Leaders’ grit and followers psychological capital: Exploring moderating conditions

Abstract

While it has been argued that grit (i.e., passion and perseverance for long-term goals) is crucial to the success of individuals and the effectiveness of leaders, some authors do not espouse such a perspective. Empirical research is scarce and inconclusive. We argue that, to better understand this construct, studies should include moderating conditions. We discuss three conditions: (1) conveyed leader grit versus self-attributed grit; (2) humility expressed by the leader; (3) social support expressed by the leader. In accordance with our conceptual model, (a) a leader who conveys high level of grit toward employees develop their psychological capital, (b) although this effect is mitigated or even nullified if the leader is devoid of humility and does not provide social support to employees. Distinctly, the leader fosters employees’ psychological capital if, in addition to convey a high level of grit, he also expresses humility and social support toward employees.