confront challenges were key leader development program success factors. Relation
building factors were largely absent from Turner’s (2007) developmental recipe. A
different study (Koonce, 2010) called for refurbishing Federal government senior
leadership development programs to include fashioning new skills. Leaders need to “get
better acquainted with their own personal style, strengths, and weaknesses” (Koonce,
2010, p. 45). Finally, “the U.S. government creates the very foundation for civilized life
through providing individual security ... yet dramatically insufficient scholarly firepower
is directed at it” (Kelman, 2007, p. 226).
Purpose and Research Questions
The purpose of this phenomenological study is to explore how effective Federal
government leaders developed EI. This study suggests a different, more consciously-
aware approach is needed to examine leader development within the conceptual
framework of EI. By not otherwise focusing on the “whole person” approach to leader
development, the study submits that the ROI is underserved. In order to achieve the
current study’s purpose, the research question (RQ) is: What are the experiences of
Developing Federal Government Leaders
Conceptual Framework and Theoretical Foundation
The purpose of this phenomenological study is to understand the development of
EI within Federal government leaders. This study’s conceptual framework concentrates
on the constructs of learning/adult learning and leadership/leader development, within the
context of the Federal government. Figure 1. 1 depicts the conceptual framework guiding
this research study.