Abstract

This dissertation addresses the moral issues surrounding the phenomenon of leadership. It is about the servant-leadership role of American presidents in solving problems, making decisions, responding to constituents' needs, and handling domestic and foreign policy. It examines the relationships among American presidential servant-leadership behaviors, personality characteristics, and performance. It concentrates on the ethical dimensions of leadership such as principle-guided actions, and vision inclusiveness. The American Presidential Management Inventory and American Presidential Performance Effectiveness were developed to measure servant-leadership managerial practices of American presidents and social performance. Statistical tests reveal that servant-leadership is a multidimensional concept that reflects ethical leadership practices. It was found that servant-leadership has a positive effect on presidential social performance. Results indicate that servant-leadership is determined by the personality characteristics of presidents. Furthermore, statistical results indicate that presidential personality characteristics interact in predicting performance effectiveness. The implications of the current study for leadership research and managerial practices are discussed. Avenues for future research are offered.