Followers feel valued — When leadersʹ regulatory focus makes leaders exhibit behavior that fits followersʹ regulatory focus

When do followers feel valued by their leader? We propose that leadersʹ regulatory focus can make followers feel valued when leadersʹ regulatory focus is the same as followersʹ regulatory focus, that is, when there is regulatory fit between leaders and followers. We further propose that the reason why this occurs is that leadersʹ regulatory focus impacts on their transformationaltransactional leadership, and these behavioral styles in turn also differentially fit followersʹ regulatory focus. Results from a group experiment supported these expectations. Followers felt valued by their leaders when the two partiesʹ regulatory foci fit, and this effect resulted from leadersʹ transformational and transactional leadership behavior.