ABSTRACT The proliferation of leadership courses offered by UK business schools reflects a growing emphasis on leadership development, potentially driven by an increased demand for leaders in the labor market alongside a desire to prepare students for future leadership roles. This study explored how pre‐ and early‐career experiences affect undergraduate business students’ leadership identity development over time. Results showed that their development was strongly influenced by observed role models as well as enacted roles and responsibilities within specific contexts. Implications for both theory and practice are discussed.
Pede et al. (2026) studied this question.