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Today's business leaders face an unprecedented number of organisational challenges in their daily practice. It is undeniable that good leadership is challenging and when faced with the complex reality of day-to-day leadership complexities many leaders struggle to perform effectively. Leadership development programmes typically focus on developing leadership skills and competencies, neglecting important issues of 'leader character'. In this paper, the author makes a case for the development of leader character as a way of enhancing leadership potential and wider organisational effectiveness. Subsequently, a range of human resource development practices that can support the development of leader character are discussed. This article will benefit organisations and HRD practitioners that seek to develop leader character as part of leadership development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: While current research is reporting on a crisis in school leadership aspirations and appointments, this research sheds light on the mediating factors that school middle leaders (MLs) attribute to their appointment as a leader and their aspirations to senior leadership positions. Design/methodology/approach: Qualitative data from a larger, mixed-method, research project were collected using an online survey completed by 2,608 MLs in a large public school system in Australia and is analysed using an inductive thematic process. Findings: The findings suggest that MLs experience varying and non-linear career progressions and that a range of personal and professional factors impact their career aspirations. The support of an "experienced other" such as a principal, mentor or coach and strategic career planning are all important in the identification, support, development and advancement of MLs. Originality/value: This paper contributes to the scarce body of research on middle leadership identification and aspirations. The study recommends a system approach drawn from the empirical data and associated literature that may be useful to inform policymakers, school systems and school leaders in efforts towards middle leadership identification, development and advancement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Healthcare leaders must increasingly attend to the monumental challenges facing their organizations (Angood and Falcone, American Association for Physician Leadership, 2023). As such, leadership in healthcare settings demands new skills sets amongst healthcare professionals that transcend the technical skills of any given profession. Academic health center psychologists are well-positioned to contribute to the leadership of academic health centers due to knowledge, skills, and attitudes fostered in doctoral psychology education, practice, and research through the focus on Profession-Wide Competencies. This article calls for psychologists to pursue more leadership opportunities within academic health centers. The article starts by identifying parallels between psychology's Profession-Wide Competencies and needed leadership skills/concepts for healthcare leaders. An example of an academic health center psychologist's leadership in a cohort-based physician leadership program illustrates how Profession-Wide Competencies were used in three structural elements of the leadership program. The article identifies particular leadership opportunities for psychologists within academic health centers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leadership development is essential to the well-being of medical organizations, but leadership concepts do not easily translate into skills or actions. The Mayo Leadership Behavior Index© (Leader Index), a validated instrument describing eight leadership traits associated with constituent well-being, can serve as a guide. The authors analyzed narratives from a qualitative study of senior medical leaders describing successful leadership behaviors to see how the tenets of the Leader Index can be applied. Current/emeritus chairs of major academic departments/divisions from a single institution were asked to describe anecdotes of actions used by leaders in actual settings. Narratives from interviews were analyzed for behaviors that map to the eight traits in the Leader Index. Eleven senior leaders volunteered multiple scenarios of effective and ineffective leadership with illustrative examples. The behaviors they identified mapped to all eight traits of the Leader Index, specifically career conversations, empowerment to do the job, encouragement of ideas, treatment with respect and dignity, provision of job performance feedback and coaching, recognition of well-done work, information about organizational changes, and development of talents and skills. These findings provide faculty development experts and psychologists tangible behaviors and actions they can teach to enhance leadership skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the role of leadership development interventions in pre-empting leader derailments. The research literature suggests that derailments are not only commonplace but associated with a range of significant costs, from financial, to mental health, to morale, to employee turnover, to missed opportunities. Given these costly consequences, this article seeks to answer the question: "Can leadership development—especially at early managerial-career stages and during transitions—play a significant role in mitigating leader derailments?" Research suggests that the majority of leadership failures occur—or are more visible—at senior organizational levels. This begs the question of whether development interventions earlier in a leader's career might have pre-empted their later failure. What if the field of leadership development were to adopt a 'preventative medicine' model in which pre-empting derailments was the focus rather than 'fixing' leaders as they are derailing? Moreover, there appears to be an overreliance on coaching as the intervention of choice. What if the field were to leverage a broader range of development interventions beyond coaching to ensure a greater probability of minimizing derailments? Five interventions will be discussed which have the potential to pre-empt leadership failures, when deployed in unison. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the unpredictability and complexity of the business environment -due to the Fourth Industrial Revolution and augmented by the COVID-19 pandemic-, employees are required to continually learn new skills and ways of working. Even though 20 years have passed since the coining of the learning agility (LA) construct, only one literature review has explored it qualitatively. Through a co-word bibliometric analysis, complemented by a content analysis, this paper aims to identify the intellectual structure of the LA. Results show that the scientific production by research areas, journals, and studies that have contributed most to the field. Career variety was found as a central and underdeveloped theme while Talent Management was identified as potential emergent one. The important themes for structuring the field on LA were mostly examined from an individual level, as a process or as an outcome. Future research within the Human Resource Development field is suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This manuscript presents a comprehensive analysis of NC State University's redesigned principal preparation program, emphasizing its alignment with state and national leadership standards, innovative curriculum, and commitment to practical application. The program's redesign addresses long-standing criticisms of traditional university-based leadership preparation, such as the disconnect between theory and practice, by incorporating data-driven instructional leadership, equity-focused training, and collaborative community engagement. Additionally, this article explores the role of specialized internships, full-time residencies, and the integration of technology in training future principals. The program's success is demonstrated by improved principal placement, school outcomes, and teacher retention—particularly in high-need schools. Finally, the manuscript discusses the future of leadership preparation, highlighting the potential of artificial intelligence to further enhance decision-making, personalized professional development, and administrative efficiency, while addressing ethical considerations such as data privacy and equity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the 30th anniversary of the journal Gender, Work and Organization (GWO) and the new leadership team of three Editors-in-Chief. The previous editors are thanked for their contributions in elevating the journal's quality. The article also mentions a disruption in the journal's board and the need for a reshuffle. The new leadership team aims to reduce the backlog of papers and improve the submission to publication times. They encourage submissions from diverse perspectives and plan to expand the journal's scope to include non-hegemonic/western perspectives on gender theory. The article also announces the upcoming GWO 2025 Conference and invites researchers to submit their work. The new leadership team expresses gratitude for the support they have received and emphasizes their commitment to providing a welcoming and supportive platform for research. [Extracted from the article]

Purpose: This article describes what department directors and chiefs of staff reported when asked about the competencies they need to be effective in addressing on-the-job challenges. The study analyzed the generated data in two different ways to both understand what participants said in their own terms and to determine whether there is a fit between participants' responses and facilitative leadership theory. Design/methodology/approach: Twenty-four semi-structured interviews were conducted with five department directors and seven chiefs of staff in a US city that had a mayor-council form of government. Responses were analyzed in two ways. Initially, coding categories were developed inductively in an effort to employ what anthropologists characterize as an emic or insider perspective. Then the data were recoded from an etic perspective using the theory of facilitative leadership as a conceptual framework. Findings: Although participants identified a wide variety of competencies, all participants emphasized the importance of working collaboratively with others, including the members of their teams, the elected official they worked with (and for) and constituents. Originality/value: While most studies of facilitative leadership have focused on mayors and city managers, i.e. those at the top of the city administration hierarchy, this study's focus is on middle managers who are not necessarily thought of as leaders but who must in fact, exercise leadership at least at times. Another relatively unique feature of this paper is its focus on a city that employs a mayor-council form of governance, a type of governance structure that has been underdiscussed in the literature to date. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study inquires into the experiences of 15 doctoral students from universities in the United Kingdom and Hong Kong to examine the factors that contribute to publishing first-authored academic papers and explores their self-perceptions of their scholarly identities. Using Leadership for Learning as a theoretical framework, the research findings show that successful academic publishing is underpinned by powerful learning experiences, the sharing of leadership and a shared sense of accountability. The study demonstrates that student agency, which links leadership and learning, is manifested through purposeful action, relational engagement and self-transformation. The research results acknowledge the unequal power dynamics in different research collaborations and reveal that doctoral students’ identity development is interlinked with a passion for research, strong learning experiences, the way that others position themselves and autonomy. The study highlights the need for robust learning experiences, tailored support for academic publishing and leadership development opportunities that facilitate academic collaborations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the article is to present transformational giftedness (TG) in the context of the theory of personality development. TG refers to individuals who strive to make a positive difference in the world in order to create a better place to live. Robert Sternberg divided TG into the following categories: self-realized giftedness, other-realized giftedness, and full transforming giftedness. The Theory of Positive Disintegration (TPD), developed by Kazimierz Dąbrowski, is a hierarchical, five-level theory of personality development that also encompasses personal, emotional, and moral aspects. Each level has specific characteristics related to values, psychological transformations, and overexcitabilities, among other factors. Analyses have shown possible connections between different types of TG and developmental levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, organizations invest an estimated USD 60 billion annually in leadership development; however, the workplace application of learning is typically low, and many programs underperform or fail, resulting in wasted time and money and potential harm. This article presents a novel theory- and evidence-informed framework to maximize the outcomes and return on investment (ROI) of leadership development programs. The foundation of the framework derives from four separate literature reviews: three systematic reviews on leadership development, including the only two to isolate gold-standard elements of effective design, delivery, and evaluation, and one on "training transfer". Informed by innovative principles of leadership development and unique theoretical models and frameworks, this framework consists of 65 evidence-informed strategies that can be applied as a foundation (9), and before (23), during (17), at the conclusion of (11), and sometime after (5), programs, to maximize impact and ROI. Implications for practice and further research are also presented. Given the stakes, there is an urgent need for evidence and tools to maximize the impact and ROI of leadership development. This novel framework provides robust theory- and evidence-informed guidance for governments, policymakers, and those funding, designing, delivering, and supporting development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the role of emotional intelligence (EI) in leadership effectiveness across different industries using a qualitative approach through literature review and library research. Emotional intelligence, characterized by self-awareness, empathy, self-regulation, and social skills, is increasingly recognized as a key factor in successful leadership. This research aims to synthesize findings from various studies and theoretical frameworks to understand how EI influences leadership performance in diverse organizational contexts. Through an in-depth analysis of existing literature, the study identifies common themes that link emotionally intelligent leadership with enhanced decision-making, conflict resolution, and team management. The findings suggest that leaders with high emotional intelligence are better equipped to handle workplace challenges, foster positive relationships, and adapt to industry-specific demands, thereby contributing to higher organizational performance. Additionally, emotional intelligence is shown to be critical in managing cross-functional teams and navigating complex interpersonal dynamics. Despite industry variations, the core competencies of EI remain consistent in contributing to leadership success. The study concludes with recommendations for integrating emotional intelligence training in leadership development programs, highlighting the need for organizations to prioritize EI alongside technical and managerial skills to enhance leadership effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Successful leaders influence the group they represent. Effective surgical care is tied to its leadership climate. However, most surgical providers are not attuned to their individual strengths which if known they could leverage them within their teams. This study identifies leadership types within a department of surgery which may be used to better understand and cultivate their strengths. Methods: In 2022, 172 providers in an academic surgery department were offered the GallupTM CliftonStrengths assessment, a proprietary instrument that maps 34 strengths across 4 domains of leadership. The assessment provides a respondent with their top 5 strengths and the domain in which they naturally "lead". Results: Of 172 providers, 127 (74%) completed the assessment. While providers have strengths in multiple domains, they "lead with" a specific domain. Mapped from the providers' top 10 strengths, the most common "lead with" domain for surgical providers was Executing : the ability to implement ideas and produce results. Strategic Thinking : those who are analytical and push teams forward and Relationship Building : the ability to create strong and effective teams were followed by the least common domain. Influencing : the ability to communicate ideas and lead others. Formal leaders were significantly more likely to lead with Strategic Thinking. There were no significant differences between APPs and physicians. Conclusion: A majority of surgical providers "lead with" the GallupTM Executing domain. Those who lead with executing skills work tirelessly to produce outcomes. Learning to leverage the strengths of our teams to create cohesion and efficiency may improve engagement and retention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The South African Public Sector grapples with persistent challenges in fostering professionalism among its workforces. This hinders the ethical conduct among public servants and subsequently impedes effective service delivery. In this light, this study investigates the pivotal role of leadership development strategies in catalysing professionalization efforts within the South African Public Sector. Using a desktop review methodology, the study aims to explore leadership development strategies implemented in the South African public sector and their effectiveness in promoting professionalization. The study also identifies barriers and challenges hindering the professionalization process within the South African public sector and develops evidence-based recommendations for leadership development strategies that can catalyse professionalization within the South African public sector. To conclude, this study posits that effective leadership development strategies are pivotal in catalysing professionalization within the South African public sector. By investing in the development of competent and ethical leaders, South Africa can enhance governance effectiveness, promote socio-economic development, and advance democratic principles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Art-based leadership development, grounded in experiential learning, offers a learner-centered approach to leadership training by integrating relational, aesthetic and embodied dimensions. This systematic review investigates evidence on the outcomes of art-based leadership development, addressing the critical need for empirical validation of its effectiveness. A qualitative metasummary was employed to review 31 empirical studies published between 2008 and 2023. The studies were sourced from databases including Business Source Complete, ERIC, PsycINFO, Scopus, and Web of Science. The Quality Assessment for Diverse Studies (QuADS) tool was used to assess the studies. The analysis revealed that art-based methods significantly enhance reflective and reflexive practices, higher-order cognitive skills, emotional intelligence, and interpersonal competencies. Representing leader development, art-based initiatives facilitate holistic self-discovery and transformative shifts in mindset, offering a valuable complement to conventional skill-based approaches. Despite these promising benefits, the review highlights a need for more rigorous empirical studies, particularly longitudinal and quantitative research, to substantiate the long-term effectiveness of art-based methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay explores research on teacher and middle leadership. It begins by considering the definitions and the conceptual overlap between teacher and middle leaders and briefly considers the volume and sources of research information. Six areas in which trustworthy claims can be made about the roles are then explored: teacher and middle leader definitions, impact, interventions, leadership focus, identification, and supports/hindrances. The essay concludes by considering policy recommendations, practice recommendations and future research directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is impossible for a business to grow in today's highly competitive market without constantly teaching and developing its workers. It's possible to measure the value to the person by how much he knows, how well he can do something, etc. It's not easy to judge how useful training is because we often deal with things that are hard to quantify, which makes them hard to measure. The first step is to clearly define the educational goals and make sure that the effects of those goals can be controlled. The point of this piece is to look into the things that affect how successful training and growth for employees is judged. Companies have known for a long time that their most important product is their employees, and many are willing to spend a lot of money on training and growth for their workers. An successful training program meets the needs of its participants and provides training in a way that meets its goals. A lot of different things have come from research in the Training and Development role. This paper tries to help people understand what problems can arise when trying to do a ROI review and how these problems can be fixed so that measuring ROI in training and development programs is easier. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We argue for reconsidering leadership development based on open systems theory and systems design principles. A primary advantage of open systems thinking is that it encourages holistic approaches to development and avoids episodic program-based training and piecemeal thinking. The latter approaches are both limited and limiting yet tend to be the preferred approach to leadership development in organizations. Open systems approaches to development offer numerous advantages both conceptually and pragmatically, especially through the incorporation of ongoing feedback cycles. Core practices that define a leadership development system are presented and implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psychological safety is a concept that has become extremely popular in the management and leadership literature over the past several years. Despite its rising prominence, the term can be misleading, and it is not clear if it holds promise for those leading in the armed forces. This article clarifies the concept of psychological safety and highlights its importance to teams and organizations that operate in contexts like the military. The authors also review antecedents to psychological safety - with a focus on how military leaders can facilitate psychological safety in the teams and organizations they lead. Finally, psychological safety is not a panacea. In fact, high psychological safety in a military context could produce unintended negative outcomes. Therefore, the authors offer suggestions for military leaders to consider when focusing on psychological safety in their formations and propose areas for future research involving psychological safety in the armed forces and other similar organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The current paper is part of a larger scoping review project investigating the intersection of leader(ship) identity development and meaning-making. In this review, we analyzed 100 articles to determine the current extent of literature that covers the intersection of leader(ship) identity development, meaning-making and marginalized social identities. Design/methodology/approach: A review of the extant literature is included, and a conceptual model is suggested for further exploration into this critical and under-researched domain. Findings: More research is needed at the intersection of leadership identity development, meaning-making and marginalized social identities. Originality/value: As this area of study has expanded, scholars have noted an absence of research on the effect of multiple social identities, especially marginalized identities, on meaning-making and leadership identity construction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of a leadership identity has been argued to be an important determinant for what leaders do. For leaders in highly specialized work environments, the development of a leadership identity has been regarded both in absolute terms and in relation to their professional identity. This study investigates the extent to which leadership identity in absolute and relative terms explains various types of leadership behaviors. Based on panel survey data from clinical directors in Danish hospital departments, the findings show that the absolute leadership identity predicts transformational, transactional, and professional development leadership, whereas no correlations are found between relative leadership identity and leadership behavior. The study supports the expectation that leadership identity is, in its own right, an important precondition for leadership behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Professional development leadership (PDL) aims to facilitate a shared understanding of professional quality and to influence employees to realize this understanding in practice. PDL can be important in overcoming clashes between managerial and professional logics and influencing professional work to support organizational goal attainment. This article develops and validates two PDL measurement scales on different subsamples of surveys of public managers (n = 385) and their employees (n = 3,865): a 9-item dimensional scale and a 4-item global scale. The paper thus serves as a stepping stone for future research on PDL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the leadership and management development (L&MD) approaches and their associated challenges in Malawi's public sector. The paucity of leadership and managerial skills in most developing countries is a major concern for both government and development partners. The study contends that unless the capacity of leaders and managers is improved at all levels of government, public service delivery will be ineffective. Based on desk research and key informant interviews in government ministries, departments and agencies, the study findings are that despite the numerous L&MD programmes offered over the years, the production of capable leaders and managers in the public sector remains a challenge. Malawi's public sector is characterised by ineffective human resource development programs, weak institutional and individual capacities and constraining political, economic and social cultural factors. The public sector needs to invest in the development of leaders and managers to achieve development and nation building. It is concluded that for systematic development of leaders and managers in public sector, the political and bureaucratic leadership must have a clear policy, vision and commitment towards implementing relevant and well-structured training and development programmes. There is need for conducting regular training needs assessments and mobilisation of financial resources to support the systematic delivery of L&MD programmes which are aligned to national development strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyzes the impact of sustainable development leadership on firm performance. The context of the empirical analysis is the European region between 2010 and 2018. Sustainable development leaders are defined as the firms included in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for Europe. To control for endogeneity problems caused by self‐selection bias in the sample, the research design relies on Heckman two‐stage model. The results show that stock market participants do not perceive sustainability leadership as an asset that adds value to the firm. Our findings also suggest that corporate governance shapes the relationship between sustainable development leadership and performance as common‐law countries have a more positive perception sustainable development leadership than civil‐law countries. Additionally, the study reveals a decline in stock market sentiment toward sustainability leadership over the research period, indicating a potential loss of competitive advantage for sustainable development leaders as sustainability initiatives become more widespread. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Should politicians, technocrats, or the free market guide the economic development of a developing country? The historical development paths of countries vary widely. Public opinion concerning development models also differs across space and over time. Using Chinese aid data from AidData and the second round Afrobarometer survey, we study how Chinese aid affects local preferences for economic leadership in sixteen African countries, 2000–2005. Our causal identification strategy is to compare the preferences of respondents who lived near an aid project site where a Chinese project had been implemented at the time of the interview (treated group) to individuals who lived close to a site where a Chinese project would be initiated shortly after the interview (control group). We find that Chinese aid increases the local population's support for economic experts to run the economy. World Bank aid, on the other hand, has no impact on local preferences for economic leadership. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Student Associations are an invaluable tool for fostering leadership skills and growth. Student associations usually exist to fulfil students' needs in their study journey while at the university. Whether it is the need for infrastructure development or good academics results in enjoyable student-to-student social experiences. The students of the student association engage with stakeholders, and school faculties, hold meetings, organize sporting events with other universities and so forth. While these students join the associations to support each other as experts, outcomes are also a win-win situation as they inherit various expertise and skills for their future careers. These include leadership skills, character building, increased confidence, and expert guidance to accomplish their goals and tasks. Student associations also offer a platform to practice communication, problem-solving, and decision-making. Through collaboration with peers, students can learn to navigate difficult conversations and find creative solutions to challenging problems. This type of experience is invaluable for developing future leaders. This literature discusses the influences of student associations when it comes to the leadership development of a student. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intense turbulence means that parameters change, interdependencies unexpectedly become critical, and public organizations experience unpredictable tempo shifts. Existing studies have explored how public managers can exercise leadership specifically aimed at obtaining dynamic resilience, but more knowledge about leadership and turbulence intensity is needed. Combining existing theoretical knowledge about robust governance in turbulent times and in‐depth analysis of 31 interviews, we examine how public managers exercise professional development leadership in situations where events, demands, and support interact in variable, inconsistent, unexpected, and unpredictable ways. We find it highly relevant for public managers to both develop and (de)activate professional norms and knowledge in such situations, implying that professional development leadership is important in turbulent times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]