17 April 2009

Genetic study finds natural born leaders

The secret to great leadership could be found in our genes according to new research presented at the recent British Psychological Society Annual Conference.

The research - carried out by Dr Carl Senior and an international research team based at Aston University in Birmingham, Institute of Psychiatry in London and the University of Pittsburgh, USA - looked at one of the most powerful leadership styles and the possible genes linked to it.

The style, called transformational leadership, enables leaders to motivate others to reach their maximum potential through charisma, individual consideration and support, and intellectual stimulation.

The team were interested in genes involved in synthesising dopamine - the brain chemical linked to empathy, and serotonin - the brain chemical linked to emotion.

As part of the study 115 students completed a leadership questionnaire and had their cheeks swabbed to test their genes.

Those with the dopamine-based gene in its most common form had higher scores on scales measuring key transformational leadership characteristics.

In the real world however, potential employers are unlikely to adopt gene testing as a way of identifying potential leaders. Instead many will rely on more traditional methods such as psychometric testing.

But, according to Dr Senior, knowledge of the genes behind leadership styles can be used to improve training for effective leaders.

 

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