This keynote will overview a more inclusive approach to leader development focused on building leader identity as part of a broader emphasis on the role of self-views (self-awareness, self-efficacy) in motivating ongoing development. The approach rests on two fundamental assumptions. First, people need to own their development as leaders. High potential programs in large organizations touch a relatively tiny proportion of employees – typically fewer than 5%. The upshot of this is that it may be futile waiting and hoping to be developed by your organization (in addition to being a waste of human potential). Second, identity drives resource allocation. People allocate their most valuable resource (time) to what they most value. One’s identity is a reflection of what is most valued. Internalizing a leader's identity helps to motivate leadership practice over the long term, which is needed to become a more expert leader. Theory and research evidence supporting the merits of identity-based leader development from emerging leaders to senior executives will be presented, along with more concrete ways that emergent, aspiring, and even accomplished leaders can work to develop themselves to higher levels of effectiveness as a leader, even if they are not the leader.

• Define identity-based leader development and describe how it provides data on proximal leader development;
• Identify three (3) different leadership “self-views” and explain how they provide data on proximal leader development;
• Discover the latest research on identity and leader development and prepare ways to apply it.