The effect of leaders’ mental toughness and leadership competence on follower recognition

Byung Ok Ahn (), Min Kyung Lee () and Boyoung Kim ()

Edelweiss Applied Science and Technology, 2025, vol. 9, issue 11, 262-273

Abstract: Follower recognition of leaders significantly influences organizational trust, role-model perception, and the intention to recommend leaders. While positive recognition can be shaped by leaders’ behaviors and competencies, their psychological resource, namely mental toughness, may also affect followers’ perceptions and evaluations. The purpose of this study was to empirically examine the effects of leaders’ mental toughness and leadership competence on follower recognition within organizational contexts. Using a large-scale 360-degree feedback dataset, we analyzed responses from approximately 1,500 employees evaluating 197 senior executives in South Korean corporations. The results showed that leadership competence had a significant positive effect on follower recognition. In contrast, mental toughness did not have a direct effect on recognition but exerted a full mediating effect through leadership competence. This suggests that mental toughness is not directly perceived by followers; rather, it becomes visible when translated into leadership behaviors, which subsequently lead to positive recognition. The study contributes theoretically and practically by reframing mental toughness as a core psychological resource operating through leadership competence, rather than a mere personal trait, in shaping leader–follower dynamics.

Keywords: Follower recognition; Leader evaluation; Leadership competence; Mental toughness; Role-model perception. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://learning-gate.com/index.php/2576-8484/article/view/10840/3490 (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ajp:edwast:v:9:y:2025:i:11:p:262-273:id:10840

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in Edelweiss Applied Science and Technology from Learning Gate
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Melissa Fernandes ().