Understanding leader
development: learning from
leaders
Aoife McDermott
Cardiff Business School, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK, and
Rachel Kidney and Patrick Flood
DCU Business School, Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland
Abstract
Purpose – The 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/approach – A 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.
Findings – The 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/implications – Although 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 implications – The 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/value – This 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.
Keywords Self development, Leaders, Leadership development
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
This article considers leader development as an ongoing process of personal
development. As such it adopts an intrapersonal focus, considering the development of
individual leaders and their personal “human capital” (Day, 2001). McCauley and Van
Velsor (2004) argue that leader development is one aspect of leadership development.
Leadership development has been defined as:
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
www.emeraldinsight.com/0143-7739.htm
LODJ
32,4
358
Received December 2009
Revised August 2010
Accepted September 2010
Leadership & Organization
Development Journal
Vol. 32 No. 4, 2011
pp. 358-378
q Emerald Group Publishing Limited
0143-7739
DOI 10.1108/01437731111134643