Leadership-shaping experiences: a comparative study of leaders and non-leaders

摘要

Purpose - By comparing "leaders" with "non-leaders" the current research attempts to shed light onrnthe impact of early experiences on leaders' development.rnDesign/methodology/approach - The study is presented in two parts, quantitative andrnqualitative. In the first (quantitative) part, a group of soldiers perceived as leaders was comparedrnwith a group of soldiers perceived as non-leaders, in order to examine the hypothesis that leaders havernhad more leadership experiences than non-leaders. Confirmation of this hypothesis led to thernqualitative part, in which the sense in which the reported experiences had contributed to leadershiprndevelopment was explored.rnFindings - The leaders proved to have had more leadership experiences than non-leaders in theirrnyouth. Such experiences impact on self-perception as a leader, the development of self-efficacy inrnleadership, and the accumulation of psychological and behavioral knowledge related to thernmanifestation of leadership.rnPractical implications - Conceptually, the study adds knowledge regarding leadershiprndevelopment via natural experiences, particularly experiences that occur in early periods of life.rnPractically, the study adds knowledge that can improve selection processes of leaders, as well asrnknowledge that can be applied to leaders' development, particularly reflective methods.rnOriginality/value - The contributions of this study are methodological, conceptual, and practical.rnThe study offers methods and instruments to assess leadership and distinguish leaders fromrnnon-leaders.