Leadership Moderating the Impact of Personality Traits on Sales Performance

Abstract

This study aims to detect the impact of three personality traits on agents' sales performance. The moderating role of the unit manager's leadership style is highlighted too. MLQ-5X and Mini-IPIP questionnaires were distributed to 200 insurance sales agents in Lebanon. Using SEM, extraversion is found to be positively and significantly affecting sales performance whereas the neuroticism's impact is found to be negatively significant. Moreover, the transformational and the laissez-faire leadership styles are found to strengthen the positive relationship between extraversion and sales performance. Transactional leadership seemed to boost the negative relationship between neuroticism and sales performance. This study fills a gap in the literature and enriches it, specifically when it comes to the insurance industry in a Lebanese context.