Up until fairly recently, most people subscribed to the idea that good leaders exhibited specific traits, such as charisma and gravitas, that inspired loyalty and hard work. This made earmarking future managers relatively easy: Identify someone with these qualities and you'd find yourself an up-and-comer.
The approach was simple and elegant. The trouble is, it turns out it isn't very effective. How do we know?
By Marshall Loeb
From MarketWatch
Full Story: http://www.careerjournal.com/myc/management/20071018-loeb.html?cjcontent=mail