The effect of honest and humble leadership on salesperson customer orientation

Abstract

Drawing on Leader-Member Exchange Theory, our study explores how salesperson perceptions of their leaders influence leader-salesperson relationship quality and ultimately salesperson outcomes, including customer orientation and performance. Extending prior research on sales leadership, our model proposes that an important personality trait of a leader — honesty-humility — influences leadership style (i.e., servant leadership). Servant leadership has a positive effect on salesperson outcomes because it enhances leader-subordinate relationship quality. Data from 317 professional salespeople representing a variety of industries lend support for the proposed serial mediation model: honesty-humility → servant leadership → relationship quality → customer orientation. We conclude that the personality trait of honesty-humility affects leadership style, which in turn impacts salesperson customer orientation and performance via a positive effect on relationship quality. Additionally, we show that salesperson perceptions of difficulty in attaining quota moderate the relationship between relationship quality and customer orientation.