ABSTRACT
We believe that this is an approach that could benefi t other types of organizations as well. Rather than tackling leader development in an episodic and program-based manner, most organizations could improve their initiatives in this regard by incorporating more of the “big picture.” Specifi cally, it is important to recognize that leader development occurs in context. One context is that provided by the organization. A second context is embedded in the developmental experiences in the form of assessment, challenge, and support. A third context that will be elaborated on in this chapter is that of adult development. Organizational leaders develop in context of their development as adults. So a pertinent question is what are the unique or driving forces of adult development that might inform and help accelerate leader development?
