This study was carried out in order to find out the leader prototypes of private and public bank employees and reveal possible similarities between the prototypical qualities and current manager characteristics. Research data was collected from 208 participants working as branch managers, assistant managers, assistant directors, portfolio managers, customer relations officers and teller clerks in a total of 20 bank branches, 7 public and 13 private in Aksaray province, Türkiye. Study results demonstrated that the top prototypical qualities that the participants seek in a leader were justice, fairness, knowledge and strong character. It was also found that the average score of private bank employees in the overall leader prototype scale and in the skill sub-dimension was higher than that of public bank employees. Lastly, the study findings showed that the current managers of both private and public bank employees scored lower for all prototypical qualities. On the other hand, the top qualities of current managers were found out as generosity, compassion and respectability. Based on the study findings, recommendations were developed concerning how to approach the leader prototypes and utilize prototypical qualities for effective leadership in the organizational environment.

Keywords : Leader Prototypes, Prototypical Qualities, Implicit Leadership.