Leader identity development: the role of schemas, meaning-making, and experiences

This thesis investigated how people think about leadership and being a leader, how organizational leaders create meaning of experiences to shape a sense of self as a leader, and how classroom experiences in formal education settings can become meaningful experiences for leadership development. The findings from this dissertation offer novel understanding of the content of leader identity and the process of leader identity development. It offers insights into how business schools can best contribute to their students’ ongoing development as leaders, how organizations can effectively contribute to the continuous development of their organizational leaders, and how individuals can get into the driver’s seat of their own leadership development.