Title: Fostering leadership: realising intent to practice

Authors: Ashvini Chawla; Balvinder Shukla; R. Sujatha

Addresses: Sector 125, Amity Business School, Amity University, Uttar Pradesh (UP), 201313, India ' Sector 125, Amity Business School, Amity University, Uttar Pradesh (UP), 201313, India ' Amity Business School, Amity University, Uttar Pradesh, Noida (UP), India

Abstract: Leadership is a unique pattern of; traits, feeling, thinking, behaviour and actions. Implicit perspectives of leadership with peripheral definitions and descriptions are at best nebulous, intuitive and subjective due absence of measurability; from intent to practice. Behavioural and economic perspectives examined leadership for organisations to adapt. Intent and practice however need to blend seamlessly for leadership symmetry; responsive to people and situation at hand, flexible and able to analyse situation, task orientation and experience to create processes and implement practices. Through phenomenological study objective of this research was to examine fostering leadership; realising intent into practice by capturing real life lived experiences of four senior leaders practicing leadership. Analysis translated in key themes; understanding and implementing processes/practices, connecting and aligning people, understanding business environment/strategy and creating own unique leadership style. This implied leaders to be; drivers, implementers, learners and/or accommodators in fostering leadership.

Keywords: leader; leadership intent; leadership practice; leadership symmetry.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBEX.2017.085793

International Journal of Business Excellence, 2017 Vol.13 No.1, pp.41 - 59

Received: 29 Sep 2015
Accepted: 13 Mar 2016
Published online: 14 Aug 2017 *

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