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 Ko ng were assessed with the use of the Roets Rating Scale for Leadership (RRS L). 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 d imensions identifiable as task orientation, leadership self-efficacy, and l eadership flexibility emerged, testifying to the complexity of leadership s kills and characteristics. The study also provided evidence that the RRSL w as a viable self-report measure of leadership among Chinese adolescents wit h acceptable reliability and convergent validity with other measures of lea dership based on observed behavioral characteristics. Repeated assessment a lso indicated that the RRSL could be used to monitor the effects of leaders hip training programs.