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Writer's pictureMiriam Wagner

Personality Traits of a Manager

Sounds kind of weird when you talk about a leader's personality, doesn't it? As if that were something private. It is so important to talk about it and carefully select or develop your managers.


But what is personality anyway?


In the writings of Cicero (106 - 43 BC) there are four meanings of the word persona:

1. How one appears (but is not) to others;

2. The role someone (e.g. a philosopher) plays in life;

3. An accumulation of personal characteristics that qualify someone for a job;

4. Particularity and dignity (such as style).

The latter two meanings already leave the realm of mask-like and inauthentic. At that time, freeborn citizens were called personae - in contrast to slaves.


After the church had called the members of the divine trinity personae in the third century AD, persona was equated with the true essence of a person in the sixth century. Even later, when the power of the church dominated public life less strongly, the word personality stood for what was unique about people.


In the specialist literature there are, for example, the following definitions of personality:


Definition 1: “Personality is the more or less fixed and lasting organization of character, temperament, intellect and physique of a person. This organization determines its unique adaptation to the environment. "


Definition 2: "The majority of today's personality definitions perceive personality as a behavioral correlate that is unique in every person, relatively stable and lasting over time." (A correlate is a measurable quantity or property that is statistically related to another.)


But what do we conclude from this:

First of all, there is no single definition but everyone agrees that personality is what remains typical of a person over a long period of time.


These include features such as:

  • Temperament

  • Traits

  • Interests

  • Talents

  • Moral concepts


The following characteristics are closely related to leadership success:


Qualifications: ability, vigilance, verbal dexterity, originality and judgment

Performance: school performance, knowledge and athletic performance

Responsibility: Reliability, initiative, perseverance, aggressiveness, self-confidence, the desire to excel

Participation: activity, sociability, willingness to cooperate, adaptability, humor

Status: socio-economic position, popularity


There are non-cooperative forms of leadership that are primarily characterized by the fact that you only delegate as much as necessary and keep information under lock and key as far as possible. In addition, the manager often intervenes and thus unsettles the employees. Decisions are made individually by the manager and not jointly and the manager not only controls the result, but also the path to the result. A modern manager, on the other hand, delegates as much as possible. There are clear rules governing competencies and responsibility is transferred. In addition, decisions are made together.


-- A manager must be able to confidently master the following methods and skills:


Moderate Effective design of open spaces

Advising information as a basis for action

Support and Development If you rest, you rust!

Motivate Winning Through Trust! Trust grows through openness!

Communicate from person to person / intact through contact! Get to the point! Delegate with clarity!

Assess control for self-control


Why is motivation so important?


From the employees' point of view, motivation has the following goals:

  • they recognize the meaning and purpose of their work

  • they help determine their immediate work

  • they become more involved in goal setting and planning

  • they are more independent at work and have more responsibility

  • they obtain greater opportunities to use their skills and develop them further

  • they receive a promotion corresponding to the value of their work


The modern manager no longer sees his employees just as employees, he sees them as customers. This is also called the customer-oriented management approach.


Why is that so important?

Very simple! In times of digitization, remote work and a shortage of managers, employees simply go to the next company. There he will definitely get the attention he wants. If not there, then he'll switch again.


What is customer-centric leadership?


  • The boss is there for the employees and not the other way around as in the past!

  • Leading no longer means just pretending, leading means providing a supportive service for the employee. Employees are customers of the manager!

  • Employees benefit from leading their boss

  • The boss also agrees on goals with his employees that he has to fulfill

  • Bosses actively seek feedback on their management function

We can therefore record the following characteristics of cooperative leadership:

  • Joint exercise of influence

  • Functional role differentiation and factual authority

  • Multilateral information and communication relationships

  • Conflict settlement through negotiation

  • Group orientation

  • Trust as the basis for cooperation

  • Satisfying the needs of employees and superiors

  • Goal and performance orientation

  • Need-oriented personnel and organizational development

Please note the following principles:

  • Result orientation

  • Contribution to the whole

  • Concentration on a little

  • Use strengths

  • Trust

  • Think positive


And a few more suggestions for good guiding principles:


  1. Give more frequent recognition (builds up and motivates)

  2. Criticism only in private (is more likely to be accepted)

  3. If there are problems, seek a conversation (this often keeps problems small)

  4. Admit your own mistakes (everything else only takes time)

  5. Listen

  6. Be transparent (nobody likes a rumor mill)

  7. Accept delegation areas (then it works best)

  8. Help when there is a need

  9. Accept each other's personality (everyone has their quirks)


A team stands or falls with the manager. We no longer need traditional leadership. Leadership must be cooperative and modern. We are happy to advise you and not only train your managers, but also show you methods how you can shape sustainable modern leadership.





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