Developing a leadership identity

DEVELOPING

a leadership identity

Kate Frewin

Assistant Head of Primary – Curriculum (PP-6)

The development of a leader’s leadership identity is both a complex and challenging process that is dependent upon a range of factors including time and situation (Marchiondo et al. 2015). Scholarly research on leadership and leadership identity has seen a dramatic increase in recent years, resulting in the development of a range of diverse leadership theories. From early theories that suggest a person is born to lead, to the perspective that a formal leadership position and a set of suitable traits are sufficient to gain leadership credibility (Sun 2016) is the understanding that identity is a relational construct in which identity is co-constructed by both the leader and the follower (DeRue & Ashford 2010). Consequently, leadership identity is affected by broad dynamic influences indicating that identity is in an ongoing state of reflection and refinement and postulating that a contemporary leader must be both flexible and adaptable to changing contexts. Leadership identity is fluid and changes when a new leadership role is assumed and when a leader enters a new context. This theory outlines that a leader must negotiate their leadership credibility through the development of a social construct that they must then act in. Brue and Brue (2009) theorise that identity is heavily influenced by role assumption – expectations that derive from cultural assumptions of a particular role. This theory proposes a leader’s identity develops or changes when a new narrative is assumed and is influenced by the social constructs of that role and the collective endorsement of the broader social group (DeRue & Ashford 2010). Sun (2016) claims that it is during this narrative that a leader must actively and visibly position themselves, take initiative and display their technical competencies in order to be successful in their context. Critics of gender-specific leadership training suggest that it fails to provide real-world leadership forums; others disagree and acknowledge that leadership programs that do not acknowledge a woman for her relational leadership approach are counterproductive for women. Supporters of genderspecific training state women need opportunities to connect with other women to promote their leadership development, noting that conversations that allow women to develop their self-awareness, communication, interpersonal skills and importantly their ability to reflect openly and honestly are vital to a woman’s developing leadership identity. The traditional and managerial ideal that leadership must emulate certain and fixed sets of traits has been challenged by the notion that leadership is both fluid and ambiguous (Rennison 2018). The simplism of traditional theories of leadership neglect environmental and situational factors that influence leadership. A person’s leadership narrative can be influenced by a range of factors and will continue to evolve over time and as they experience different situations. Ensuring continued reflection and theoretical learning maintain a central role in the development of that narrative will inevitably contribute to a balanced identity and capacity to lead in different situations. Leaders must consider a variety of different perspectives on leadership and learn to competently assess each situation before applying a strategy (Rennison 2018).

References

Brue, KL & Brue, SA 2018, ‘Leadership Role Identity Construction in Women’s Leadership Development Programs’, Journal of Leadership Education, vol. 17, no. 1, pp. 7-27. DeRue, DS & Ashford, SJ 2010, ‘Who will lead and who will follow? A social process of leadership identity construction in organizations’, Academy of Management Review, vol. 35, no. 4, pp. 627-647. Marchiondo, LA, Myers, CG & Kopelman, S 2015, ‘The relational nature of leadership identity construction: How and when it influences perceived leadership and decision-making’, The Leadership Quarterly, vol. 26, no. 5, pp. 892-908. Rennison, BW 2018, ‘Theories of leadership’, Journal of Leadership and Management, vol. 3, no. 13, pp. 185-199. Sun, P 2016, ‘Discourse and Identity: Leader Identity at Work’, in J Storey, J Hartley, JL Denis, P ‘t Hart & D Ulrich (eds), The Routledge Companion to Leadership, Routledge, New York.

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