A new study from Michigan State University suggests that the personality traits that help people rise into leadership positions are not necessarily the same qualities that make them effective once they get there. The findings highlight an important distinction for employers: identifying someone who looks like a leader is not the same as identifying someone who will perform well as one.

Published in the Journal of Applied Psychology, the study identified several personality characteristics associated with effective leadership, including achievement motivation, orderliness, self-discipline and optimism. These qualities may help leaders stay focused, organised and motivated while guiding employees and working towards organisational goals.

However, the researchers found that people who are most likely to emerge as leaders do not always possess the characteristics associated with strong leadership performance. Assertiveness, for example, was linked to a greater likelihood of becoming a leader, but it was not associated with being an effective one. That distinction could be particularly important when organisations make promotion and succession decisions.

“Leadership can have a substantial impact on organisational effectiveness and employee morale. Therefore, it is important that organisations know what to look for when hiring leaders or helping current employees develop into leadership roles,” said Christopher Nye, a study co-author and professor in Michigan State University’s Department of Psychology.

The researchers also found that there is no single personality profile that defines an effective leader in every setting. The characteristics associated with leadership success varied according to the type and level of leadership. For instance, traits associated with successful student leaders differed from those linked to success among lower-level or upper-level managers.

To reach their conclusions, the researchers conducted a meta-analysis, combining findings from previous studies examining personality and leadership. They looked at two distinct outcomes: which personality characteristics were associated with becoming a leader and which were associated with performing effectively once someone was in a leadership position. This allowed the researchers to distinguish between traits that help people attain leadership roles and those that contribute to success in them.

For employers, the findings suggest leadership selection should focus less on who naturally stands out as a leader and more on whether a candidate has characteristics linked to effectiveness in the specific role. Hiring and promotion processes could incorporate evidence-based personality assessments alongside interviews, performance records and other measures. At the same time, leadership development programmes could target characteristics and behaviours associated with success at different management levels.

“Our findings suggest that organisations may want to re-evaluate the way that they select their leaders to only focus on those personality characteristics that are linked to success,” Nye said. The study was first authored by Nathan Baker, an assistant professor at Wright State University and a psychology doctoral alumnus of Michigan State University. For organisations, the practical message is clear: selecting leaders based primarily on who appears most naturally suited to lead may overlook candidates whose characteristics are better aligned with actually succeeding in the job.

More information: Nathan Baker et al, The many facets of leadership: A meta-analysis of personality facets, leader effectiveness, and emergence, Journal of Applied Psychology. DOI: 10.1037/apl0001378

Journal information: Journal of Applied Psychology Provided by Michigan State University