Washington, Sep 29 (Inditop.com) Strict parenting might not be bad for kids at all – it helps them develop leadership qualities as adults, says a new study.
Researchers using data from a Minnesota study of twins found that kids raised with an authoritative parenting style, where parents set clear limits and expectations while being supportive of children, assumed more leadership roles at work.
While these children were also less likely to engage in serious rule-breaking, kids who did engage in serious rule-breaking were less likely to assume leadership roles.
Good parenting may better prepare children for future leadership roles if the children happen to challenge the boundaries set out by their parents.
This gives the children an opportunity to learn why the rules are in place and then learn from their parents how to achieve their goals without breaking the rules.
“Some of these early examples of rule-breaking behaviour, more the modest type, don’t necessarily produce negative outcomes later in life – that was fairly intriguing,” says Maria Rotundo, professor at the Rotman School of Management.
“It doesn’t mean all children of authoritative parents are going to become leaders, but they are more likely to.”
The study supports the idea that leaders are raised more than they are born. Behavioural genetics have shown that innate factors account for only 30 percent of who will end up in leadership positions and people’s leadership styles, says a Rotman release.
Rotundo co-authored the study with Bruce Avolio of Seattle’s Michael G. Foster School of Business and Fred Walumbwa from Arizona State University.
These findings were published in The Leadership Quarterly.
