Insights from personal perspectives

This chapter contains the analysis of the biographical life stories presented in the 14 chapters of section II. To analyze these stories, we used a matrix of clusters and temporal categories as presented in the analytical framework in chapter 2. The findings from the analyses allow us to better understand and highlight the personalities of megaproject leaders and how their biographical life stories influenced their learning to manage the challenges they faced during these projects. The findings show that leaders have been influenced by family values, significant others, study, events and incidents, cultural context and political challenges. The path towards becoming a capable megaproject leader was never straight forward but included temporal steep learning curves, multicultural experiences, philosophical insights, and increasing reflexivity of their own role.