Abstract:
Although character is traditionally considered a critical aspect of leadership, it is yet unclear which traits are perceived as conducive to its efficacy from the follower’s perspective. Due to its high demands on both individual and group performance, military constitutes a unique environment for examination of character-based leadership. However, existing research on character strengths of military leaders mostly builds on quantitative surveys, while other methods are underused. This study aims to explore character traits of a leader that are valued by their subordinates in the army. Participants (N = 40) were recruited from active-duty personnel of the 44th Light Motorized Battalion of the Army of the Czech Republic. Data was collected using three open-ended questions on character of an officer. Results suggest that soldiers most frequently report justice, honesty, decisiveness, humanity, dependability, purposefulness, and willingness with regard to leader’s character traits. Moreover, overlap of answers to different questions and other recorded aspects of effective leadership are being discussed.
