A longitudinal analysis of relationships between adolescent personality and intelligence with adult leader emergence and transformational leadership

The long-standing question of the role of traits, particularly personality and intelligence, in predicting leadership qualities was addressed using a longitudinal design in the current study. Based on data from participants in the Fullerton Longitudinal Study, we examined the relationship between adolescent personality and intelligence collected at age 17 and multiple measures of self-reported adult leader emergence and transformational leadership at age 29. Results indicated a significant relationship between adolescent extraversion and adult workplace leader emergence and transformational leadership above and beyond adolescent intelligence, across a 12-year span. Implications for youth leader development are discussed.