If one "googles" the term "professional development" on the Web, he/she gets definitions such as "the development of skills both tangential and essential to one's current occupation." Digging a little deeper does not yield a common definition, just distinctions among education, training, and credentialing. Despite the lack of a common or clear definition, never before has professional development seemed so important to those who work in IT in higher education as it does today. The "graying" of the profession means that there may be large numbers of vacancies to occur in senior IT leadership positions within the next five years. Many of the current staff are not well positioned to fill these roles, however. First, it is important to ask why that is the case, and then address the issue by providing professional development opportunities to the next generation. In this article, the author shares her thoughts on the issues surrounding leadership development in IT and stresses the need to develop the leadership skills of the next generation to help them become better leaders. (Contains 8 endnotes.)