Submitted by: Submitted by ajrocks
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Category: Business and Industry
Date Submitted: 12/07/2011 09:09 AM
Leadership
Alice Jones
Leadership
The Leadership Challenge (Kouzes & Posner, 2002), after extensive research, identified five characteristics that successful leaders should possess: Model the Way, Inspire a Shared Vision, Challenge the Process, Enable Others to Act, and Encourage the Heart.
Modeling the Way
Leaders identify how people (constituents, employees, customers) should be treated and how objectives should be attained. They define excellence and set an example. Since change is often resisted, this can impact productivity, achieving and then recognizing small goals works towards larger goal achievements. Leaders remove bureaucracy when it stifles teams, and create opportunities for victory. Modeling the way is more than simply role model behavior. It involves self discovery and awareness towards demonstrating behaviors to others that denote leadership. For example, a model is someone who is confident about him/herself and holds strong to their beliefs, words, etc. These leaders have a full understanding of self, which results in matching actions. This is not simply self discovery; it involves defining one’s self. In other words, in contemplation, we learn through actions. From this we “develop” the true, ideal, and unique self. It is only when we perceive ourselves “as” ourselves that we can become a leader who models the way.
Inspire a Shared Vision
Leaders have passion in their beliefs and know they can make a difference. They visualize the future and create an image of the organization’s future. Leaders possess charisma towards enlisting others in to pursue their dreams; creating a reality to those visions and enticing constituents to see those possibilities for the future. Leaders do not see what could be, but rather what can be. They have a desire to change. It does not stop there. Once the vision is identified and explained, a leader then gains support to make the vision a reality. Leaders accomplish this through knowing what their teams...