Leadership Development as Identity Change: An Analysis of the Impact of a Deliberate Leadership Development Program

Abstract

According to Ibarra, et al (2010) leadership development requires re-creation of identity. For this article we examined a leadership development program, searching for evidence that identity change had occurred. Specifically, we collected data at a military academy where leadership development was the focal point of the institution’s mission. Using leadership behaviors and skills suggested by Yukl (2008) we were able to show how the perceived importance of these skills changed as students progressed through the program. We also found that the perceived importance of certain leadership skills depended on a student’s “change readiness.” Finally, we searched for evidence that women value relationship-oriented leadership skills more highly than men.