How Do Childhood Experiences Shape Adult Leadership Traits?

Developmental Psychology & Leadership

This dissertation explores how childhood experiences shape adult leadership traits through a cross-cultural qualitative analysis of 20 global leaders. Using an inductive design and the Gioia methodology, it identifies four core dimensions: birth order, collectivist discipline, childhood adversity, and intergenerational mobility. Findings show that leadership traits emerge through cumulative, context-dependent processes across the lifespan, challenging Western, ‘one-size-fits-all’ leadership models and informing more developmentally grounded approaches to leadership development.