The paper presents research with small and medium enterprise (SME) owners who have participated in a leadership development programme. The primary focus of the paper is on learning transfer and factors affecting it, arguing that entrepreneurs must engage in 'action' in order to 'learn' and that under certain conditions they may transfer learning to their firm. The paper draws on data from 19 focus groups undertaken from 2010 to 2012, involving 51 participants in the LEAD Wales programme. It considers the literatures exploring learning transfer and develops a conceptual framework, outlining four areas of focus for entrepreneurial learning. Utilising thematic analysis, it describes and evaluates what (actual facts and information) and how (techniques, styles of learning) participants transfer and what actions they take to improve the business and develop their people. The paper illustrates the complex mechanisms involved in this process and concludes that action learning is a method of facilitating entrepreneurial learning which is able to help address some of the problems of engagement, relevance and value that have been highlighted previously. The paper concludes that the efficacy of an entrepreneurial learning intervention in SMEs may depend on the effectiveness of learning transfer.

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Successful leadership development for SME owner-managers has been shown to be problematic because of low interest levels and the unsuitability of formal learning methods. This paper assesses the introduction of a leadership development programme into a peripheral region, with an emphasis on situated and action learning, supported by peer-to-peer networking. Early findings suggest significant business and leadership benefits, including revenue growth and success in closing the gap between perceived and actual levels of leadership confidence. However, participation is selective and questions remain about the suitability of the programme for participants with a low level of formal education and without clearly articulated prior aspirations for personal or business development.

This paper explores the lived experience of leadership learning and development in a single case study of an entrepreneur participating in a major leadership development programme for owner–managers of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Based on autobiographical research, it provides a rich contextual account of the nature and underlying influences of leadership learning throughout the life-course and as a consequence of participation in the programme. Whilst the paper should interest scholars, policy makers and those concerned with programme development, it may also resonate with entrepreneurs and help them make sense of their experience of leadership development.

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