If you had to choose one essential trait for an ideal leader, what would it be? Now, consider the same for a follower—would you choose the same trait, or opt for something entirely different?
In a new study, Hayden Woodley, Assistant Professor of Organizational Behaviour at Ivey Business School, and Alex Benson, Associate Professor of Psychology at Western University, set out to uncover the traits most desired in leaders and followers. But, unlike previous studies that explored these roles separately, their research focused on their interconnectedness – examining whether effective leadership and followership share any common qualities.
And, to explore this dynamic, they drew inspiration from an unexpected source: a relationship compatibility paradigm.
Just as research on romantic relationships ask individuals to select the traits they desire in a partner to find their “ideal” match, Woodley and Benson applied a similar approach to work relationships (i.e., leaders and followers). In their study, participants were given a budget to "purchase" traits they deemed necessary in leaders and followers, such as ambition, intelligence, work ethic, and trustworthiness. Later, with an expanded budget, they could select "luxury" traits—qualities that are desirable but not essential.
After three comprehensive studies across five diverse samples, a clear pattern emerged—one that transcended both gender and corporate hierarchy. Ideal followers were consistently valued for their communal traits, such as being hardworking, cooperative, and moral, while leaders were favoured for agentic traits, like confidence and assertiveness.
Armed with these insights, Woodley and Benson faced a critical question: do these findings reflect the true requirements of leadership and followership, or are they revealing a deeper, unconscious bias? Whichever way the evidence points, this emerging research could reshape how we understand biases in talent acquisition, sparking a much-needed reevaluation of how we assess and select candidates for these roles.
For a closer look at Woodley’s research, including the significant traits shared by leaders and followers, watch his Impact video interview or explore the full study, Mapping the traits desired in followers and leaders onto fundamental dimensions of social evaluation in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied.
