LEADERSHIP ARTICLES
Read
Alan Cutler's articles:
'Be the
Full Jigsaw'
'The Lonely
Leader'
'Effective
Leadership'
'Leadership
Development'
Or click on the links below for links
to over 80 other leadership articles from
internationally-recognised leadership thinkers, including Warren
Bennis, Charles Handy, R Moss Kanter, Tom Peters and John Adair
Developing Tomorrow's
Leaders
From stategy and selection, to
training and culture, organisations that take a holistic approach
to training leaders will be the most successful - this article by
John Adair, the UK's greatest autrhority on leadership, is from the
CBI's 'Guide to Leadership', published September 2005
The Men Behind the Guns of
Business
A few notable successes have been made
in the industrial world through what is known as the "one man
organization." But I believe that in the great majority of cases it
is the men you choose as subordinates who make your success.
Are You A Leader or a
Manager?
When you become a leader, you take on a great responsibility: you
promise to change the world for the better. Explore these
leadership competencies and discover the difference between leading
and managing.
A Disciplined Sixth Sense
It takes seat-of-the-pants intuition and rigorous discipline to get
the job done.
The Focus of
Leadership
American newspaper commentator
Walter Lippmann defined leaders as "the custodians of a
nation's ideals, the beliefs it cherishes, of its permanent
hopes, of the faith which makes a nation out of a mere
aggregation of individuals"
General
Douglas MacArthur’s Principles of Leadership
John Gardner, in his book On
Leadership described Douglas MacArthur as a brilliant
strategist, a farsighted administrator, and flamboyant to his
fingertips. MacArthur developed a list of questions to guide
him in his leadership duties. These principles can be applied
to any leadership situation.
The Nelson’s Bakers
Dozen
Tom
Peters thought he had read most everything there was to read
about Lord Horatio Nelson. And then in late 2004, he came
across Andrew Lambert’s Nelson: Britannia’s God of War. The
book races on for hundreds of thrilling pages. But pragmatist
that he is, he decided to extract a handful of principles
and call them The Nelson Baker’s Dozen.
Courage in the Corridors
Ray Blunt
discusses the need for courage in public organizations.
Employees in most organizations wish for, but rarely have, leaders
with the courage to make tough decisions, speak the truth about
performance, and speak truth to power.
Accountability: A Little Clarity,
Please
Most leaders understand that accountability is consequences for
one's actions, and that it is critical to effective
unit/organizational functioning. Notwithstanding this awareness,
many leaders have great difficulty exercising proper
accountability.
Build Up Your People
Commander Mike
Abrashoff's success in turning the USS Benfold into the best ship
in the Pacific Fleet (if not the entire U.S. Navy) is detailed in
this article which is inspiring because it includes a rare
combination of 1) compelling stories; 2) clearly measurable
results, and 3) actionable tips.
Reframing the Conversation on
Management
This speech by
Assistant Secretary of State for Administration Bill Eaton outlines
the management philosophy that has launched a major transformation
of administrative services at State. This is a great story of
quality, innovation, performance measurement, and
leadership.
Courage in Crisis
Ambassador
Prudence Bushnell has made a career out of doing the right
thing. This inspiring article describes two key events that
defined Bushnell as a great leader. The first was her
courageous, and rather solitary, effort to stop the genocide
in
Rwanda
in
1994. Second was her leadership as U.S. Ambassador to
Nairobi
,
which was crucial to holding together the Embassy staff in the
aftermath of the 1998 bombing by Al Qaeda.
Tactical Management
Public managers
often complain that they don't have time to think about the
long-term goals of this organization because they are so busy
fighting fires, dealing with daily crises. This article
outlines strategies that managers can use to work towards
long-term goals while dealing with the press of day-to-day
operational issues.
The Essence of Leadership
Pete Smith
delivered this inspiring speech on leadership before the National
Capital Area Chapter of the American Society for Public
Administration on April 28,
2004. It
includes numerous quotes, stories, and astute observations from his
decades of observing senior leaders in the public and private
sectors.
Education for Leadership
This very
thoughtful essay by Eliot A. Cohen touches on many aspects of
leadership, including cross-cultural leadership, military
leadership, and the "dark side of leadership."
Learning to Lead, Part I
This terrific
article by Major General Perry M. Smith (USAF, Ret.) outlines 30
insightful tips for leaders at all levels, including such
refreshing ideas as "Criticize Up, Praise Down," "Protect
Innovators," and "Squint with your Ears."
Learning to Lead, Part II
This article has
30 more excellent leadership tips from Major General Perry M.
Smith. Includes ideas like "Don't Spend too Much Time with
the Malcontents," "Don't Allow Yourself to Become a Wind Chime, and
"Be a Blame Acceptor."
Taking Charge
The first few
months in a new leadership position are absolutely critical to a
leader's success in that position, argues Michael Watkins. He
outlines seven common traps that leaders fall into during the
transition period that can seriously undermine their chances of
success.
Notes from a Reflective Practitioner of
Innovation
Ellen Schall
served as Commissioner of the Department of Juvenile Justice
in New York
City from 1983 to 1990
and was credited for turning what had been a fairly troubled agency
into an innovative and highly effective organization. In this
article, Schall provides a superb overview of the strategies she
used with respect to frontline workers and organizational structure
to bring about profound change.
Creating an Innovative Organization
In this article
from State and Local Government Review, Bob Behn distills lessons
from several of the innovative and high-performance government
organizations he has studied. He starts with the premise that
"[creative organizations] are created by leaders who establish the
conditions necessary to bring out the innovative ideas within
everyone."
Tom Ridge Speech on
Leadership
On
February 11,
2004, Secretary of
Homeland Security Tom Ridge gave this excellent speech on
leadership at the Harvard
Business
School
. Includes
insights into his leadership style and how he is trying to apply it
at DHS.
Leadership Lessons from the Mars
Missions
Dr. Elachi,
Director of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, describes how NASA
grooms employees for the kinds of high-stress leadership roles
required for managing space missions.
Four-Star Management
When General Bill
Creech took command of the US Air Force's Tactical Air Command
(TAC
) in
1978, the organization was in dire straits. In his six years
in charge General Creech orchestrated an extraordinary turnaround
that ultimately swept through the rest of the Air Force and many
other parts of the U.S. Armed Forces. Many people credit Creech's
leadership, management reforms, and tactical innovations for the
USAF's dominance in the Gulf War, Afghanistan
,
and Iraq
.
Creating Leadership for the Twenty-First
Century
According to Bob
Behn, top-down administrative "fixes" designed to enhance
government performance never work as designed because they fail to
account for the human factor. So the most effective way to
improve performance, he argues, is to help front-line supervisors
develop the leadership skills they need to drive performance to
higher levels. Professor Behn makes several excellent
suggestions for how to do this.
Their Best Friend At
Work
Diane Marinacci of
the General Services Administration has built a high-performance
team by putting an unusual amount of effort into the hiring process
and using a variety of management practices that foster teamwork
and make it clear to her staff that she really cares about
them.
Leaders and Stories
Senior government
executives have a vital role to play in growing the next generation
of leaders, argues Ray Blunt in this highly useful article.
Blunt describes how stories can help executives pass leadership
lessons on to the next generation in a vivid way. Includes
tips on how to identify one's own leadership stories.
What We've Learned About
Policing
This is a
fascinating article from the City Journal about how Police
Commissioner William Bratton transformed the NYPD in the
mid-1990s. Using innovative management practices and superb
data mining techniques, Bratton improved morale and got the police
to focus on crime prevention instead of arrest
rates.
Grassroots Leadership
This is an
inspirational article about D. Michael Abrashoff, the former
Captain of the USS Benfold, who turned the navy's 200
year-old management style on its head while transforming his ship
into the best ship in the Pacific Fleet.
Leadership in the
Crucible
Servant leader Ray
Blunt has found that one of the greatest challenges we face in
government is how to develop leaders of character. As Abraham
Lincoln once observed, "if you really want to test a man's
character, give him power."
Quotations from Chairman Powell: A Leadership
Primer
This article, by
Oren Harari, became an instant classic and has been widely
disseminated. The response to this article prompted Harari to
write a follow-up book, in which he significantly expands on the 18
principles outlined in this article.
A Culture of Commitment
What's the secret to building a great organization? How do you
sustain consistent growth, profits, and service in an industry that
can literally change overnight?
Aligning Action and Values
Executives spend nowhere near enough time trying to align their
organizations with the values and visions already in place.
Brave Hearts
Courage and integrity are at the core of successful leadership.
These character traits are primarily learned, not innate. And no
matter what your past or present, cultivating their role in your
life can make your future bolder, more decisive and more
successful.
Doing a Job
Admiral Hyman
Rickover (1900-1986), the “Father of the Nuclear Navy,” was one of
the most successful, and controversial, public managers of the 20th
Century. This article is an excerpt from a speech Rickover
delivered at Columbia
University
in
1982, in which he succinctly outlined his management
philosophy.
Do You Have the Will to Lead?
Philosopher Peter Koestenbaum poses the truly big questions: How do
we act when risks seem overwhelming? What does it mean to be a
successful human being?
It takes a strong stomach to listen to how other people see
you
So what are we to make of this plethora of personal coaches who've
suddenly swarmed the corporate landscape, promising to help
executives organize their lives, orchestrate their careers, and
define their dreams?
Leaders and Followers
It is only natural that not everyone becomes a leader; however,
those who follow will no longer accept old fashioned leaders, full
of authoritative ideas and who impose new management techniques on
others.
Learning to Lead
An ambitious CIO seeking new ways to lead finds a new perspective
on life.
Lessons of Presidential
Leadership
There are as many styles of leadership as there are leaders. That
is evident simply by looking at the 42 men who have reached the
highest office in the land.
Mastering Leadership
Leading an organization to constructive change begins by setting a
direction-developing a vision of the future (often the distant
future) along with strategies for producing the changes needed to
achieve that vision.
Motivational Management - Developing Leadership
Skills
In this article, an expert management consultant examines qualities
of managers who motivate, providing proven techniques to inspire
those who work for you.
Teaching Johnny to Lead
It's easy to talk about developing leaders. Turning that talk into
action is hard. Here's how you can do it.
The Art of Management: Insights from an Employee's
Perspective
Unlock the 'secrets' of motivation in a refreshing book on
management from the employee's perspective.
The Language of Leadership
Nervous speakers tend to speak at a low volume, raise voice pitch
and talk too rapidly. The flip side of language from the center is
what McGinty calls the "language of influence, or language from the
edge. Leaders speak in ordinary language.
The Right Stuff
Learning the attributes of leadership and following some simple
techniques for honing your skills are the first steps toward
becoming the leader you want to be.
The Secrets of Great Groups
Personal leadership is one of the most studied topics in American
life.
The "3Cs" of Developing
Leaders
In this column,
Ray Blunt introduces the key elements of a successful leadership
development program and asks us to ponder why it's so hard to find
time for developing the next generation of
leaders.
Global Leadership And Personal
Power
Leaders need more than
a vision. They need to have a passion, one that will drive them to
realize their vision and the power to enact it.
Enduring Skills Of Change
Leaders
The bold stroke produces change, but so does "the inevitability of
gradualness." The latter approach builds organizations that
endure.
Creating Change In Mindset And
Behavior
Most leaders don't realize that mindset and behavior are the twin
drivers of change.
Building Leaders At Entry Level: A Leadership
Pipeline
Developing managers to be effective at the next level is one of any
company's most important tasks, and in this helpful article, the
co-authors identify and describe the six steps in building a
leadership pipeline to supply the next generation of effective
leaders.
In Conversation: Warren
Bennis
"In an analogue world," says one of the foremost authorities on
leadership in this interview, "the CEO knew everything. But in the
digital world, it's more humility and vulnerability. Leaders have
to understand these differences if they want to really create not
only intellectual capital but also social capital." Mr. Bennis goes
on to describe the challenges facing leaders today and offers his
observations on why some of those leaders fail to understand and
meet these challenges.
In Conversation: Rosabeth Moss
Kanter
Terms such as "empowerment", "employee participation" and "change
management" so dominate the vocabulary of organizational behaviour
today. Not surprisingly, the person who coined those terms and
championed their importance, Rosabeth Moss Kanter of
the
Harvard
Business
School
, has herself become one of the highest-profile academics and
respected consultants in the world. In this interview, the author
discusses the changes in leadership styles during the 30 years she
has researched and taught leadership.
The Anything-But Unremarkable Lessons Of The Quiet
Leader
Heroic leaders are always conspicuous and sometimes successful.
However, more often successful but always inconspicuous are quiet
leaders. In this article, the author profiles the quiet leader and
the leadership style that he embodies. Based on his recently
published book, Leading Quietly, this article discusses and defines
a leadership style that is deliberate and circumspect, ethical and
considerate - and successful, particularly in today's complex
business environment.
Drucker's Challenge: Communication And The Emotional
Glass Ceiling
The supreme challenge for a leader is to change human behaviour, a
formidable, if not impossible task. But the leader who is
emotionally intelligent, who is aware of and comfortable with his
own self, will have a far greater chance of changing the behaviour
of others than a leader who is not aware of himself. Using the
theories of the esteemed management thinker Peter Drucker, the
author points out that the leaders who inspire are those who have
resolved their own identity crisis.
Top Leadership: Taking The Inner
Journey
Recent history tells us that leaders can be developed but even
before development begins, leaders must become self-aware and take
the road to inner growth. In this article the author argues that
the effective leaders of tomorrow are individuals who have a better
understanding of themselves and their own identity.
Leaders As Strategic
Communicators
When it comes to communicating effectively, leaders must not only
be mindful that less is more, but that strategy trumps tactics.
These co-authors, professors and communications consultants, argue
that leaders are more than willing to communicate, but that they
too often approach the task on a tactical rather than strategic
level. Moreover, these same leaders may use every medium and format
available, but they rarely co-ordinate their use and deploy them
selectively.
Train Dogs, Develop
Leaders
Leaders can be trained, but highly successful leaders, this author
writes, can be developed. The burden is on the organization to
develop leaders - to actively involve leaders in recruitment and
selection, development, career-move decisions and other leadership
activities.
New Look At Succession
Management
Organizations today have never had a more difficult time filling
positions, but as this author suggests, they will be much more
successful if they develop pools of high-potential candidates who
will be tracked by senior management. How to fill and manage those
pools is the subject of this helpful article and readers will gain
valuable insights into the succession management dilemma and how
acceleration pools can be an answer to one of the most challenging
questions for organizations today.
What Makes A Leader The
Most
Style – collegial or autocratic – still defines a leader. But more
than ever, a leader today is being asked to look inside, at his or
her core, and to lead by time-honoured values.
An Interview With Charles
Handy
Always compelling, the distinguished British management thinker and
writer ranges far and wide on the future of work, organizations and
capitalism.
Leadership And The Task Of Engaging The
Heart
The difference between the cellist and the burglar is more than the
difference between a sophisticated and an unsavoury character, or
between eloquence and crudeness
Immunity From Implosion: Building Smart
Leadership
Smart leaders really are smart, and in this article the co-author
outline eight qualities that smart leaders have – and need to
have.
The Leadership Role
Understand, design, execute, assess and develop. A successful
leader has to do them all and do them all brilliantly. This author
serves up five key lessons in leadership.
Engage The Heart: Appealing To The Emotions
Facilitates Change
Engage the heart – as well as the mind – and a leader will find
employees inspired and ready to follow
Learning From Quiet
Leaders
As the heroic leader descends into leadership hell, the quiet
leader steps up: a lesson for the times.
Rebuilding Trust: The Integral Role Of Leadership In
Fostering Values, Honesty And Vision
Authenticity can be seen, heard and felt, which is why a leader
today must have bedrock values, and communicate them openly and
honestly.
The Seven Habits Of Spectacularly
Unsuccessful Executives
Leaders think that they
have to study the habits of successful leaders. They do, but they
can learn at least as much by studying the habits of the not so
successful.
Why Making The Decisions The Right Way Is More
Important Than Making The Right Decisions
Managers may be surprised to learn that making crucial choices is
less about making the right choices than about making the choices
the right way.
Walking On Water Or Sinking Without A Trace? Six
Behaviours That Describe Strong Crisis
Leaders.
When faced with a crisis, real leaders step up, speak clearly, and
stay visible. They also appear to be decisive, connect with people
and remain prepared to take risks.
Facing The Unknown: What Are Leaders For If Not To
Manage Uncertainty?
The chances are excellent that a leader today will have to manage
uncertainty. It’s how you behave that will determine if you will
win or lose
Walking The Talk (Really!): Why Visions
Fail
A leader who not only articulates a vision but who lives and
breathes it so powerfully that people can practically see it will
lead everyone in an organization to realize that vision.
Handling The Hurt: A Critical Skill For
Leaders
Toxicity can tyrannize employees, which is why knowing how to
dissipate toxins and lead the company to its goals is one of the
most valuable skills a leader can have.
The Effective Leader: Understanding And Applying
Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence can be misunderstood and misrepresented. But
the bottom line is that the manager who can think about emotions
accurately and clearly may often be better able to anticipate, cope
with, and effectively manage change.
Adversity: What Makes A Leader The
Most
Who needs those life passages that threaten our happiness and
careers? As it turns out, this author states, both individuals and
organizations can turn adversity into opportunity.
Sustaining Profitable Customer Relationships
Requires Real Leadership
CEOs often lament that the wrong technology or poor implementation
scuttled attempts to make their organizations customer-centric.
Here’s what they need to do to succeed.
The Leader As Teacher: Creating The Learning
Organization
The time has come for all leaders to stand up and say: “I don’t
have the answer. We’ll have to learn something new here”.
The "Bottom Line" Of Leaderful
Practice
A leader who seeks to serve others in the organization and does not
seek to exercise power for its own sake is a compassionate leader
and one that easily inspires others.
Leading Creatively: The Art Of Making
Sense
Leaders who have been stymied when trying to think
outside the box will find a clearer path after reading this
article.
How Leaders Can Communicate To Build
Trust
The one thing a business leader must know is how to “Communicate,
communicate, communicate.” Or, communicate well and trust will
follow.
Handling The Hurt: A Critical Skill For
Leaders
Toxicity can tyrannize employees, which is why knowing how to
dissipate toxins and lead the company to its goals is one of the
most valuable skills a leader can have.
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