Identify and describe the leadership traits of the selected leader. For my field placement, I am supervised by a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), MV, at a Los Angeles County contracted agency. Northouse (2012) describes traits as qualities of an individual. Thus, MV shares qualities for many traits that define his leadership traits. The first characteristic I identified in MV is intelligence, due to his superior language skills and knowledge of the program and agency (Northouse, 2012). Furthermore, MV's intelligence allows her to enjoy great respect within the agency, due to her appropriate decision making and hard work ethic. Staff members and interns respect MV because she is always the person to answer questions when they are unsure about specific procedures and policies. Furthermore, MV's intelligence allows her to also possess the trait of confidence. Northouse (2012) defines confidence as leaders feeling confident and positive about their ability to succeed. Since MV is often the supervisor who many consider to be a strong leader, his confidence comes from understanding the ability to make decisive decisions. Additionally, thanks to MV's decisive leadership, his trust means people are reluctant to question his decisions within the agency. Another characteristic shared by MV is determination, which allows her to focus and have the drive to complete difficult tasks in a timely manner (Northouse, 2012). Combined with its security and intelligence, MV is always determined to complete perfect client files and notes in a timely manner. Additionally, MV takes the initiative to arrive early and finish work later than other staff to complete administrative tasks at the agency. Alt...... middle of paper...... Although MV has a lot of experience and knowledge of many staff members and interns, he must learn to manage conflicts, as he often uses an authoritarian approach in solving many problems in the his program. MV's shift towards awareness and empathy will greatly increase his leadership ability to improve the program, as he will gain greater understanding and improve happiness among staff and interns. MV's behavior of perceiving its staff and interns positively will help their work ethic, Theory Y, as it will see them as self-motivated, enjoying work and accepting responsibility (Northouse, 2012). MV's vision to improve the organization lies in his dedication to working for the agency for over a decade, but he could also find the best practices to improve the organization with other great opinions from the staff and interns, paying attention to their feedback.