Final answer:
The difficulty in identifying the link between trait and behavioural theories and leadership effectiveness is not related to understanding traits and behaviours alone; it also includes context, relational dynamics, and individual differences in leader-follower relationships.
Step-by-step explanation:
Identifying the exact relationships between trait and behavioural theories and leadership effectiveness is indeed complex. Among the options provided, understanding the traits and behaviours of effective leaders guarantees leadership success for others is not an example of a difficulty in establishing that link. This statement is incorrect because leadership success is not guaranteed by simply understanding traits and behaviours; it also requires the right context, adaptable dynamics, and recognition of individual differences within leader-follower relationships.
The discussed challenges include understanding the existing context in which leadership occurs, determining the causality from traits to behaviours for making accurate predictions, and identifying whether a trait or behaviour is predictive of a certain outcome. Finally, exploring which combinations of traits and behaviours yield specific outcomes adds to the complexity of evaluating leadership effectiveness.
It’s important to note that success in leadership is influenced by numerous factors and cannot be solely attributed to understanding traits and behaviours. Each leadership situation is unique and involves various dynamics such as the follower's characteristics, environmental context, and the leader-follower relationship.