This study explored the extent to which a leader who claims to be either exemplary or pragmatic and is revealed to have a reputation for either deception or honesty is perceived to be charismatic, effective, and morally worthy. The effects of message delivery and participants’ scores on the Romance of Leadership Scale (RLS) were also examined. The results revealed that (a) a strong versus weak delivery produced higher ratings of leader charisma and effectiveness; (b) exemplary versus pragmatic self-presentations yielded higher levels of perceived effectiveness and integrity; (c) the strong delivery × ethical reputation combination produced the highest levels of perceived leader effectiveness and integrity; and (d) only high RLS individuals perceived the leader to be most effective when delivery was strong and least effective when delivery was weak.
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