Leaders Are Made, Not Born The Critical Role of a Developmental Framework to Facilitate an Organizational Culture of Development

For many organizations, leader development takes a back seat to mission requirements, even when the organization declares leader development is an important value. The 2001 Global Leadership Conference explored the misalignment between the value that organizations say they place on leader development and the leader development activities that they actually engage in and reinforce. There were several conclusions. First, leader development activities are critical to organizational success. Second, leader development programs must be grounded in a framework of developmental theories and principles. Third, an organizational culture that reinforces leader development is crucial for such initiatives to succeed. This theoretical article discusses the conditions necessary for successful leader development, the impediments that many organizations must address, and ways in which consulting psychologists can facilitate the process of creating and implementing a leader development program.

Duke Scholars

Author Joseph N.G. LeBoeuf Fuqua School of Business