The Relation of Vocational Administrator's Self-Esteem to their Leadership Styles and Practices

OBJECTIVE
To identify the relationship between the self-esteem of postsecondary vocational administrators and their leadership styles and practices.

METHODOLOGY
The sample population consisted of the heads of postsecondary vocational school administrators and community colleges in Colorado (N = 31). Twentynine participated (six women and 23 men). Their ages ranged from 39-59, with an average age of 50. All were Caucasians; and all had graduate degrees (50% doctorates). Respondents completed the Self-Esteem Inventory (Coopersmith, 1987) and provided selfperceptions of their leadership style though Hersey and Blanchard's LEAD (1973) and leadership practices through the LPI-Self.

KEY FINDINGS
Self-esteem was positively correlated (p < .05) with three leadership practices: Inspiring, Enabling, and Modeling. No significant relationship was found between self-esteem and leadership styles.