Being a Leader and Doing Leadership: The Cross-domain Impact of Family and Friends on Leader Identity and Leader Behaviors at Work

Abstract

This research presents a cross-domain exploration of leader identity. Drawing from theory about multidomain leader development and leader identity social processes, we examine how endorsement as a leader by those internal and external to work can impact an individual's own self-internalized sense of identity as a leader at work. Specifically, we examine how the collective endorsement of one's leader identity by family and friends in addition to work colleagues (managers, peers, and direct reports) influences the individual’s own self-internalized sense of identity as a leader at work. We also examine the relationship of the individual’s self-internalized sense of identity as a leader at work to enacted transformational leadership and contingent reward behaviors as rated by colleagues in the work domain. Data from a multisource and multidomain 360° evaluation of 256 leaders by 3,255 raters in the United States and Ireland provide support for the hypothesized relationships. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.

“Leisureship”: Impact of pursuing serious leisure on leaders' performance

“…Leaders engage in identity construction based on experiences at work, but also outside of work. Palanski, Thomas, Hammond, Lester, and Clapp-Smith (2021) find that the leader identity is constructed in "negotiation" not only with people at work but also with nonwork role partners such as family and friends. Families of political leaders were found to help them construct stronger leader identities by lending them, from the family domain, desirable attributes, such as 'true American' (Gleibs, Hendricks, & Kurz, 2018).…”

Leadership identity development in curricular settings

“…Family members and close friends use these stories to enhance familial bonds, convey life lessons, and construct and reinforce familial and personal identities (Kranstuber & Koenig Kellas, 2011; McCain & Matkin, 2019). When the stories told by close friends and family members endorse someone's personal identity narrative, they provide recognition that the individual is indeed part of the group that maintains that identity (Palanski et al., 2021).…”

“…If leadership educators are to effectively guide students into more complex leadership identities (see Komives et al, 2005, and McCaroon et al's article in this issue, for a description of all six levels), then it is important to understand how students create and develop their individualized leader identity (McCain & Matkin, 2019), particularly within the curricular academic context. Individuals with stronger or more developed leader identity are more likely to seek out opportunities to practice leadership and thereby develop their individualized leadership identity (Hammond et al, 2017;Kragt & Day, 2020;Kwok et al, 2021;Palanski et al, 2021;Priest & Middleton, 2016).…”