Which Leadership Traits Matter Most? An Activity in Leadership Development

Leadership is widely associated with an array of attributes. The variety of attributes present both advantages and disadvantages. On one hand, attributes are appealing and easy to recognize in leadership. On the other hand, the number of attributes and which ones matter the most may be overwhelming. Grounded in experiential learning and situational interest, we present an implicit leadership activity with two main goals. First, we provide examples of attributes associated with many effective leadership prototypes. And second, we ask students to reflect on these attributes themselves and with others. The exercise is ideal for undergraduate introduction to leadership in general or implicit leadership theory. We provide instructions and resources to tailor the exercise to the needs of the instructor.