Have you ever wondered why some people seem to have the knack for leadership while others don’t? Psychologists have been asking that same question for many years now. Let’s look at some possible answers.

Whether we are dealing with business, politics, career, family, or day to day affairs, we cannot overemphasize the significance of good leadership. Because leadership is absolutely important in almost every aspect of human life, various researchers, behavior analysts, and psychologists have initiated exhaustive studies about this topic during the past few decades.  Their aim was to discover the traits and characteristics that distinguish leaders from non-leaders.

Early psychological research pinpointed several cognitive factors and personal traits that affect leadership. Some examples of these traits are intelligence, ambition, and aggressiveness (which doesn’t necessarily mean violence, but willingness to take risks). Other behavioral psychologists claim that physical characteristics such as height, body size and shape, and personal attractiveness affect leadership ability in some way. Under this view, powerful leaders such as Napoleon Bonaparte and Hitler instantly come to mind. These people may lack enormous physical strength, attractiveness, and height, but they compensated for what they lacked by demonstrating extraordinary leadership skills.

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Some corporations today use the Myers-Briggs Type indicator (developed by psychologist Carl Jung) to classify leaders and managers, and by doing so, it helps the company predict what leadership styles will be displayed by people in low and middle management. This indicator labels managers as either extroverts or introverts, sensers or intuitors, and judgers or perceivers.  Carl Jung’s research has produced much controversy over the past few decades, but still it’s worth looking at.

There appears to be six (6) dominant traits that are present in almost every powerful leader and they are as follows:

1) Higher level of personal drive 

Leaders are driven or motivated by something larger than life. While followers and “average folk” tend to be driven only by basic things such as money, comfort, and pleasure, leaders are often motivated by achievement, fulfillment, success, and power.

2) Desire to Lead 

There are fewer instances when a leader is coerced or pushed to accept the challenge of leadership. More often, a person first desires a leadership position before he or she attains it. This is very true in the corporate world, because the desire to lead is linked to the desire to move up the corporate ladder, where there are more employee benefits and monetary rewards.

3) Personal integrity 

We’re not saying that leaders should be perfect. But at least he must be trustworthy, dependable, has some degree of moral ascendancy, and has credibility.

4) Self Confidence

This is self explanatory. If someone has a worst case of wallflower syndrome, then it is quite difficult to lead in any situation.

5) Analytical Ability Judgment

The leader must be willing and able to make tough decisions based on given facts.

6) Knowledge of the company, industry, or technology, or field of interest

Of course, the leader should be some sort of expert in the field of interest he or she currently belongs to.

While these leadership traits do not necessarilty guarantee succesful leadership, they are best viewed as personal competencies and abilities which make up the overall potential of an individual. When this potential is tapped and the skills are put to use, then and only then will good leadership ability manifest in the life of a person.