Purpose This study explored the perceived connection between intra- and interpersonal skills (IIS) education and leadership identity development (LID) among undergraduate students. Design/methodology/approach Using a phenomenological design, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 purposively sampled undergraduate students who had completed an IIS-focused leadership course. Data were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis to identify shared patterns across participants' experiences. Findings Participants described a sequential developmental process through which they perceived IIS education to have reshaped their understanding of leadership. Reflection, vulnerability and values exploration fostered intrapersonal growth that supported interpersonal skills practice. As a result, participants shifted from understanding leadership as positional and authority-based to viewing it as a relational, values-driven process, contributing to a more complex leadership identity. Practical implications Findings suggest that leadership educators should intentionally design psychologically safe and courageous learning environments that incorporate reflection, values exploration, vulnerability and peer interaction to support both IIS and LID. Originality/value This study addresses a theoretical and pedagogical gap by exploring IIS education as a potential developmental pathway through which undergraduate students redefine their understanding of leadership and their view of themselves as a leader.
Purpose While leadership identity development is well theorized, we lack understanding of how individuals develop followership identity. This study investigates followership identity development (FID) as a distinct developmental trajectory. Design/methodology/approach Using constructivist grounded theory methodology parallel to Komives, Owen, Longerbeam, Mainella, and Osteen’s (2005) leadership identity development study, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 16 undergraduate students nominated for team membership excellence. Analysis employed initial, focused and theoretical coding with constant comparative methods to identify patterns, themes and developmental progressions. Findings Analysis revealed three major themes (shaping influences, evolving dynamics and motivation and identity) and a six-stage model progressing from pre-team awareness through adaptive followership. The model demonstrates that followership identity involves distinct psychological work: transforming culturally devalued positioning into integrated identity, developing co-production beliefs and cultivating comfort managing up. Conceptual alignment with Kaufman and Oyedare (2025) followership discourses framework suggests the FID stages capture patterns observable across independent research programs, while self-efficacy constructs (Zeng, Xu, & Zhao, 2023) and risk navigation (Larsson & Nielsen, 2021) offer language for interpreting developmental transitions. Research limitations/implications Focus on high-performing undergraduates at one institution provides rich developmental insights but limits generalizability. Future research should examine FID across diverse populations and contexts. Practical implications The model enables educators to design developmentally appropriate interventions, including scaffolded curricula addressing stage-specific challenges and integrated leader–follower programs recognizing both as legitimate trajectories. Originality/value This study provides the first empirically derived, stage-based model of FID, addressing a significant theoretical gap while offering practical guidance for leadership educators.
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to propose a new conceptual model – The Inspirational Motivation Model – for driving social change among youth. Design/methodology/approach Through literature review and related analysis, this paper advances two propositions that explain how youth exercise inspirational motivation, a dimension of transformational leadership. Findings The core contributions of this paper are propositions suggesting that youth leaders' inspirational motivation fosters shared vision development and persuasive communication to facilitate social change in peer-based, adult-supervised youth settings. Practical implications We recommend that leadership educators utilize the proposed model when teaching transformational leadership to college students, particularly undergraduates. Moreover, we urge researchers to empirically test the propositions of our model, as well as other dimensions of transformational leadership. Originality/value Transformational leadership is often conceptualized in terms of a clear leader–follower hierarchy characteristic of adult organizational settings, which may limit its applicability in youth contexts. To enhance the relevance of transformational leadership (TL) theory in youth settings and fill a gap in the literature, this paper explains how inspirational motivation – a key dimension of TL – can be expressed by youth leaders to facilitate social change in peer-based, adult-supervised contexts.
Purpose Women's persistent underrepresentation in senior leadership, holding fewer than one-quarter of positions in higher education, points to the need for pedagogical approaches addressing identity, power and systemic barriers, rather than skills alone. This paper examines how integrating strengths-based coaching with authentic leadership theory and explicit power analysis creates developmental pathways for women leaders. Design/methodology/approach The pedagogical model integrates authentic leadership theory, DeFrank-Cole and Tan's Four Domains framework and Desimone's professional learning principles. Implementation occurs through a longitudinal strengths-based leadership coaching program combining peer-coaching pods, integrated curriculum and narrative identity exercises. Proposed mechanisms and outcomes are derived from semi-structured interviews with seven program completers and sustained implementation across nearly 70 participants in multiple cohorts. Findings Three interconnected pedagogical mechanisms supported women's authentic leadership development. Structured strengths awareness helps women reinterpret personal talents as legitimate leadership assets. Narrative identity exercises enable articulation of authentic leadership philosophy. Facilitated power conversations shift participants from hierarchical (“power over”) to relational (“power with”) orientations. Women reported increased confidence, stronger identification as leaders and resistance to gendered leadership expectations. Practical implications Leadership educators can adapt five design elements: longitudinal structure, small peer-coaching pods, integrated curriculum linking strengths to identity and power, narrative exercises and facilitator modeling of collaborative leadership. Originality/value Unlike skill-focused professional development, this model demonstrates how integrating strengths-based practice, identity work and power reframing addresses interconnected barriers women face. The pedagogical framework offers educators a theoretically grounded, empirically tested approach to fostering equitable leadership cultures that transfers beyond specific program contexts.
Purpose Drawing on Astin's Input–Environment–Outcome (I–E–O) framework, this study examines how participation in extracurricular activities (ECAs) is associated with leadership learning among first-year university students in a transition-economy context. Design/methodology/approach A two-wave longitudinal design was employed. Survey data were collected from 482 first-year students at the start of the academic year and from 185 students nine months later. Leadership was assessed using the Zharikov–Krushelnitsky Leadership Diagnostic Questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, correlations, hierarchical regression, mediation, moderation, and lagged longitudinal analyses were conducted to examine relationships among student background inputs, extracurricular environments, and leadership outcomes. Findings Early leadership outcomes were positively linked to participation in structured ECAs, particularly intellectually demanding activities and individual sports. Gender and English language proficiency were related to leadership at the beginning of the academic year, whereas age and quantitative ability were not. Longitudinal analyses showed that early ECA participation did not directly predict later leadership after baseline controls. Instead, autonomy-related conditions, particularly independent living, became more salient over time. These findings indicate a potential developmental shift in the factors associated with leadership outcomes over time. Research limitations/implications The single-institution focus and one-year observation period limit generalizability. Future research should adopt multi-institutional and longer-term longitudinal designs. Practical implications Leadership educators may prioritize structured, developmentally sequenced extracurricular environments that emphasize communication, responsibility, and autonomy. Social implications Equitable access to high-quality ECAs can support leadership development and social mobility in transition economies. Originality/value The study integrates Astin's I–E–O framework with an explicit behavioral conceptualization of leadership and a culturally grounded leadership measure in a post-Soviet higher education context, extending leadership education research beyond Western settings.
