Does political skill arise from the power motive? The role of political skill as a mediator between the power motive and leadership

The power motive is an important predictor of leader emergence and effectiveness. However, theory and research suggest that the power motive is a distal predictor of effective leadership that functions through social competencies. Given that political skill is a social competency with a prominent role in leadership research, we have examined whether it acts as a mediator between the power motive and leadership behavior, as we argue that the power motive is a theoretically meaningful addition to the active influence personality theme of political skill antecedents. We have conducted two cross-sectional studies done via online surveys. For the first study, we have recruited a sample of management students (N = 349) and their knowledgeable others (N = 629). We have conducted the second study on a sample of managers (N = 85) working for different organizations. Results across two studies show that the power motive has an indirect effect on transformational leadership (Study 1 and 2), as well as on other-reported leadership potential (Study 1) through political skill. These results have theoretical and practical value as they present a proof of concept that the power motive is an important antecedent in activating and developing political skill that translates into successful leadership behavior.