The Past
Looking back at the state of leadership and
leadership development over the past 20 years,
we were surprised to discover more than a
decade passed before HRP first contained an
article with the word “leadership” in its title. At
the risk of making too much out of mere titles,
we note with interest the contrast between that
early period and the fact that leadership development
is now one of HRP’s five key knowledge
areas. The last two decades have witnessed
something of an explosion of interest in leadership
development in organizations. Some of the
most noteworthy issues and trends in the field
of leadership development in the past 20 years
fall under these two general headings:
1. The proliferation of leadership development
methods;
2. The importance of a leader’s emotional resonance
with and impact on others.