Leadership Traits - Agreeableness

Among leadership traits , this one shows ambiguous results in research. It can be perceived as either a strength or weakness depending on the situation. Agreeableness is the personal warmth, cooperation, trust and acceptance of others. On the surface, that seems like a uniformly good thing, however, some circumstances call for an assertive and competitive approach that the agreeable leader may find difficult or uncomfortable.

Agreeableness is a positive trait when:

• Consensus is important
• Cohesive decentralized teams are part of the culture
• Shared decision making is rewarded

Agreeableness can be a hindrance when:

• Competition is the key to success
• Vendors, client, competitors are aggressive
• There is a difficult unpopular decison that must be made

Leadership Tips

Use agreeableness and extraversion to build strong teams and strong relationships as a leader. Then in tough times when it's necessary to be directive to get the job done, the personal loyalty already exists.

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