Touching Wisdom: A Growth Model for Human/Leader Development

This exploratory study, conducted with the invaluable input of organizational leaders, addresses the need for progress in incorporating the spiritual dimension into executive leadership development programs. It proposes a model that approaches leaders as whole beings. Applying a mixed-methods design, we combined comprehensive and relational analyses. Through in-depth interviews with organizational leaders and content analysis, we identified qualities they prioritize for development, categorized them, and created classifications. Through multiple correspondence analysis, we observed how these categories interrelate. Building on existing research and integrating original contributions and methods, the findings highlight three main themes or orientations – improvement, connection, and expansion – within a spiritually grounded, growth-based lifelong development approach. We propose that wisdom involves integrating intrapersonal, interpersonal, and transpersonal dimensions within the practice of the three identified orientations. Executive leadership development programs may benefit from incorporating these themes and dimensions and exploring the empirically illustrated categories.