This article presents a conceptual model of leadership supervision based on theories of parenting found to develop secure and well-adjusted children into productive, high-functioning adults. It describes the roles and expectations of a leader that correlate with the role of a parent and discusses theories of attachment and transference that explain why these parallels exist. It also discusses theories of leadership that support the extension of parenting style theory to leadership practice in supervisory engagements along with the limitations of extending a parenting metaphor to leadership supervision. The model itself is then explained and includes a perspective on the requisite elements of a developmentally oriented approach to supervision. It concludes with recommendations for implementation of an inductive supervision model in leadership settings.
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