TY - JOUR AB - Purpose This paper aims to discuss leadership development with social construction as the underpinning theory.Design/methodology/approach This is an autoethnographic study of the author’s insights from teaching leadership from a social construction perspective.Findings The social construction approach to leadership looks and behaves as a threshold concept in leadership. It takes students’ learning to a higher level, opens up a new curriculum, and changes their understanding of leadership for good.Originality/value The discovery that the social construction approach to leadership looks and behaves as a threshold concept suggests that there is something fundamentally important with this perspective. It positions the social construction approach as an overarching theory that helps students re-evaluate, appreciate, and find value in traditional leadership theories. VL - 30 IS - 6 SN - 1477-7282 DO - 10.1108/DLO-06-2016-0044 UR - https://doi.org/10.1108/DLO-06-2016-0044 AU - Billsberry Jon PY - 2016 Y1 - 2016/01/01 TI - Once learned, never forgotten: effective leadership development with social construction as a threshold concept T2 - Development and Learning in Organizations: An International Journal PB - Emerald Group Publishing Limited SP - 24 EP - 26 Y2 - 2024/03/29 ER -