Understanding leader development: learning from leaders

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to integrate senior managers' personal experiences of leadership development with theory to provide insights into leadership development for aspiring and developing leaders.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative research design was adopted. Empirical data were gathered from 11 semi‐structured interviews with senior leaders in the Irish public, voluntary (non‐profit) and private sectors.FindingsThe analysis led to the identification of development‐oriented themes in the leadership literature, and the provision of insights regarding the developmental influences, core activities (vision and mobilisation) and the contextual influences (sectoral and societal) which affect appropriate leadership behaviour.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough the study is limited by its small sample it provides a basis for further research and draws attention to personal leader development processes. In particular the importance of formative experiences on leaders' development, their struggle to attain balance, the need for advanced emotional management skills, the capacity to work with collectives of people and to adapt to contextual demands are emphasised. The study suggests that future research investigate how contextual factors influence the adoption of certain leadership styles.Practical implicationsThe study explores personal perspectives on fundamental leadership development themes, of pragmatic value to established and aspiring leaders interested in enhancing their capacity to lead.Originality/valueThis paper considers leader development from the viewpoint of front‐line actors. As such it adopts an intrapersonal focus, considering the development journeys of individual leaders. The paper extends the traditional focus on the transactional and relational dimensions of leadership behaviours to incorporate the formative experiences and contextual factors that influence leadership.

Support of development of non-profit organisations through special training programs for their managers

“…Another investigated characteristic of our research related to the existence of training for managers in the organisation was the type of founder and the related area of interest. Inspiration has been found from the study of McDermott et al (2011), which points out that individual development of leaders is greatly influenced not only by their personality characteristics, emotional intelligence but also by the environment in which they operate -the sectoral context. Notably, the social context and organisational culture can be considered as having a robust contextual influence.…”

Spiritual Leadership: Meaning in the Sustainable Workplace

“…Beginning from the definition of leadership, it is obvious that there are many definitions of leadership in literature. However, one important repeated characteristic can be observed in different definitions of leadership-it is an ability to motivate and inspire other people [15][16][17][18][19]. Many traditional leadership theories were conceptualized based on traits, behavior, abilities, or situational factors, while the theory of spiritual leadership is considered as the fifth leadership perspective that focuses attention on the whole soul nature of a leader [20].…”

The Impact of Transformational Leadership on Organizational Performance via the Mediating Role of Corporate Social Responsibility: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach

“…Environmental instability, crises, and major change have contributed to the increasing need of organizations for leadership (McDermott et al, 2011). It must be made clear that managers and leaders are not interchangeable in meaning as the difference between management and leadership impacts the way business processes are carried out in the organization.…”