Reckless ambition: How implusivity moderates the effect of ambition on transformational leadership

Ambition is often considered to have a dualistic nature, associated with both being a driver of success and a cause of personal downfalls. However, there is little understanding of what factors may lead to which outcomes. Drawing upon socioanalytic theory, we hypothesize and test a mediation model in which ambition impacts transformational leadership via perceptions of agency. We also utilize the channeling hypothesis to argue that impulsivity acts as a boundary condition for the positive influence of ambition on perceptions of agency. Using multisource data from 333 members of seven student Greek organizations, we found strong support for the positive indirect effect of self-rated ambition on peer-rated transformational leadership through peer-rated agency. We also found that impulsivity attenuated this positive effect such that ambition could be translated into peer-rated agency and, in turn, peer-rated transformational leadership, only when impulsivity was low. Our findings illustrate theoretical and practical implications for ambition that influences leadership outcomes.