Are Gritty Leaders Happier or Unhappier? It Depends on How Prudent They are.

Rego, Arménio; Bluhm, Dustin J.; Valverde, Camilo; Cunha, Miguel Pina e

Grit in leaders (and, in general, all employees) typically results in greater success and well-being but also has potential downsides. We propose that gritty leaders also need to be prudent or they may spend excessive time and resources at work, leading to greater work-to-family conflict and, as a result, lower well-being. Findings of two studies support this reasoning. Grittier and imprudent leaders experience greater work-to-family conflict and lower affective well-being, whereas grittier and prudent leaders experience lower work-to-family conflict and greater affective well-being. We therefore conclude that the agentic resource of grit in leaders may be either positively or negatively related to their affective well-being depending on their prudence. Considering that work-to-family conflict and affective well-being are important for the leader's health and performance, which in turn may influence team/organizational performance, our study contributes to a better understanding of the routes leading to better leadership and team/organizational functioning.

WELL-being; ORGANIZATIONAL performance; PRUDENCE; AGENT (Philosophy); AFFECT (Psychology)

Group & Organization Management, 2025, Vol 50, Issue 1, p205

1059-6011

Academic Journal

10.1177/10596011221147439