Developing leadership: the integrative approach of pro-leader intervention program

The impact of leaders on organizational success has been widely documented, and consequently, the leadership training industry has expanded over the past decades. However, this investment has not consistently translated into better leaders. Leadership intervention programs have received notable criticism, including (a) lacking individualization (‘one size fits all’ approach), (b) an emphasis on pre-defined skills, and (c) insufficient consideration of context, disregarding other members’ and organizations’ characteristics. This paper introduces and discusses Pro-Leader, an intervention program based on the Leadership Efficacy Model (LEM), which aims to promote leadership through a comprehensive approach to training. In essence, LEM proposes that leadership efficacy increases if leaders are congruent in how they intend to exert leadership (conceptual cycle of leadership) and how they indeed implement the leadership (practical cycle of leadership), considering also the leadership behaviors they display when exerting influence (leadership styles), as well as their own, team members’, and contextual characteristics (antecedent factors). The Pro-Leader intervention program is structured according to the LEM and trains participants across these three components: leadership cycles, styles, and antecedent factors.