1.
The major leadership traits that a person must possess in order to practice leadership in an organization are self-confidence, intelligence, sociability, integrity, determination, etc. In place of Sandra, I would choose Thomas Santiago as a new director of research of Great Lakes Foods. The case study illustrates that Thomas Santiago has served the company for the last ten years. In terms of traits and characteristics of Thomas Santiago, he is known to be a person with honesty, high integrity and trustworthy. The work performance of Thomas illustrates that he is responsible for development of three product lines. Apart from that, he is involved in corporate direction setting and strategic planning while establishing the vision for the company. There are five personality factors such as neuroticism, openness, extraversion, conscientiousness and agreeableness. Among them, the two personality factors i.e. agreeableness and openness are present among Thomas that is also a cause of selecting him as a new director of research (Northouse, 2012).
2.
Leadership is an aspect that is important for all organizations in order to formulate strategies regarding leading a team. The individual and leadership traits are present within a person. However, the traits can be developed by practicing these traits in the field of work in a responsible way. During the time of selection of a senior official in the organization, in this scenario the traits are useful along with the experience of work. The three candidates are capable enough to become the new director of research. The trait approach illustrates that the company will perform better when the employees in managerial positions must possess designated leadership profiles. This approach will emphasize that leader having some traits possess effective leadership. The trait approach in the organization is used in terms of personal development and awareness. The trait assessment will provide the individuals a precise and clear picture about the nature of the leader and their capability of fitting themselves in the organizational hierarchy. The trait assessment will help the managers in determining whether they have the traits or characteristics of shifting in other positions within the company (Northouse, 2012).
References
Northouse, P. G. (2012). Leadership: Theory and practice. Sage.
