CONCLUSION
Leaders must establish direction in relation to the complex challenges and changes in
their context, shape a culture that is conducive to that vision, and inspire their people, bringing
forth their talents, uniqueness, and energies toward a worthy future. This calls for
transformational leaders and results in a tremendous interest in leadership development.
Leadership development is a learning process. Leadership development programs and
approaches need to reach leaders at a personal and emotional level, triggering critical selfreflection,
and providing support for meaning making including creating learning and leadership
mindsets, and for experimentation. Transformational learning theory can be used to assess,
strengthen, and create leadership development programs that develop transformational leaders.
This study presents a starting point in exploring the relationship between learning
versatility and transformational leadership. Applying adult learning principles and creating
conditions that foster transformational learning are essential in the design and delivery of
leadership development efforts. It will be important to conduct more in-depth investigations of
transformational learning and transformational leadership in order to bring these two bodies of
literature, as well as research and practice, together.
Research over these past two decades underscores that the majority of leadership skills
are learned from naturally occurring experiences in the work place. Being able to access and
apply principles of adult learning and foster transformational learning would help aspiring
leaders, those wanting to strengthen their leadership, and those concerned with the development
of leadership, to accelerate and leverage leadership learning. Importantly, creating a culture of
leadership and learning is the ultimate act of leadership development.
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