The Leadership Challenge by Kouzes and Posner - Book Report/Review Example

Book Report/ Review “The Leadership Challenge”- by Kouzes and Posner Introduction James Kouzes and Barry Posner and have ed over a dozen award winning books on Leadership theory and practice. The book being reviewed in this paper was first published in 1987 and has sold over 2 million copies in 22 languages and is often used as the text book for teaching leadership in educational courses. The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership defined by Kouzes and Posner are (Kouzes & Posner, 2007, p 14): 1) Model the way – Leaders earn credibility by doing what they say they will do. Leaders must clearly express what values the company stands for and set an example to others through daily actions that they are committed to those values. 2) Inspire a shared vision - Leaders must envision an exciting and highly attractive future for the organization. They must enlist others in the common vision by convincing them that the vision is for the common good of the people as well as the company. 3) Challenge the process - Leaders must search for opportunities to innovate, grow and improve by changing the status quo. They must be willing to experiment and take risks. 4) Enable others to act - Leaders must foster team spirit and build trust. They must make it possible for others to do good work. 5) Encourage the heart - Leaders must recognize the contributions of others and appreciate excellence which will lift the spirits of the team. They must create a community spirit by celebrating team success. Four characteristics that influence people to follow a leader The four characteristics that influence people to follow a leader are (Kouzes & Posner, 2007, p 29): 1) Honesty – People look for integrity and character in their leaders and expect them to be truthful, ethical and principled. 2) Forward looking - People want their leaders to have a sense of direction and concern for the organization. 3) Inspiring - People expect their leaders to be enthusiastic, energetic and positive about the future. Inspiring leaders are able to breathe life into people’s dreams and aspirations. 4) Competence - People look at the leader’s track record in getting things done. How I would like to be seen by others I would like to be seen by others as an effective leader who has a vision for the future and takes steps to achieve that vision. I should be seen as being knowledgeable about my work, willing to commit time and resources to the work and approachable by my colleagues at all times. I should be seen as a person of integrity who sets a good example that others can emulate. I should remain calm and good humored even under pressure. I would feel proud if I am described by my team as a good leader. I believe that the work environment should be like a family where people respect and support one another in success and failure. If there are differences, they would be settled through open discussion. I feel unhappy when I find that the team is not pulling together or where there is animosity between people. I lie awake at night wondering if I have done everything possible to make the team succeed. I would get great joy if each member of the team is happy with his work and gets opportunities for professional advancement. I am passionate about each person reaching his full potential. Personal Credo My personal credo would read as below: i. I am entrusted with an important responsibility by my organization. I should strive to fulfill that responsibility with diligence and integrity. ii. I will continually update my knowledge and work skills. I will maintain good relationships with other people in the organization and seek help and support to succeed in my function. iii. I will form a team made up of the diverse skills needed to complete the job. I will provide opportunities for the team to update their knowledge and skills. iv. I will be friendly and accessible to the team at all times to discuss both work related and personal issues. I will ensure discipline and teamwork. I will praise good teamwork and express disappointment with team failures. v. I will monitor team performance, reward good performers and counsel bad performers. If counseling does not bring about improvement, I will ask them to leave. In my own life, how I set an example I try to be honest and upfront in my dealings with my friends and colleagues. I never promise more than I can deliver and if I am unable to meet my commitments, I explain why I failed. I have found that doing this consistently helps others build confidence in me and encourages them to be equally honest and upfront with me. What legacies do you want to leave in your career I would like people who worked with me to remember me with affection as a skilled leader and who was a good teacher and role model. What unique talents do you possess I believe that I am fortunate to have a sharp mind that is able to quickly understand any new problem and analyze it to find solutions. I am a good judge of people and have the ability to quickly assess whether the other person would be helpful to me. I do not panic under pressure and am generally good humored even in a crisis. The best way to “animate one vision” As Kouzes and Posner say in the book, the leader should imagine the possibilities and find a common purpose by talking to his team about their own aspirations . He should paint a word picture of the common vision and layout the path forward (Kouzes & Posner, 2007, p 129). How are you currently searching for opportunities I am presently reading up about the industry in which my company is working to compare how my company is doing as compared to the world leaders. I then think about what my department or function can do better to bring our company closer to the world leaders. I discuss my thinking with my team and seek their ideas and thoughts. When we have a workable idea, we develop a cost-benefit analysis to see if we can implement the idea. Experience of working in an environment that encouraged collaboration The organization I worked for performed engineering design services as a sub-contractor to a manufacturing company. The team had a mix of a few experienced engineers some with experience of the products of our customer company and others of experience with other types of products. Most team members had no experience with manufacturing companies, but had only CAD or other skills. The engineers with experience with products of the customer company, shared their knowledge with other team members or a continuing basis. The younger team members felt confident of being able to go to the experienced people to review their work and to seek suggestions. With this team work, we were able to meet and exceed the customer’s expectations and to get repeat assignments. All team members, both experienced engineers and rookies benefited from this team work. Ten commitments of leadership The ten commitments of leadership that Kouzes and Posner identify are : 1) Clarify Values – The leader has to identify and articulate the shared values 2) Set the example – The words and deeds of the leader are watched closely. 3) Envision the future – The leader needs to imagine the possibilities and find a common purpose for the team. 4) Enlist others – The leader should get everyone on-board to achieve results. 5) Search for opportunities – Leaders must bring new ideas, methods and solutions into use. 6) Experiment and take risks - The leader should be able to break down big jobs into small steps. He should encourage the team to attempt change that might fail or generate small victories. Failures should be taken as opportunities for learning. 7) Foster collaboration – Leaders should build a climate of trust in a team and facilitate relationships. 8) Strengthen others – A leader should help develop independence and self-confidence in others. 9) Recognize contributions – Expect the best from each member of the team and personalize the recognition instead of relying only on the company reward system. 10) Celebrate the values and victories – The leader should get personally involved in bringing people together and sharing the lessons from success The best work environment I have had and why? The best work environment I have had is for the engineering design services sub-contractor that I have described above. The team had an inspiring leader and had excellent personal relationships in spite of major differences in age, language and ethnic background. I looked forward to going to work each day and felt pride at the end of each day on what we had completed. At the end of my work period with them, I felt that I had become a better person in many ways. Aspect of the book with most significant effect on my view of leadership I have found the final chapter of the book titled “Leadership is Everyone’s Business” most significant (Kouzes & Posner, 2007, p 337). The opening quote that reads “Don’t ever let anyone tell you that you can’t make a difference” appeals to me. The message that to your direct reports, you are the most important leader in your organization, I think is important. The other messages in the chapter that leadership can be learned and that leaders make a difference are also significant to me as I tended to look to others for leadership. I also felt that the message that leaders must always keep hope alive, even in the most difficult times, is important. The final sentence “Leadership is not an affair of the head. Leadership is an affair of the heart” is also an important lesson (Kouzes & Posner, 2007, p 351). Reference: 1. Kouzes, J.M. and Posner, B.Z., (2007). “The Leadership Challenge”, Fourth Edition, 2007, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Read More