Emerging Leadership Paradigms and Teacher Education in Pakistan's Public Sector Universities: Position to Pinnacle a Case Study

In shaping cultural institution leadership, professional growth and quality education are vital to our higher education institutions, especially at the university level. Leadership practices in Pakistan's universities are hierarchical. J. Maxwell has driven a shift towards transformational leadership. The study at hand explores these five levels of leadership practiced by university leadership in Pakistan. This exploration was conducted using a hermeneutic-phenomenological qualitative research design. Using theoretical sampling, 14 participants were selected from public-sector universities in Pakistan. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants and recorded. After transcription of the note data, it was analyzed using NVivo. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 participants from public universities. Audio recordings in interviews were made. For the participants' lived experiences, open axial and selective phases of thematic analysis were conducted. The study's results revealed five themes. including Authority-based leadership, decision-making and limited involvement were noted. The teacher initially focused on teaching, and leadership development was neglected. In leadership development, a missed opportunity was identified in the teacher's educational program. Despite these challenges, influence-based leadership was consistently observed among participants, grounded in collaboration, trust, and a shared vision. It was concluded that leadership in Pakistan's universities requires a deliberate shift from authority to influence. Leadership development was embedded in teacher education programs to cultivate competent, confident, and change-oriented academic leaders as part of the long-term strategy. For policymakers, university administrators, and curriculum developers provide valuable insights to enhance leadership capacity and, in Pakistan, improve the quality of higher education by finding.