All nine administrators at Los Angeles Southwest College (LASC) were surveyed to determine their political, social, and psychological background. Three separate instruments focused on leadership style, need for authority, and locus of control. Comparisons were made to determine the extent to which leadership styles were similar and to discover what intellectual processes were used in decision-making. The study revealed that eight of the nine administrators were male; the average age was 55.4 years old; all nine had prior college teaching experience; all were married with children; seven held doctoral degrees; and all had extensive community service records. Survey responses indicated that: administrators' goals for LASC were restatements of their educational philosophy concerning community colleges; they felt they should be involved in college operations as much as possible; seven favored in-service staff development programs; they were unequivocally opposed to faculty participation in major decisions; and they showed little agreement as to order of priorities for LASC. The data also demonstrated that the administrators generally had a strong need for power, had an authoritarian personality, had an internal locus of control, and had cognitive processes based upon personal ideology. A literature review provides background on administrator characteristics and leadership, and the survey instruments are appended. (Author/AYC)