Perceptions of leadership traits: comparison of adolescent and adult school leaders

This study compares the responses of 58 adolescent and 58 adult school leaders on the Leadership Traits Inventory. Adolescent leaders rank integrity, good listening, and knowledge or skills highest and rank compassion, consistency, and flexibility lowest. Adult leaders, in comparison, rank sense of purpose, integrity, and knowledge or skills highest and rank flexibility, compassion, and creativity lowest. Rank-order differences between the groups are significant. Adolescent leaders rank good listening and creativity significantly higher than adult leaders. Adults rank sense of purpose, consistency, and flexibility significantly higher than adolescents. Moreover, adolescent school leaders tended to be girls. The results are viewed in terms of leadership qualities, gender, and the developmental differences between adolescents and adults.