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Perceived Developmental Aspects of Experiences
Recommended for Future Leaders

Interviewees were asked to identify what they perceived to be the potential developmental aspects of the experiences they had recommended for preparing future leaders. That is, what did they believe would make the experience effective in developing leader qualities. Table 16 provides a summary of the responses to this question.

  1. One hundred forty-two perceived developmental aspects of the recommended experiences were reported. Fourteen percent were categorized as motivational while 86% were considered facilitating.

Table 16
Important Aspects of Recommended Experiences

Item No. Aspect Total
#
% of 122

Motivating Aspects


143
Interest/enjoy
2

144
Risk of failure
2

145
New/complex
13

146
Overload/stress
2

147
Barriers
1

148
Other
0


Subtotal
20
14

Facilitating Aspects


149
Negative experience/failure
0

150
Plan/reflect
13

151
Assess personal
5

152
Learn new ideas/practices
28

153
Apply/prac. knowledge
13

154
Confidence building
7

155
Positive role model
19

156
Negative role model
2

157
Freedom
19

158
Other cultures
4

159
Other
12


Subtotal
122
86

Total
142
100%

  1. Of the 20 perceived motivating aspects of the recommended experiences, by far the greatest number (65%) was the challenge of new and/or complex tasks or problems. This aspect was also the principal motivating force of the effective actual experiences reported by the respondents.


"Give them an assignment--something to work on in a particular school that is difficult."


  1. There were 122 perceived facilitating aspects of the recommended experiences. When combined, the opportunity to learn new ideas and skills and to apply and practice skills and knowledge were the dominant perceived facilitating aspects (34%) of the recommended experiences. These same two aspects (learn new ideas and skills and apply and practice knowledge and skills) were the most frequently reported (39%) of the actual experiences of respondents. Other perceived developmental facilitating aspects of the recommended experiences were (1) exposure to positive role models (16%), (2) freedom to make decisions and mistakes (16%), and (3) the opportunity to plan and reflect based upon feedback (11%).


"The only way you can truly develop people is to put them into a situation where they really have try to use their skills."

* * * * *

"I think it would have to be a nonthreatening environment, where it was alright to fail and alright to learn. But, it should be understood that it is through failures and experiences that people make changes and that a person's performance should improve through the experiences."


  1. There were gender differences in the perceived developmental aspects of the recommended experiences. (See Table 17.) A higher proportion of women than men expected new and/or complex tasks or problems to be a motivating aspect. To facilitate development, a greater percent of men than women expected the chance to learn new ideas and skills to be an important aspect, while a higher proportion of women than men anticipated freedom to make decisions and mistakes to be important.

Table 17
Important Aspects of Recommended Experiences by Gender

Item No. Aspect Gender
Female
Male
#
% of 26
#
% of 43

Motivating Aspects




143
Interest/enjoy
2
8
7
16
144
Risk of failure
0
0
2
5
145
New/complex
9
35
4
9
146
Overload/stress
2
8
0
0
147
Barriers
0
0
1
2
148
Other
0
0
0
0

Facilitating Aspects




149
Negative experience/failure
0
0
0
0
150
Plan/reflect
6
23
7
16
151
Assess person
2
8
3
7
152
Learn new ideas/practices
5
19
23
53
153
Apply/prac. knowledge
6
23
7
16
154
Confidence building
3
12
4
9
155
Positive role model
8
31
11
26
156
Negative role model
0
0
2
5
157
Freedom
9
35
10
23
158
Other cultures
1
4
3
7
159
Other
7
27
5
12

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