A511.4.3.RB – Leadership Traits

February 5, 2016

Richard Martinez

MSLD 511

                Motivation literally is the aspiration to do things and get things done. Managers use motivation to get their employees to work and complete the goals that are set for them. I feel that it’s very important for the manager to be fully motivated in order to get his or her team motivated. If a manager lacks even a slight amount of motivation their team will see this and may soon lack the equivalent amount of motivation or even more. A key component of managerial motivation is setting and accomplishing goals. Leadership trait centers on the leader’s values and beliefs as well as their necessity for achievement and acceptance. Leadership traits also focuses on mental, physical, and emotional attributes as well. According to Yukl (2103) there are eight specific traits that are related to leadership effectiveness. These traits include; high energy level and stress tolerance; internal locus of control orientation; emotional maturity; personal integrity; socialized power motivation; moderately high achievement orientation; moderately high self-confidence; and moderately low need for affiliation. Leadership effectiveness is crucial to focusing on and applying leadership traits as well as concentrating on significant areas that will have the maximum influence that turns your vision and goals into reality.

                When I sit back and asses my own leadership skills, traits, and competencies I find that mine are slightly different than what’s shown in Yukl’s text. Most of my skills, traits and competencies were learned while I was in the U.S. Army for 28 years. They have been instilled in me from an early age and are now a major part of who I am today. I apply them in almost everything that I do in everyday life and in my leadership style at work. It begins with a set of traits and values with the acronym LDRSHIP. Each letter focuses on a specific trait or value. L = Loyalty, D = Duty, R = Respect, S = Selfless Service, H = Honor, I = Integrity, P = Personal Courage. This is the basis of my leadership skills and greatly helps with my leadership effectiveness. There are many other traits, skills, and competencies that I use that help me in my overall leadership abilities. Another area is my leadership attributes that are a person’s fundamental qualities and characteristics and are characterized as mental, physical, and emotional. These attributes are learned and can be changed and a successful leader will always work to improve them. Mental attributes include Will, Initiative, Self-Discipline, Judgement, Self-Confidence, Intelligence, and Cultural Awareness. The physical attributes include Health Fitness, Physical Fitness, and Professional bearing. Emotional attributes include Self-Control, Balance, and Stability.  

                Because I have been able to not only apply these skills, traits, competencies and attributes to my leadership but to my personal life as well has greatly help me to incorporate leadership in almost everything that I do. I have been able to create a leadership style that to me is a process of influence and is always progressing and has sustainability on key things that work but is adaptable to new situations. We are in an ever changing world and we are presented with new challenges every day. We also need to be able to adapt to each person in our charge or deal with, not everyone is the same.