Higher education institutions have a key role in forming the specialists of the future. In fulfilling their role there is need for transformational leadership, culture of excellence, and academic leadership development. The purpose of this study is to investigate the link between transformational leadership, shaping a culture of educational excellence, and leadership development, as perceived by tertiary education leaders in the UAE. The qualitative approach is of focus groups, using semi-structured questions, with leaders in academia. The main finding is that in the initial stages of an organization life cycle, leadership development precedes transformational leadership and a culture of excellence. In later stages, leadership development is a mediator of transformational leadership and a culture of excellence. In the mature stages of organization life cycle, the three elements engage in an ongoing spiral and synergistic process.