Assertiveness

A high score is not competence, and it is not aggression. Assertive people put themselves forward; whether they are right, or fair, is a separate matter. Aggression is pushing at others' expense and sits closer to low agreeableness.

A low score is not a lack of views or ability. Many low scorers lead well in roles that reward listening, and influence by example or in writing rather than by taking the floor.

Four items make a short scale. A facet score moves more between attempts than the 24-item domain score, and it describes a tendency in ordinary life as the person reports it, not a diagnosis of anything.

High. People high on this facet say they take charge, try to lead others and take control of things. In daily life that shows as speaking first in a meeting, volunteering to chair, pushing for a decision when others are circling, and finding it hard to sit in a badly led group without stepping in.

Low. People low on this facet say they wait for others to lead the way and hold back from taking control. In daily life that shows as letting others set the agenda, contributing when asked, and a preference for a clear brief over an open field. Low scorers are often the ones who make a leader's plan work.

• Extraversion: the broad trait this facet belongs to, with five sibling facets.

Extraversion is the Big Five trait most strongly linked to emerging as a leader and to being rated an effective one, and its assertive side carries much of that link. (Judge and others, 2002)

The assertive side of extraversion, which Roberts and colleagues call social dominance, rises steadily through young adulthood and middle age, unlike the sociable side. (Roberts, Walton and Viechtbauer, 2006)

Men score a little higher than women on the assertiveness aspect on average, while women score higher on the enthusiasm aspect, in a large internet sample. (Weisberg, DeYoung and Hirsh, 2011)

• Friendliness
• Gregariousness
• Activity level
• Excitement-seeking
• Cheerfulness