ABSTRACT
It was a paradox. It emerged from evaluation results from many learning activities designed to enhance aspects of professional performance and quality improvement. Activity leaders differed in occupational roles and specialties, their provider organizations, and the extent of experience guiding professional learning sessions. They also varied in their session leadership, as assessed by participants and themselves, and as compared to published guidelines and external evaluations. The paradox was that excellent session leadership was only moderately associated with optimal conditions, session characteristics, and leader backgrounds.
