Empowering future leaders: The interplay between shared leadership in projects and leadership development of project professionals

• Shared leadership in projects is positively associated with the leadership development of project professionals • Servant leadership in the organization increases the positive influence of shared leadership on individual leadership development • Personnel development opportunities in the organization increase the positive influence of shared leadership on individual leadership development Individual leadership development has been a central area of research for many years. Project environments provide a unique setting for cultivating leadership competences, as their collaborative leadership approaches frequently enable individuals to step into leadership roles. Understanding the way project professionals grow into leadership roles during project work presents a significant opportunity for project-oriented organizations to employ projects beyond their original objectives and proactively leverage them as leadership learning ecosystems. The paper investigates how shared leadership in a project—moderated by organizational-level factors such as personnel development opportunities and servant leadership—relates to the project professionals’ leadership development. Based on a survey of 328 project professionals in German-speaking countries, the study reveals that projects are particularly effective as incubators for leadership growth. Results show a positive relationship between shared leadership in projects and individual leadership development. This association is further strengthened when the organization is characterized by a servant leadership style and provides further personnel development measures. These findings make significant theoretical contributions and open new avenues for future research into leadership development within project contexts.