The importance of leadership for driving and sustaining the realisation of national development goals is arguably more heightened now than ever before. While the complex demands of the development agenda are well noted, managerial and positional leadership largely characterise the public service as part of the administrative apparatus of the state. Specific management and leadership development programmes have been implemented to strengthen capabilities of senior managers and prepare middle managers for senior management responsibilities. This article focuses on the understandings that a sample of middle managers has about their public service leadership role. Findings highlight the discourses upon which the managers draw and to which they contribute as co-constructors of leadership discourse, with implications for curriculum and leadership development approaches.