28 Ducere Est Servire: THE LEADERSHIP JOURNAL OF DALLAS BAPTIST UNIVERSITY Reframing Leadership: The Impact of Introverted Archetypes on Leadership Beliefs Mario Stresow, Ph.D. Dr. Mario Stresow (Leadership Studies, '23) is SVP, Sr. HR Business Partner at Triumph Financial in Coppell, Texas. Despite the success of introverted leaders like Warren Buffett, Mark Zuckerberg, and Elon Musk, who have led top Standard & Poor’s 500 companies, leadership research and selection processes often favor extraverts.1 Extraversion is strongly associated with leader emergence, yet introverts may offer unique leadership advantages (e.g., exceeding board expectations as CEO when compared to their extraverted peers).2 The assumption that leadership equates to extraversion can skew selection processes, development programs, and leadership pipelines, often favoring outspoken individuals over those with reflective dispositions. This study investigates whether exposure to introverted leader archetypes can enhance introverts’ self-perceptions about leadership. Specifically, the study examines two leadership belief constructs that are antecedents to leader emergence: Leadership Self-Efficacy (LSE)—the belief in one’s ability to lead3—and Affective-Identity Motivation to Lead (MTL)—the enjoyment derived from leading.4 By examining these constructs, the study illuminates how introverted role models can enhance introverts’ confidence and desire to lead, potentially addressing biases in leadership development. Given that the global decline in labor supply can adversely affect leadership pipelines, it is essential for organizations to broaden their approaches to leader selection.5 Research has shown leadership selection processes often overlook introverts due to an “extrovert ideal,”6 despite their proven effectiveness. While extraversion’s link to leader emergence is well-studied, there is little research on what shapes introverts’ leadership beliefs. LSE and MTL are antecedents to leader emergence,7 and symbolic modeling through introverted leader archetypes
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