Abstract
Widespread narratives about leadership often emphasize the importance of exhibiting agentic traits like assertiveness, ambition, and confidence. Counter to this perspective, the present research suggests that when evaluating leaders, followers especially value communal traits, such as honesty, open-mindedness, and compassion—even at the expense of agentic traits. Eight preregistered studies reveal that people describe their ideal leader as more communal than the typical leader, representing a divide between preferred versus prototypical leaders. We find a robust preference for communality (vs. agency) in leaders across multiple methodologies. Finally, we evince one reason communal leaders may not emerge—communality does not predict self-selection into leadership pathways. Taken together, our findings suggest that prominent narratives about leadership have tended to downplay the importance and appeal of communal traits for followers.