Leadership Development Elements Contained in the Life Stories of Leadership Members

Abstract

Life stories are considered an inexhaustible source of information, which serves for the development of leadership elements and is a determining factor for raising the awareness of leadership members to understand the nature and existence of personal values, which then leadership members can use in a process of decision-making. We aim to bring insights into the process of collaborative decision-making and its linkage with personal past experiences divided into four life-story aspects. We used a semi-structured interview with managers positioned in the top hierarchical line in the organization, and we used the critical incident technique to prepare the questionnaire. We analyzed our empirical data by using the qualitative thematic method of analysis. The main finding is that valuable leadership development elements are contained in the life stories. The new insight is also that life stories are a new path to influence and develop the awareness of the values and purpose of a leadership member.