The Art of Leadership

"Leadership is the conviction to chart new territory, the vision to create a path to success and the compassion to help others along the way." - Sarah Nuttall

"A good leader inspires good followers; a great leader is one who develops more great leaders among his/her followers" - Sarah Nuttall

"At its simplest level, a shared vision is the answer to the question, "What do we want to create?" Just as personal visions are pictures or images people carry in their heads and hearts, so too are shared visions pictures that people throughout an organization carry. They create a sense of commonality that permeates the organization and gives coherence to diverse activities" - Peter Senge (The Fifth Discipline)

Leadership is the art of inspring people to a vision, through personal or influence power, and working towards the common objective that is much larger than the personal glory of the leader. The purpose is to create something larger than the individual for the benefit of everyone involved, regardless of who gets the credit. Often, the greatest of leaders are unsung heroes, whose value is recognized long after they have moved on to the next stage. However, they live their lives guided by values and principles larger than themselves, in the service of goals that make the world a better place, and believe that no step in that journey is wasted.

http://www.leadersinstitute.com/high-impact-leaders/articles/artofleadership.html

In his book "The Model Leader - A Fully Functional Person", Dr. William Hitt outlines the following steps of the Leadership Agenda:

1. Conceptual Skills - The model leaders is able to deal with high order abstractions and generalizations.

2. Logical Thinking - The model leader is able to apply a systemetic approach to problem solving.

3. Creative Thinking - The model leader is able to bring into being imaginative ideas.

4. Holistic Thinking - The model leader is able to grasp the total situation and to understand the relationships between and among the elements.

5. Communication - The model leader is able to engage in genuine dialogue with others.

6. Staff - The model leader has a team of persons who are ready, willing, and able.

7. Information - The model leader knows what information is needed to function effectively and where to get the information.

8. Networks - The model leader has many personal contacts with whom ideas, information, and resources can be shared.

9. Knowing Oneself - The model leader has a good grasp of his or her own strengths and limitations and actively seeks feedback for personal growth.

10. Knowing the Job - The model leader understands the requirements of the job and how the job contributes to the goals of the larger organization.

11. Knowing the Organization - The model leader understands the organization's culture and how to get things done effectively and efficiently.

12. Knowing the Business One Is In - The model leader understands the external environment sufficiently well to know customers's needs and what is of value to them.

13. Knowing the World - The model leader understands the world community and how the smaller communities relate to the larger community.

14. Valuing - The model leader has a good grasp of the organization's values and can translate them into practice.

15. Visioning - The model leader has a clear mental picture of a desired future for his or her organization or organizational unit.

16. Coaching - The model leader helps others develop the knowledge and skills needed for achieving the vision.

17. Empowering - The model leader provides staff with the training, resources, and authority needed to enable them to move toward the vision.

18. Team Building - The model leader is able to develop a team of people who are dedicated to working collaboratively to achieve the vision.

19. Promoting Quality - The model leader achieves a reputation for always meeting or exceeding customer expectations.

20. Identity - The model leader has a unified set of values and lives by those values each day.

21. Independence - The model leader is guided by his or her own internal compass.

22. Authenticity - The model leader reveals his or her true being to others; the inner self and the outer self are congruent.

23. Responsibility - The model leader takes responsibility for his or her decisions and actions and does not blame others.

24. Courage - The model leader affirms his or her authentic being despite obstacles.

25. Integrity - The model leader is guided by a set of moral principles and is recognized by others as a person of integrity.

A model leader is one who has mastered the art of leadership and integrated into every aspect of his or her life, to become a fully Self-Actualized person. And at the core is his or her ability to inspire people to a higher level of being.

"Treat people as if they were what they ought to be and you help them to become what they are capable of being." - Goethe