Abstract
Leadership is learned in large part through on-the-job experience. Building on the work of Lindsey, Homes, and McCall (1987), this article describes seven key learning experiences for managers: personal trauma, mission impossible, setback, role models, conflicting norms and values, dealing with subordinates, dealing with the political arena, and personal experiences. It suggests that, although not all successful managers must be top learners, top learners are successful managers. The learning process they go through is described in terms of five steps. A learning process mode and a method for management development based on identification of top learners and coaching for learning are proposed.