What makes a person a leader? The role of emotional intelligence, teamwork skills, and job satisfaction in authentic leadership

The reasons why a person becomes a good leader transcend the business and work environment. Current studies support the importance of personal dimensions in leadership development. The objective of this study is to analyze the role of personal variables such as emotional intelligence, teamwork capacity, and job satisfaction in the performance of authentic leadership. The sample consisted of 964 participants in a personnel selection process (age, M = 36.37, SD = 8.87). Multiple linear regression analyses were performed to determine the influence of emotional intelligence, teamwork, and job satisfaction on authentic leadership, as well as moderation and mediation analyses. The results obtained support the existence of relationships between the variables included in the study. It has been found that emotional intelligence, teamwork, and job satisfaction explain a substantial part of the variability in authentic leadership; as well as different relationships of mediation and moderation. The results obtained are discussed highlighting the role of the personal variables analyzed both in the selection and training processes for the strengthening and achievement of true authentic leadership.