Trait leadership is defined as integrated patterns of personal characteristics that reflect a range of individual differences and foster consistent leader effectiveness across a variety of group and organizational situations (Zaccaro, Kemp, & Bader, 2004). The theory of trait leadership developed from early leadership research which focused primarily on finding a group of heritable attributes that differentiated leaders from nonleaders. Leader effectiveness refers to the amount of influence a leader has on individual or group performance, followers’ satisfaction, and overall effectiveness (Derue, Nahrgang, Wellman, & Humphrey, 2011). Many scholars have argued that leadership is unique to only a select number of individuals and that these individuals possess certain immutable traits that cannot be developed (Galton, 1869). Although this perspective has been criticized immensely over the past century, scholars still continue to study the effects of personality traits on leader effectiveness. Research has demonstrated that successful leaders differ from other people and possess certain core personality traits that significantly contribute to their success. Understanding the importance of these core personality traits that predict leader effectiveness can help organizations with their leader selection, training, and development practices (Derue et al., 2011).

Trait may refer to:

Entertainment

In computer programming, a trait is a concept used in object-oriented programming, which represents a set of methods that can be used to extend the functionality of a class.

Characteristics

Traits both provide a set of methods that implement behaviour to a class and require that the class implement a set of methods that parameterize the provided behaviour.

For inter-object communication and sharing, traits are somewhat between an object-oriented protocol (interface) and a mixin. An interface may define one or more behaviors via method signatures, while a trait defines behaviors via full method definitions: i.e., it includes the body of the methods. In contrast, mixins include full method definitions and may also carry state through member variable, while traits usually don't.

Hence an object defined as a trait is created as the composition of methods, which can be used by other classes without requiring multiple inheritance. In case of a naming collision, when more than one trait to be used by a class has a method with the same name, the programmer must explicitly disambiguate which one of those methods will be used in the class; thus manually solving the diamond problem of multiple inheritance. This is different from other composition methods in object-oriented programming, where conflicting names are automatically resolved by scoping rules.

A phenotypic trait, or simply trait, is a distinct variant of a phenotypic characteristic of an organism; it may be either inherited or determined environmentally, but typically occurs as a combination of the two. For example, eye color is a character of an organism, while blue, brown and hazel are traits.

Definition

Phenotypic trait is the element the descriptions of individuals and groups of living creatures. Individualized biological variability (biodiversity) of each species and populations of living beings, includes all the components of individual features or individuality and group identity in morphological and anatomical, biochemical and ethological, and every other way, from the level of molecules to living communities and a higher degrees of ecological integration.

Individuals and groups differ among themselves biologically, in practically endless succession of more or less visible elements of their descriptions, which are named as trait, feature, mark, nature, characteristics, character and others. Each of these components is a description of, say, the observational nature, i.e. selected part of our vision or measuring the actual condition of the individual body or group structure.

Leadership is both a research area and a practical skill, regarding the ability of an individual or organization to "lead" or guide other individuals, teams, or entire organizations . Controversial viewpoints are present in the literature, among Eastern and Western approaches to leadership, and also within the West, on US vs. European approaches. In US academic environments leadership is defined as "a process of social influence in which a person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task". Leadership seen from a European and non-academic perspective encompasses a view of a leader who can be moved both by communitarian goals but also by the search for personal power. As the European researcher Daniele Trevisani states:

Studies of leadership have produced theories involving traits, situational interaction, function, behavior, power, vision and values,charisma, and intelligence, among others.

Theories

Early western history

The search for the characteristics or traits of leaders has continued for centuries. Philosophical writings from Plato's Republic to Plutarch's Lives have explored the question "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. This idea that leadership is based on individual attributes is known as the "trait theory of leadership".

Leadership (published October 1, 2002, ISBN 0-7868-6841-4) is a book written by Rudolph W. Giuliani (co-authored with Ken Kurson) about his time as Mayor of New York City and how he cleaned up New York City, reduced crime, and revitalized the economy of the city. Most of the book was written before the September 11, 2001 attacks, though Giuliani did include a section about his experiences that day and how he dealt with the emergency and the cleanup afterwards.

In 2007, this book was re-issued during Giuliani's presidential campaign, with a new introduction including Giuliani's perspective on various problems facing the United States.

References

External links

Leadership is a daily national newspaper published by Leadership Newspaper Group, based in Abuja, Nigeria. On its website, the paper asserts: "We shall stand up for good governance. We shall defend the interests of the Nigerian state even against its leaders and we shall raise our pen at all times in defence of what is right. These are the values by which we intend to be assessed".

On 9 January 2007 a dozen State Security Service agents stormed the Leadership offices and arrested general manager Abraham Nda-Isaiah, editor Bashir Bello Akko and journalist Abdulazeez Sanni. The cause was an article written by journalist Danladi Ndayebo that discussed the political maneuvers in the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP) party that led to nomination of Umaru Musa Yar'Adua as presidential candidate. On 6 May 2008 a squad of armed, plain-clothed policemen from the Niger State Command raided the Leadership head office and arrested the deputy editor, Danladi Ndayebo, apparently without any warrant. According to the editor, Prince Charles Dickson, the cause was a feature article said to have defamed the character of Senator Isa Mohammed.