{"id":228,"date":"2015-04-16T15:43:48","date_gmt":"2015-04-16T15:43:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.edgecumbe.co.uk\/?p=228"},"modified":"2021-11-02T15:26:04","modified_gmt":"2021-11-02T15:26:04","slug":"musings-on-the-big-five-and-their-implications-for-learning-to-be-a-leader","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.edgecumbe.co.uk\/musings-on-the-big-five-and-their-implications-for-learning-to-be-a-leader\/","title":{"rendered":"Musings on the ‘big five’ personality traits and their implications for learning to be a leader"},"content":{"rendered":"

Leaders are born.\u00a0 Leaders are made.\u00a0 Oh how fondly I remember the debate when I was a journeyman psychologist working in one of the first Business Psychology companies in the UK.\u00a0 At that time, the idea that a person\u2019s innate personality determines whether they could ever be an effective leader was such a hot topic.\u00a0 The counter argument, of course, is that most people could learn to be a leader if they were motivated to do so and had the \u2018right\u2019 development support.<\/p>\n

The truth probably lies somewhere in the middle.\u00a0 Some people naturally possess characteristics which are directly associated with leadership effectiveness, regardless of the specific environment in which they have to lead.\u00a0 Take some of the factors of emotional intelligence for example.\u00a0 Those people who are better at controlling their emotions, who can \u2018read\u2019 and empathise with others and who use emotion in a positive way to enthuse their teams are more likely to get to the top and to be successful when they get there.\u00a0 This blog <\/a>looks at these topics in more depth.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also true that in-depth, development<\/strong> plays a massive role.\u00a0 For example, tailored coaching, training, mentoring and targeted experience all contribute to people achieving their full potential.\u00a0 There are plenty of studies which show that development has a positive and tangible effect on performance and behavior.\u00a0 Development also releases people\u2019s motivation and stimulates their \u2018discretionary effort\u2019 as well as making them feel valued, which in turn has a direct effect on retention.<\/p>\n

But there is a third topic for consideration \u2013 whether a person has the potential<\/strong> to<\/strong> develop<\/strong>.\u00a0 Are some people more disposed to learn?\u00a0 Received wisdom has always told us that intelligence is the most important factor here.\u00a0 Well, at the risk of sounding like a psychologist, yes\u2026 and no.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s true that having a certain amount of intellectual ability helps.\u00a0 And now there are further indications that there are other factors which have an even greater bearing.\u00a0 The same five factor model of personality which we use to describe leadership capability and potential can also help us understand which characteristics dispose us to learn<\/strong> to be leaders.\u00a0 Recent work by Dr Arthur Poropat indicates that being open to new experiences, having a greater inclination to \u2018play with ideas\u2019 and being more prepared to try new things helps.\u00a0 Similarly, being conscientious, goal orientated and structured also links directly with people\u2019s learning success. Whilst we might intuitively expect these conclusions to be the case, it\u2019s good to see these assumptions proven scientifically. Furthermore, what is more surprising is that these factors are each four times<\/em>\u00a0more important than intelligence in predicting success in people\u2019s ability to learn to lead.<\/p>\n

It appears, then, that the five factor model continues to be useful, not only in terms of helping us understand what makes leaders succeed or fail.\u00a0 It also informs our understanding about identifying and developing those who have the greatest potential to lead us.<\/p>\n

At the beginning of this blog, I also referred to people having the motivation to learn.\u00a0 Our personal motivators vary.\u00a0 Some of us feel good about ourselves when we achieve; others when we are seen to be in charge, or when we are part of a successful team.\u00a0 These underlying needs cause us to invest our energy in satisfying them.\u00a0 In these examples, those motivated by achievement will be driven and goal orientated.\u00a0 Those who like to be seen to be in charge will perhaps seek to take control or to emphasise their importance to others.\u00a0 And so on.<\/p>\n

One other key psychological driver is personal growth \u2013 the feeling of satisfaction and fulfillment from learning new things.\u00a0 Having this as a personal motivator can significantly influence whether people \u2018stick at it\u2019 and judge their personal success in terms of whether they are developing and learning.\u00a0 I had a boss once who judged himself by the new ideas he discovered and whether he had learned something new that week.\u00a0 Almost every day there was a new idea or theory put to us about leadership development.\u00a0 Over the years I worked with him, I watched him take ownership of his own development, sometimes prioritizing learning and development for himself and the team above more pressing business Challenges.\u00a0 Ultimately though, he blossomed into a successful senior leader.<\/p>\n

So, from a leadership assessment and development perspective, there are two other factors to consider beyond the effects of natural make-up and environmental influences on whether someone will flourish as a leader.\u00a0 Do they have an inner need and motivator to grow?<\/strong>\u00a0 And do they demonstrate the underlying personality characteristics, as described by NEO, which will enhance their capacity to do so?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Leaders are born.\u00a0 Leaders are made.\u00a0 Oh how fondly I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":76,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,21,2,22,17,18,16],"tags":[],"table_tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe 'Big Five' Personality Traits and Learning to be a Leader | Edgecumbe<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The five key personality traits are useful in helping us understand what makes leaders succeed or fail, but others are useful too.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.edgecumbe.co.uk\/musings-on-the-big-five-and-their-implications-for-learning-to-be-a-leader\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta 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