Abstract

While leader self-development is becoming an increasingly important strategy for developing leaders within organizations, not much is known regarding how or why leaders self-develop. In an attempt to improve understanding of the psychological aspects behind the leader self-development process, I developed and provided an empirical examination of a model which incorporated self-discrepancy theory, identity theory, and motivational theories. A 2 x 2 quasi-experimental design was implemented within a military context, such that the focus of a self-discrepancy (ideal versus worst leader) and feedback (positive versus negative feedback) were manipulated. Mediators and dependent variables included developmental readiness, developmental goals, and self-development intentions. Findings of the study were argued to contribute to a better understanding of the leader self-development process and to provide a basis for future research. Specifically, means efficacy was found to be a significant moderator of the goal quality to intentions to develop relationship. When means efficacy was high, the relationship between goal quality and developmental intentions increased. Implications for future research and practice were discussed.