When I consider the concept of leadership, I often use the Big Five as a framework in which to place leadership. My primary task as a search consultant is to assess leaders. I am trying to create a set of descriptors of each candidate and I use these to see how they will fit the culture of my client organization and I am trying to assess their competencies as leaders. A broad way to view each candidate is by using the Big Five.
I am considering traits as I assess candidates. A trait is a temporally stable, cross-situational individual difference. The Big Five are five factors that were derived from factor analyses of a large number of self- and peer reports on personality-relevant adjectives and questionnaire items.
I feel the Big Five gives an excellent context in which to assess leaders.
Just for a reminder, the Big Five are:
• Extraversion (sometimes called Surgency). The broad dimension of Extraversion encompasses such more specific traits as talkative, energetic, and assertive.
• Agreeableness. Includes traits like sympathetic, kind, and affectionate.
• Conscientiousness. Includes traits like organized, thorough, and planful.
• Neuroticism (sometimes reversed and called Emotional Stability). Includes traits like tense, moody, and anxious.
• Openness to Experience (sometimes called Intellect or Intellect/Imagination). Includes traits like having wide interests, and being imaginative and insightful.
So, using the Big Five to assess leaders, you might want to consider the following –
Highly effective leaders typically:
• Exhibit high energy; they are comfortable being around people (even if they might have an inner feeling of introversion); they have positive emotions; they seek to be in charge; they are comfortable in taking unpopular stands if necessary; they are looked to for direction in a crisis (the Extraversion / Surgency factor)
• Get along with others; they cooperate and collaborate; they see the positive in others (the Agreeableness factor)
• Approach life with a plan; they are structured; (Conscientiousness factor)
• Are not typically tense or irritable or moody (Neuroticism or Emotional Stability factor)
• Come up with new and unique ideas; they are very adept at “connecting the dots” and seeing connections; they are seen as original and adding value in brainstorming sessions; they are very good at anticipating future trends accurately; they are very articulate when getting others to see possibilities in the future (Openness to Experience or the Intellect/Imagination factor)
And – as an example -- when I assess leaders, I am looking for some degree of extraversion, some degree of agreeableness, some degree of conscientiousness, some degree of emotional stability, and some degree of intellect.
On the following website, you will find great material on the Big Five --
http://www.uoregon.edu/~sanjay/bigfive.html