Abstract
Leaders form an integral part to an organisation’s success, as they directly influence the performance and functionality of the organisation. However, this pressure potentially causes leaders to display ineffective leadership styles. This can create feelings of anxiety and inferiority among leaders but also influence how they manage their employees. A diminished Self-esteem can further exacerbate leaders’ perception of imposing or faking their abilities. This study investigates the relationship between various leadership styles, the impostor phenomenon and how self-esteem mediates the relationship. The main focus of this research was aimed at determining whether the Impostor Phenomenon influenced leaders’ Leadership Style and how Self-esteem mediated this relationship. In order to carry out the research the Circumplex Leadership Scan, Clance Impostor Phenomenon Scale and the Rosenburg Selfesteem Scale was administered to managers/leaders/supervisors (N=142) in various industries in Gauteng, South Africa. The results indicated that Self-esteem did not significantly mediate the relationship between the Impostor Phenomenon and a leader Leadership Style. Additional, findings indicated that a leader that displays a Withdrawn or Yielding Leadership Style is likely to experience the Impostor Phenomenon. The findings of this study provide further insights into the Impostor Phenomenon in relation to a leader experiencing a low level of Self-esteem. As well as the effects of low Self-esteem on a leaders Leadership Style. During this study several limitations were identified, such as the impact of using a cross-sectional research design and the lack of participants. Additionally, that both the CLS and the CIPS has yet to be validated in a South African context, which also posed a limitation to this study.
M.Com. (Industrial Psychology)