Ten Truths about Leadership

Authors James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner  have distilled thirty years of research and one million plus responses to their questions in The Truth about Leadership :

You Make a Difference. Before you lead others you have to believe you will have a positive impact on others.

Credibility Is the Foundation of Leadership. People are willing to follow someone who know, express and and consistently follow their values. Honesty and integrity are vital.

Values Drive Commitment. One can only commit completely to work they believe in, that matches their values.

Focusing on the Future Sets Leaders Apart. Leaders spend time reflecting on the future. Being prepared for the next big thing inspires and energizes others

You Can’t Do It Alone. Leadership is a team sport, and you need to engage others in the cause. You need to enable others to be even better than they already are.

Trust Rules. To enlist others, you need trust. Build mutual trust; you must trust others too.

Challenge Is the Crucible of Greatness. Great achievements don’t happen when you keep things the same. Change invariably involves challenge, and challenge tests you. It introduces you to yourself. It brings you face-to-face with your level of commitment, your grittiness, and your values. It reveals your mindset about change.

You Either Lead by Example or You Don’t Lead at All. You have to go first as a leader. That’s what it takes to get others to follow your lead.

The Best Leaders Are the Best Learners. Learning is the master skill of leadership. Leaders are constant improvement fanatics.

Leadership Is an Affair of the Heart. Leaders love what they’re doing and those they lead. Leaders make others feel great themselves and are gracious in showing their appreciation.

These truths should form the basis of any leadership development program. Even more, they are the motivation behind the right kinds of behaviors that go into the formation of good and sustainable leadership.

There are no shortages of problems and opportunities…. Leadership is not about telling others they ought to solve these problems. It’s about seeing a problem and accepting personal responsibility for doing something about it. And it’s about holding yourself accountable for the actions that you take. The next time you see a problem and say “Why doesn’t someone do something about this?” take a look in the mirror and say instead, “I’ll be the someone to do something about it.”

Comments

[Michael S. Malone]

Clark:

As a regular commenter here, I was pleased to see you reference Kouzes and Posner's new book -- I helped them with their first big best-seller (The Leadership Challenge) and, you'll note, I'm one of the (inside) dust jacket quotes in this new book. I was happy to provide my quote because I think Jim and Barry have done something amazing here: not just the theory of leadership, which they know better than anybody, but real empirical results based upon an amazingly huge sampling. I think they've written a milestone book here that every leader ought to read, whether they are a Fortune 50 CEO or a new patrol leader (like my youngest).

I'll send a link to your piece to Kouzes and Posner. They'll be thrilled.

Mike Malone