Will the peer leader please stand up? The personality of the peer leader in elite and non-elite sport teams

Abstract

We examine associations between self-reported personal characteristics (i.e., skills and Big-Five traits) and peer leadership in team sports at elite and non-elite levels. At a general level, the peer-rated leadership was positively correlated with self-reported athletic skill, positive affect and Openness, while negatively correlated with negative affect and Neuroticism. Moreover, peer leadership was predicted by Extraversion in the non-elite group, while counter-predicted by Agreeableness in the elite group. Suggesting that athletic level might provide a “strong” (elite level) and a “weak” (non-elite level) context in which different traits predict who is perceived as a leader.