Do your testosterone and cortisol levels dictate your leadership ability? (2015)

“…stress can inhibit the leadership qualities associated with high levels of testosterone.

Susan Adams
Forbes / Leadership, 26 Sugust 2015

“Companies that want team leaders to do a better job should consider offering stress-reduction perks like yoga and meditation classes and liberal vacation policies. They should also rethink their corporate culture and try to take pressure off the managers who show the most potential.

“…researchers evaluated the hormone levels of male executives in an executive education program at Harvard. They found that managers who had greater leadership responsibility had higher levels of the hormone testosterone, which stimulates the development of male sex organs and has been shown in numerous studies to be associated with leadership qualities like aggressiveness and risk-taking.

“The study’s conclusion: stress can inhibit the leadership qualities associated with high levels of testosterone.

“Stress reduction has leadership implications,” says Gary Sherman, lead researcher on the study. “It can unleash leadership potential in employees who might otherwise not show it.”

Access the full article here: Do your testosterone and cortisol levels dictate your leadership ability?

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