Modeling the relationship between leadership styles and good governance practices in predicting effective leadership among youth government officials

Effective leadership among youth government officials is crucial to fostering accountable, participatory governance at the grassroots level. However, limited research has explored how leadership styles and good governance practices influence effective leadership in youth-led public service. This study examined the relationships among leadership styles, good governance practices, and effective leadership among youth government officials. A cross-sectional research design using a standardized survey was employed with 332 youth government officials across local government units in Central Visayas, Philippines. A partial least squares structural equation modeling approach was employed to examine the direct and indirect relationships among the variables. The path analysis showed that transactional leadership style significantly predicted all five dimensions of good governance: transparency, participation, accountability, rule of law, and continuous implementation. Meanwhile, the transformational leadership style has a significant influence on the rule of law, rather than on other governance dimensions. Regarding the predictors of effective leadership, significant effects were found from transparency, accountability, and the rule of law, indicating their strong contribution to youth leadership effectiveness. The findings conclude that transactional leadership exerts a more substantial influence on good governance practices than transformational leadership, particularly in promoting transparency, participation, accountability, the rule of law, and continuous implementation. This implies that youth leadership training programs should emphasize practical, results-oriented leadership strategies aligned with governance principles to enhance leadership effectiveness in public service.