Cognitive and Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Foundations of Transformational Leadership Attitudes: Evidence from a National Sample of Brazilian Federal Public Managers

Transformational leadership attitudes have been widely associated with positive organizational outcomes; however, their psychological foundations remain only partially understood, particularly in public-sector contexts. This study examined the joint contributions of executive functions (EF) and social, emotional, and behavioral (SEB) skills to transformational leadership attitudes (TLA) in a national sample of Brazilian federal public managers (N = 70). EF were assessed using a digital battery of performance-based tasks, and SEB were measured using the Brazilian version of the Behavioral, Emotional, and Social Skills Inventory (BESSI-BR). TLA were assessed with a validated Brazilian leadership scale. Hierarchical regression analyses, controlling for age and education, showed that SEB, especially emotional resilience and social engagement, were strongly associated with TLA, accounting for most of the explained variance. In contrast, EF showed limited global associations, although inhibitory control was positively related to individualized consideration in exploratory analyses. These findings suggest that transformational leadership in public organizations primarily reflects SEB competencies, complemented by specific cognitive self-regulatory processes. Practical implications highlight the relevance of incorporating SEB development and targeted cognitive training into public leadership selection, assessment, and development programs, contributing to more effective people management and public service delivery, and informing leadership development practices in public organizations. Preregistration : https://osf.io/8jz6k