Abstract
This grounded theory study explored the role of interpersonal communication, including content and context, in the leadership identity development of Christian women in paid leadership positions in the southeastern U.S. Through individual, semi-structured interviews with 26 women leaders from a variety of employment settings, women’s views and experiences with leadership, interpersonal communication, intrapersonal communication, calling, and mentoring were documented. Supervisors/managers, husbands, spiritual mentors, leaders in a church or Christian ministry, and people the women were leading were mentioned most often as contributing to how the women saw themselves as leaders. Six primary types of content were noted: affirmation of leadership, suggestion to consider a leadership position or leadership development, processing issues/giving advice, personal affirmation or support, discouraging remarks, and skill-building conversations. Often tied to interpersonal communication was women’s intrapersonal communication or self-talk. Women also used their intrapersonal communication to question or second-guess the interpersonal communication of others, motivate self, self-reflect and process, and as spiritual talk. Theoretical models were presented about women’s intrapersonal communication responses to interpersonal communication that is affirming, as well as women’s responses to interpersonal communication that is discouraging. Additionally, a theory of women’s intrapersonal questioning about leadership identity was offered, which included questions about identity, skills, and motivation. |Key words: leadership identity, women and leadership, interpersonal communication, intrapersonal communication