Article: Regulatory theory and career encouragement in explaining leadership aspiration Journal: Journal of Business and Management (JBM) 2025 Vol.30 No.2 pp.75 - 98 Abstract: Leadership aspiration - the desire to achieve leadership positions - is a key indicator to career advancement and success. This study proposes that self-esteem serves as a central identity anchor that shapes individuals' motivation to pursue leadership roles by influencing their regulatory orientation. Findings from a two-wave field study of US-based working adults show that high self-esteem is positively associated with promotion focus and negatively associated with prevention focus, which in turn mediate self-esteem's effects on leadership aspiration. A Monte Carlo bootstrap analysis further reveals that career encouragement strengthens the positive impact of promotion focus while amplifying the negative effect of prevention focus on leadership aspiration. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed. Inderscience Publishers - linking academia, business and industry through research

Title: Regulatory theory and career encouragement in explaining leadership aspiration

Authors: Jie Guo

Addresses: University of North Georgia, Martha T. Nesbitt Academic Building, Room 5168, 3820 Mundy Mill Rd., Oakwood, GA 30566, USA

Abstract: Leadership aspiration - the desire to achieve leadership positions - is a key indicator to career advancement and success. This study proposes that self-esteem serves as a central identity anchor that shapes individuals' motivation to pursue leadership roles by influencing their regulatory orientation. Findings from a two-wave field study of US-based working adults show that high self-esteem is positively associated with promotion focus and negatively associated with prevention focus, which in turn mediate self-esteem's effects on leadership aspiration. A Monte Carlo bootstrap analysis further reveals that career encouragement strengthens the positive impact of promotion focus while amplifying the negative effect of prevention focus on leadership aspiration. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

Keywords: leadership aspiration; self-esteem; regulatory focus; motivation; identity-based theory.

DOI: 10.1504/JBM.2025.151596

Journal of Business and Management, 2025 Vol.30 No.2, pp.75 - 98

Received: 10 Jul 2025
Accepted: 08 Dec 2025
Published online: 09 Feb 2026 *

Title: Regulatory theory and career encouragement in explaining leadership aspiration

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