Martin J. Frick, Montana State University
Brad O. King, University of Missouri
Carl Igo, Southwest Texas State University
Katie L. Cooper, Montana State University
Leadership training has long been considered a strength of the FFA organization. For most FFA members, a State FFA Officer is the role model that members would (and should) pattern themselves after and admire. Leadership training has been an integral part of the Agricultural Education program and the Future Farmers of America (FFA) since their inception. These organizations have both sought ways to better develop leadership in Agricultural Education students. As part of this search, how can our state officers/leaders in the FFA be described, and how do they perceive their work ethic? What factors influence the officers’ perceptions of their work ethic? In an organization that places such high regard on leadership as the FFA does, information about the characteristics of our leaders and their self-perception of work ethic is vital for improving our leadership training programs and advising functions (Owings and Nelson, 1977). Findings from this study revealed that FFA state officers from the years of 1999 and 2000 that encompassed this study were involved in an average of 2.38 community organizations, 1.90 high school sports activities, and 4.27 non-sports extracurricular activities. In addition, nearly half of the respondents were high school class officers or members of their high school student council. Sixty-five percent of respondents were 4-H members at one time. This purposeful sample of FFA state officers attended 49 other formal leadership training activities outside of the FFA. The most influential group that provides support and encouragement for a FFA member who seeks FFA State Office is that of the immediate family. When arranged in subgroups, 1999 and 2000 FFA state officers possessed different perceptions toward the 15 work categories. Females were found to have significantly less positive perception of their planning and organization work skills when compared to their male peers, while they had a significantly more positive perception of their analytical ability, adaptability to work assignments, creativity, and conflict resolution work skills than their male counterparts. Satisfaction gained from participation in team or individual activities was also found to differentiate respondents regarding their perception of work. In nine work categories (judgment, analytical ability, adaptability to work assignments, ability to work under pressure, creativity, communication skills, interpersonal skills, leadership, and conflict resolution), respondents who gained satisfaction from team activities were found to have a significantly more positive perception toward the work categories than those respondents who gained satisfaction from individual activities.