Vol 66, No. 2;Feb 2016 128 Jokull Journal 1 Influence of Leadership Development Program on Leader’s Potentials for High Leadership Positions for Mid-Level Administrators in ARAMCO-KSA Saeed Hameed Aldulaimi College of Administrative Sciences Applied Science University (ASU) - Bahrain Kingdom E-Mail: sskw20@yahoo.com* Saeed.aldulaimi@asu.edu.bh Tel:0097339998703 Abstract Organizations continually try to increase the level of leadership capabilities and the number of qualified applicants for leadership positions by supporting leadership development training program. This qualitative case study discovers whether participating in a leadership development program results in a leader’s performance that can fill leadership gaps. The theoretical framework of this study depends on expectancy theory, suggesting that leaders involved in leadership development are expected to become leaders in the future. This exploratory case study sought to learn whether, upon completion of a comprehensive leadership development program, participants applied for, and assumed, leadership positions. A purposeful sample of 32 participants was drawn from structured interviews conducted by the researcher from Aramco Company. The results provid evidence that using leadership development programs to fill a leadership gap is productive, and that the effectiveness of this strategy is enhanced when organizations purposefully select and support participants through all stages of their leadership development. Participants who pursued leadership opportunities indicated the importance of institutional involvement in leadership development. Key Words: Leadership, Development Program, Performance, KSA Introduction Leadership in the 21st century has many challenges orientation such as globalization, technological advancement, and generational gap. The challenges become more complex as leaders have to adjust their leadership approach to suit with the diverse workforce coordination. Leader development is oriented towards increasing the individual’s ability to perform in the current position. Leadership development integrates the individual within the organization’s social systems, strategies, and goals (Olivares, Peterson, & Hess, 2007). Burns (1978) noted that leaders are often categorized according to traits and behaviors, but that leadership preparation is an organizational development process that requires training specific to an organization. Brungardt (1997) stated “the study of leadership has been a major scholarly activity over the last 100 years” (p. 82). Barker (1997), who said “leadership training has become an industry” (p. 348), supported Brungardt’s statement and challenged the efficacy of leadership training in view of the training models that were being used to develop leaders. Performance is a fundamental goal for business leaders and sport coaches. Psychology theory has a significant role in understanding how leaders and followers can work together yielding high performance. One recent development in leadership theory building is the focus on followership and how followers’ perceptions of leadership influence performance (Conger and Kanungo, 1998;