December 19th, 2020 How are leaders’ well-being and their leadership behaviors related?

Does the health of leaders have an impact on their leadership behavior? And can the way leaders lead also have an effect on their well-being?

To answer these questions, researchers from the Goethe University in Frankfurt, together with researchers from the Christian Albrechts University in Kiel and the University of Koblenz-Landau, conducted a meta-analysis to summarize previous findings on the relationship between leadership behavior and leader well-being.

The results of the review (95 effect sizes; N = 12,617) confirm a clear relationship between how well a leader feels and how he or she behaves toward his or her employees. Different correlations of constructive and destructive leadership behaviors with different forms of well-being (for example, positive vs. negative) can be identified.

Conclusion: leaders who are healthy lead better and leaders who lead better are also healthier.

Interested in the results? Here is a factsheet with the key findings.

Want to know more about the study and also the practical implications? Here you can find an interview with Dr. Antonia Kaluza from the Goethe University Frankfurt (in German).