Assessing leadership among Chinese secondary students in Hong Kong: The use of the Poets Rating Scale for Leadership

The leadership characteristics of 163 Chinese secondary students in Hong Kong were assessed with the use of the Roets Rating Scale for Leadership (RRSL). Higher self-ratings were found for characteristics related to aspiring to leadership and achievement, openness to novel experiences and different perspectives, and high energy level than for other characteristics. Three dimensions identifiable as task orientation, leadership self-efficacy, and leadership flexibility emerged, testifying to the complexity of leadership skills and characteristics. The study also provided evidence that the RRSL was a viable self-report measure of leadership among Chinese adolescents with acceptable reliability and convergent validity with other measures of leadership based on observed behavioral characteristics. Repeated assessment also indicated that the RRSL could be used to monitor the effects of leadership training programs.