The Big 5 and OCEAN

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One of the first self-assessments/perspectives to consider is the “Big 5,” an assessment developed by Costa and McCrae (1992), which examines the following five main personality traits:

(O) Openness: Those who score high have overt levels of creative energy, curiosity, and insight into new ideas. They have the ability to accept and value critical feedback, and are more prone to explore and act on entrepreneurial opportunities. Effective leaders tend to be somewhat moderate to high on openness traits (Bligh, 2011). Leaders who have low levels of openness usually struggle with change; find the impact of new information on recently made decisions very uncomfortable; and tend to shy away from innovations, improved procedures they see no use for, and critical personal feedback.

(C) Conscientiousness: A high score on this trait implies a high level of thoughtfulness, meeting timelines and commitments, high impulse control, and good organization and attention to detail. Those who score high on conscientiousness are predicted to have increased rates of effective leadership experiences. This is the second highest (next to extraversion) trait related to effective leadership (Bligh, 2011). Leaders with low levels of conscientiousness tend to view timelines and commitments as flexible and more negotiable than is appropriate for the situation. Furthermore, low conscientiousness leads to low trust and perceived procedural injustice by followers.

(E) Extraversion: This trait includes the amount of excitability, sociability, talkativeness, and ability to assert one’s self. Extraversion also allows leaders to naturally navigate business and social situations with ease and comfort, especially with new people in new situations. High scores on extraversion are linked strongly to successful leadership abilities, more so than the other traits listed (Bligh, 2011).

(A) Agreeableness/Tact: This dimension includes kindness, excellent timing when asked to critique ideas and activities, good emotional intelligence, a giving nature, and high levels of affection and ability to trust others. Agreeableness/tact is seen in leaders who can quickly assess a situation and ascertain what behavior or style is indicated, and then act accordingly. They will avoid interrupting or being dismissive. Therefore, they will postpone critical comments until the time is right, and use a persuasion style when critiquing an idea, position, plan, or world-view presented by others. “Shooting from the hip” is a style rarely, if ever, displayed by effective leaders. This trait is mildly significantly linked to effective leadership skills (McCrae & Costa, 1987).

(N) Low Neuroticism/Stability Under Stress: Successful leaders have the ability to be “cool under pressure,” and not emotionally escalate situations that involve receiving critical feedback, and/or unexpected information. This coolness and grace is especially evident while receiving opinions and advice that imply leader mistakes, oversights, or poor judgment. Successful leaders will also know when a situation demands their complete attention, when doing nothing is not an option, and when the needs of others outweigh their own needs or comfort.

Conversely, people high in neuroticism tend to be unstable emotionally, especially during stressful situations. They may view critical/constructive feedback as a personal attack and unsupportive, and can be over-focused on image or impression management. They are likely to become defensive, may confuse loyalty with ubiquitous agreement, are more often depressed, and report more anxiety than those that score low on this trait (Goleman, Boyatzis, & DiMatteo, 2002).

A helpful mnemonic device for remembering the Big 5 is “OCEAN.”

Since we know effective leaders are perceived to have excellent social skills and high extraversion (McCrae & Costa, 1987), asking yourself how you might become more extraverted in social situations is important.

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Attending organizational social events and networking are important opportunities to develop this skill area, and should not be avoided by a leader. Many people are concerned about what to talk about at these types of events (Goleman et al., 2002) . Finding topics to discuss (avoiding politics and religion) before you go can help alleviate anxiety associated with attending such an event.

To develop skills in the area of conscientiousness (since it is the second highest Big 5 predictor of leadership ability), learning how to better organize your life and time is important.

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Leaders who are aware of their impact on others can be more effective at tasks like initiating and leading change, inspiring and motivating others, creating healthy working environments and communication. Developing this kind of self-awareness starts with a willingness to learn about, evaluate, and possibly improve your behaviors, actions and beliefs.

Note. Adapted from “Developing Interpersonal Skills for Success,” by Portolese Dias, L., 2014, Leadership and Supervision, Chapter 2. Copyright 2014 Flat World Knowledge, Inc.