Background Data Constructs as Predictors of leadership

Abstract

Applied psychologists have long been interested in predictors of leadership activities. In this study, a measure of adolescent leadership activities was con- structed, and the background data items correlated with leadership activities were identified. These item correlates were grouped into 29 content clusters intended to summarize the observed relations. These content clusters were then used to construct a series of 29 rational scales intended to tap dimen- sions of life history relevant to leadership activities. Those scales evidenced substantial convergent and divergent validity. More centrally, they yielded cross-validated multiple correlations of .74 and .78 for predicting leadership activities in the male and female samples. These scales also yielded cross-validated multiple correlations of .26 and .37 when used to predict men's and women's collegiate leadership activities, whereas similar constructs were found to predict the success rate of leadership development programs. The implications of these findings for leadership theory and the prediction of leader performance are discussed.