach
July 18, 2010

STYLE AND TRAIT

Great leaders tend to possess certain traits that help them become successful over time;
however, simply possessing these traits does not guarantee a person will become an effective
leader. Perspective leaders must also develop a leadership style that that fits their personality,
and emphasizes the individual traits they have at their disposal. In the coaching profession, it is
important for leaders to be flexible because of the many personalities that make up a football
team. Practicing a single leadership style can make it very difficult to connect to those that need
to be led; and therefore, it is important to continuously evaluate how effectively the team is being
led.
There are six traits, which separate leaders from non-leaders: drive, the desire to lead,
honesty and integrity, self-confidence, cognitive ability, and knowledge of the business
(Kirkpatrick & Locke, 1991). Leaders, who place great value on their level of achievement, are
ambitious individuals who need to maintain a high level of energy to keep up with the many
demands they encounter on a daily basis. An effective leader must be a proactive decision maker
that is not afraid to take action when situations arise, and follow through with any programs or
activities that are implemented. In addition to having a strong drive, people in leadership
positions must have a strong desire to lead others. Some people want to be in leadership
positions so they can acquire power, and others acquire power as a means to achieve desired
goals, or a vision (Kirkpatrick & Locke, 1991). As a coach, the goal is to get everyone focused
on the same vision, winning conference; and therefore, any power acquired must be used in a
manner that gets the most out of each member of the team.
If a leader hopes to build strong working relationships with their followers, honesty and
integrity must be values that are practiced daily. At the first sign of distrust, the leader begins
losing their ability to lead effectively, and must begin a long process of regaining the confidence

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that was lost. One of the responsibilities of being a college coach is to recruit student athletes to
the college. During this process, the recruits and their parents ask many questions about every
aspect of the college, and it is imperative that an honest relationship is built. If the athlete feels
they cannot trust the coach, there is no chance of singing or retaining the player long term. In
addition to being honest, a leader must be very self confident. People in leadership positions
have the responsibility of making difficult decisions, and they must have the confidence to make
the necessary changes based on that decision. Even if the decision turns out to be the wrong one,
a self-confident leader admits the mistake and uses it as a learning opportunity, often building
trust in the process (Kirkpatrick & Locke, 1991).
Quality leaders must possess a certain level of cognitive ability and knowledge of the
business. Although effective leaders tend to be more intelligent than those they lead, those who
excel are constantly absorbing information to stay one step ahead of those they lead, and the
competition. Whether it is a new technology, training program, or teaching technique those in
leadership positions must tirelessly look for more effective ways of doing things; and as a result,
continue to gain the confidence of those who follow. In addition to cognitive ability, leaders
must possess a tremendous amount of information about the company and industry they are a
member of. Those who follow look to their leaders for information when they do not have the
desired knowledge; and therefore, the effective leader must be able to be to deliver the
information with confidence. Although many leaders possess the traits discussed above, it is not
a guarantee that people with these traits will become leaders.
Effective leaders take the leadership traits they possess, and mold them into their
individual leadership style. A persons leadership style may be democratic or autocratic in
nature, or they may utilize techniques from both styles. If a person is an autocratic leader, they

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will take a more directive approach to decision making, and focus less on the input of coworkers.
A democratic leader, on the other hand, encourages subordinates to participate in the decision
making process, in an effort to gather differing opinions and ideas. There are positive aspects of
both style, but each has its shortcomings as well. The autocratic leader is the only chef in the
kitchen, and makes decisions that they feel are best for the organization. If the decision ends up
being the wrong one, the autocratic leader has no one to blame but himself/herself; however, he
is still the person in charge and there is no debating that. In the coaching profession, head
coaches tend to utilize this style of leadership. In our program, what the head coach says goes.
He will ask for our input, but at the end of the day it is his job on the line and he will live with
his decisions. The autocratic leader has to be careful not to carry too much weight on their
shoulders in order to keep their energy level up.
The democratic leadership style is based on group collaboration and the exchange of
ideas. Democratic leaders are more participative in nature and value the interactions they have
with their followers. The positive aspect of practicing a democratic leadership style is the wealth
of knowledge collected by the group, alternative solutions to problems, an engaged workforce,
and the opportunity for high morale. Sometimes in organizations, it is more important to have a
workable solution at the right time rather than only one best solution (Fleishman, Harding,
Jacobs, Mumford, & Zaccaro, 2000). On the other hand, participative leadership can undermine
the decision making ability of the leader, because everyone feels a sense of equality; and
therefore, the effective leader must find a balance to ensure that the hierarchy remains solid. As
a football coach, I find that I mix the two styles of leadership based on the situation. When it
comes to decisions regarding game plans, installation of calls, and practice schedules, I am an

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autocratic leader. As it pertains to drill work, position meetings, and workouts, I try to involve
the players in an attempt to keep them engaged and motivated.

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References

Mumford, M., Zaccaro, S., Harding, F, Jacobs, T., & Fleishman, E. (2000). Leadership skills for
a changing world: Solving complex social problems. The Leadership Quarterly, 11(1),
11-35.
Kirkpatick, S. A., & Locke, E. A. (1991). Leadership: Do traits matter?. The executive, 5(2), 4860.