23 The Trait definition of Leadership is centered on qualities, characteristics, and virtues that great leaders have and share. Stogdill contributed remarkably to leadership studies; in the first study (1948), he uncovered the leadership traits after scores (124) on how particular individuals became leaders over a forty-four-year span. The eight leadership traits he unpacked in his first study were: 1. Intelligence 2. Alertness 3. Insight 4. Responsibility 5. Initiative 6. Persistence 7. Self-confidence 8. Sociability. With time, it became clear that an individual does not become a leader merely because they passively possess these traits, i.e., Leadership is not a resource to be had; instead, Leadership is the result of an active dynamic relationship between a leader and the constituency, i.e., the group members, body or the people the leader serves.

The Trait definition of Leadership is centered on qualities, characteristics, and virtues that great leaders have and share. Stogdill contributed remarkably to leadership studies; in the first study (1948), he uncovered the leadership traits after scores (124) on how particular individuals became leaders over a forty-four-year span. The eight leadership traits he unpacked in his first study were: 1. Intelligence 2. Alertness 3. Insight 4. Responsibility 5. Initiative 6. Persistence 7. Self-confidence 8. Sociability. With time, it became clear that an individual does not become a leader merely because they passively possess these traits, i.e., Leadership is not a resource to be had; instead, Leadership is the result of an active dynamic relationship between a leader and the constituency, i.e., the group members, body or the people the leader serves.