My family made me succeed: a cross-domain, resources perspective on antecedents to leader emergence

Purpose The leadership literature has predominantly examined how appointed leaders lead effectively, with limited attention to the process of becoming a leader. Bottom-up and emergent leadership processes (i.e. leader emergence) remain understudied. This study aims to explore the antecedents of employees’ leader emergence from a cross-domain and resource perspective. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on the work-home resources model, we investigate whether, how, and when family–work enrichment (FWE) influences leader emergence through two pathways: “getting ahead” (task performance) and “getting along” (helping behavior). We conducted a scenario experiment with 208 employees and a multi-wave, multi-source field study involving 145 supervisor–subordinate dyads. Findings Our results indicate that employees primarily leverage FWE to enhance task performance rather than helping behavior, particularly among those with low agreeableness. Task performance, in turn, mediates the relationship between FWE and leader emergence. Originality/value This study takes an initial step in examining leader emergence from a cross-domain resource perspective. It extends understanding of how family-related resources influence leadership development and offers practical insights for fostering emergent leadership.