Character for Leadership: The Role of Personal Characteristics

Conclusion 
This study was conducted to examine the differences that the three 
independent variables—self-directedness, cooperativeness, and self-
transcendence—have on the dependent variable—visionary leadership behavior. 
These differences were hypothesized to be significant for a population of master’s-
level seminary students preparing for positions of ministry leadership at the main 
campus of one large evangelical institution of theological education. Specifically, 
this study examined the following hypotheses: 
H
1
: 
Leaders exhibit confident leadership differently based on their level 
of self-directedness. 
H
2
: 
Leaders exhibit effective visionary leadership differently based on 
their level of self-directedness. 
H
3
: 
Leaders exhibit follower-centered leadership differently based on 
their level of cooperativeness. 

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Character for Leadership 
61 
 
H
4
: 
Leaders exhibit effective visionary leadership differently based on 
their level of cooperativeness. 
H
5
: 
Leaders exhibit effective visionary leadership differently based on 
their level of self-transcendence. 
H
6
: 
Leaders possess different levels of mature character based on their 
level of self-transcendence. 
H
7
: 
Leaders exhibit effective visionary leadership behaviors based on 
their current level of involvement in a ministry capacity. 
Results of the analyses of variance showed support for hypotheses 1 – 4, 
suggesting statistical significance for the differences displayed between character 
groups for the assessed independent variables: by level of self-directedness for 
confident leadership (H
1
), level of self-directedness for visionary leadership (H
2
), 
level of cooperativeness for follower-centered leadership (H
3
), and level of 
cooperativeness for visionary leadership (H
4
). Differences hypothesized between 
groups for the character trait self-transcendence were not significant which, 
therefore, did not support hypothesis 5 (level of self-transcendence for visionary 
leadership) or hypothesis 6 (level of self-transcendence for mature character). The 
ANOVA between groups with discrete levels of current ministry involvement for 
visionary leadership was not found significant which did not support hypothesis 7. 
Results for the exploratory multiple regression analysis indicate that the 
character traits self-directedness and self-transcendence predict visionary 
leadership behaviors among the participants in the study preparing for positions of 
ministry leadership.

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