Assessing Leadership Styleceed. These leaders are more likely to organize the decision-making
process in a hierarchical manner to maintain control over the nature
of the decision. They generally do not win any "most popular leader"
contests but are usually admired for what they can do.
When the scores on these two traits are relatively equal, leaders'
behavior will depend on whether the scores are high or low when
compared to other leaders (for example, either the sample of 87 or
122 on which I have collected data or regional subsamples of these
two groups). If both are high, leaders will be open and more strate-
gic, focusing their attention on what is possible and feasible at any
point in time. Their high self-confidence facilitates having patience
in the situation and taking their time to see what will succeed. These
leaders will combine the best qualities of both these characteris-
tics—a sense of what they want to do but the capability to check the
environment to see what will work. It is interesting to note that this
type of leader is less likely to be elected in democratic systems (Ziller
et al. 1977), perhaps because their behavior seems to the outside
observer and interested constituent to be erratic and opportunistic. If
one knows the goals and political contexts of such leaders, their deci-
sions and actions become more logical. Without this knowledge,
however, they may seem indecisive and chameleonlike in their
behavior.
If the scores on both traits are low in comparison to other leaders,
the individual is likely to be closed, reflecting the views of those
around him or her, and inclined to rather easily lock onto a position
that will seem likely to be successful. These are the leaders that Lass-
well (1930; see also Barber 1965) observed entered into politics to
compensate for their low self-esteem. They are easy targets for
groups that seek someone who will tenaciously advocate for a partic-
ular position in exchange for influence and authority, however tenu-
ous and fleeting the assignation may be. These leaders may evidence
some of the signs of narcissism, relishing the spotlight, pushing for
even more extreme moves than the group may perceive are necessary,
and being preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success.
Table 8.3 summarizes this discussion, suggesting some rules to
follow in determining how open a leader will be to information
based on his or her scores on conceptual complexity and self-
confidence. Self-confidence and conceptual complexity scores are cor-