The association between specific leader characteristics and motivation/success of
employees was investigated for the Nutrition Programs Supervisor position of the NC
Cooperative Extension. A combination of leader self assessment, stakeholder rankings of
competencies for leader positions, and workload data of employees was used to
determine what, if any, association could be made between Supervisor characteristics and
Nutrition Program Assistant success. Results showed a general agreement in regards to
the importance of particular characteristics to the position. A priority ranking of
competencies by importance to the position of Nutrition Programs Supervisor however
showed disagreement between positions asked to complete the instrument. All Nutrition
Programs Supervisors were found to possess some motivational leadership
characteristics, however differences in performance existed in Nutrition Program
Assistants in the 10 supervision areas studied. Findings support continued research to
determine the impact of specific leader characteristics on employee performance and
motivation
