PART ONE—Leadership Variables
Major Purpose of Part One
Part One focuses on three important subjects -- leadership
qualities, characteristics of followers, and situational factors.
Part One Objectives
After completing Part One, your students should be able to
better understand:
• Trait and behavior theories of leadership;
• Distinguishing qualities of leaders;
• Characteristics of followers relevant to leadership;
• Situational influences on the leadership process; and
• Styles of leadership and styles of following.
,
,NOTES AND ANECDOTES
Traits and Human Nature
In 1968 historians Will and Ariel Durant published a definitive and widely acclaimed ten-volume survey
of history, The Story of Civilization. With the completion of this work, they looked back and asked what
history had to say about the nature, conduct, and prospects of man. In The Lessons of History, Chapter
V "Character and History," they describe human nature based on a "Table of Character Elements" or
traits.
See Table 1.1.
In this analysis, human beings are equipped with six positive and six negative instincts
whose function it is to preserve the individual, the family, the group, and the species. Each instinct
generates habits and is accompanied by feelings. Their totality is the nature of man. In positive
personalities, positive tendencies predominate. It can be argued that the leadership personality is
characterized by an abundance of positive elements or traits. Think of a leader you admire and the
habits and feelings that describe him or her using Table 1.1.
TABLE 1.1: TABLE OF CHARACTER ELEMENTS
INSTINCTS HABITS FEELINGS
Positive Negative Positive Negative Positive Negative
Action Dormancy Play Lethargy Buoyancy Fatigue
Work Sloth Energy Inertia
, Curiosity Indifference Eagerness Boredom
Manipulation Hesitation Wonder Doubt
Thought Dreaming Absorption Vacuity
Innovation Imitation Creativity Acceptance
Art Disorder Enjoyment Confusion
Fight Flight Advancement Retreat Courage Anxiety
Competition Timidity Rivalry Fear
Mastery Submission Pride Defeat
Acquisition Avoidance Eating Rejection Satisfaction Hunger
Saving Wasting Conservancy Prodigality
Property Poverty Security Insecurity
Major Purpose of Part One
Part One focuses on three important subjects -- leadership
qualities, characteristics of followers, and situational factors.
Part One Objectives
After completing Part One, your students should be able to
better understand:
• Trait and behavior theories of leadership;
• Distinguishing qualities of leaders;
• Characteristics of followers relevant to leadership;
• Situational influences on the leadership process; and
• Styles of leadership and styles of following.
,
,NOTES AND ANECDOTES
Traits and Human Nature
In 1968 historians Will and Ariel Durant published a definitive and widely acclaimed ten-volume survey
of history, The Story of Civilization. With the completion of this work, they looked back and asked what
history had to say about the nature, conduct, and prospects of man. In The Lessons of History, Chapter
V "Character and History," they describe human nature based on a "Table of Character Elements" or
traits.
See Table 1.1.
In this analysis, human beings are equipped with six positive and six negative instincts
whose function it is to preserve the individual, the family, the group, and the species. Each instinct
generates habits and is accompanied by feelings. Their totality is the nature of man. In positive
personalities, positive tendencies predominate. It can be argued that the leadership personality is
characterized by an abundance of positive elements or traits. Think of a leader you admire and the
habits and feelings that describe him or her using Table 1.1.
TABLE 1.1: TABLE OF CHARACTER ELEMENTS
INSTINCTS HABITS FEELINGS
Positive Negative Positive Negative Positive Negative
Action Dormancy Play Lethargy Buoyancy Fatigue
Work Sloth Energy Inertia
, Curiosity Indifference Eagerness Boredom
Manipulation Hesitation Wonder Doubt
Thought Dreaming Absorption Vacuity
Innovation Imitation Creativity Acceptance
Art Disorder Enjoyment Confusion
Fight Flight Advancement Retreat Courage Anxiety
Competition Timidity Rivalry Fear
Mastery Submission Pride Defeat
Acquisition Avoidance Eating Rejection Satisfaction Hunger
Saving Wasting Conservancy Prodigality
Property Poverty Security Insecurity
