Here they are:

“Excellence is an attitude.”

“No title or position in the world makes you right 100% of the time.”

“Success requires action. Where there is no action, there will be no success.”

“Some people see problems with every solution but successful people see solutions for every problem.”

“Authentic leaders apply the rules equally to everyone.”

“When you lose your credibility you lose your opportunity to lead along with it.”

“Long-term success requires continuous continuous improvement.”

“Life your life in such a way as to make certain ‘what if’ will never apply to you.”

“We don’t have to change friends if we understand that friends change.” (unknown)

“Your greatest power is your power to give.”

” Nothing will improve a person’s hearing more than sincere praise.”

“Authentic leaders are proud but not arrogant.”

“Always treat yourself with the utmost respect – if you don’t, why should anyone else.”

“If you’re not willing to fight for your core values then they probably aren’t really core values after all.”

“It takes much more than winning every time to be a true success.”

“Authentic leaders give as much or even more than they get.”

“Do something. It may be wrong, but I’d rather be wrong doing something than be wrong doing nothing.”

“Good leaders follow the rules. Great leaders change them.”

“It’s not what you are that holds you back, it’s what you think you are not.” Denis Waitley

“Much of our success will be determined by what we STOP doing in the next 12 months.”

“Successful people learn from their own mistakes, the most successful people learn from the mistakes of others.”

“A leader who develops others, adds; a leader who develops leaders, multiplies.”

“You’re making history today & it’s your own so be sure to make it a history you’ll be proud of.”

With business crying out for better managers and leaders perhaps these quotes from Steve will inspire you to become one of those sought after individuals.

Steve Keating tweets at @LeadToday and this blog post was not done without his prior knowledge and is not a pre-arranged plug for him. I jut like the stuff he tweets and thought you may find some value in this small list of his recent musings on leadership and success.

I also tweet and my Twitter handles are: rictownsend with selected tweets on career success at orglearn and on resumes at resume_form.

If you are controlling your work group, rarely leave your department, constantly micro manage all processes to check what the staff are up to, constantly defining what a ‘good’ job looks like, stipulating standards, insisting on a rigorous regime of task methodology or requirements and allocating authority based on tiles and seniority then you are managing.

If however you are freely encouraging a culture of finding ways to develop and implement new ideas, fostering creativity and initiative by letting ‘followers’ participate in a flexible situation where authority is shared and allowing some percentage mistakes for the sake of overall improvement then you are leading.

If you are overseeing the survival of your organization by merely dealing with short-term operational needs and processes whilst strictly controlling costs and watching a budget set by others you are managing.

If you are on the other hand constantly looking for growth through identifying new and possibly risky ventures that could be the basis for future income or if not turning out as you would wish possibly losses you are leading.

Management is about… instructing, allocating, delegating, following up, organizing, overseeing activities, processes & individual tasks, control & supervision and directing whereas leadership is about… inspiring, helping, encouraging teamwork, coaching, supporting,  aligning with your workforce, planning, seeking process improvement, implementing change, agreeing goals and empowering followers.

The concepts of leading versus managing are really quite different however in most organizations managers are expected to play both roles at once. This challenge of almost needing a dual personality is one, that if you wish to gain greater authority in your organization, you will need to deal with for your entire career.

Now if you cannot see the chance for advancement in your current organization that your desire perhaps its time to move on to another. Here is a resume example that may assist in your quest to find a challenging role as a leader manager. resume example

Remember by taking on a management role you will need to accept that with authority comes responsibility. The responsibly you will need to live with is not just to see that the organization’s rules and procedures are followed, you must be able to take responsibility for outcomes, both now and in the future. Bearing responsibility of course is where the real money can be earnt.

I still remember the excitement of being appointed to my first branch management position way back in the early ’80′s. One of the things that came as a bit of a shock at the time of being given the position was the request/insistence by my company that, ‘as the company’s representative in my area and as we were good corporate citizens, I would be required to become a member of the local Rotary Club’. My less than politically correct (cheeky) retort to our chief executive was, “you must be kidding Mr Fletcher, that’s just for old guys”. His quick response was; “do you want the job or not”. Sure enough the club in my area was very large and mainly full of ‘old guys’. There was however a few members that were about my age (at the time, early thirties) that seemed to do much of the work in the club.

Now there are obvious advantages that come with being a Rotarian and they are not just the clichéd old… “its just a place for business networking”. Sure that is an obvious outcome however I have seen plenty of inept members almost destroy the positive side of the opportunity by their behaviour in their Rotary club. If you (or your managers) join a club with the view of just selling your products and services to other members you (or they) may well be very disappointed. I have however over the years sold a large proportion of my services both as a financier and corporate trainer through my Rotary connections. What I have said is not contradictory… its more a matter of how you go about things. People like to deal with individuals they can trust and in Rotary you gain trust and respect from the efforts you put in on behalf of your club and of course the projects they are involved in.

I am now a member of my eighth Rotary Club and have been a Rotary member for most of the past 25 or more years. I have also been a member of clubs in five countries. So what has Rotary taught me and what might it help develop in your managers.

Firstly through involvement in the club projects you are exposed to how “real” or “true” and teams work and what an effective team looks like. Because all members are volunteers there are no individuals with legitimate authority they can rely on which usually leads to effective teams being created around a shared vision. The lack of reliance on legitimate authority also teaches you sound human relations skills as you need to work well with others who are likely to be fairly self sufficient and competent in their own right. As part of this process you will also learn how to sell more effectively as you will need to sell you ideas on how to do things. You will also, on a more basic level, need to sell your particular point of view on what should be accepted as a legitimate use of your time and what is not.

A Rotary club is run somewhat along similar lines to any company or organization and if you accept positions in your club you will gain experience in financial control, secretarial duties, directorships and of course as president, a CEO. Even the position of Club sergeant teaches you crowd control and most of all… public speaking. If you think about it all activities involved in Rotary have parallels in your career however Rotarians will usually be a little kinder about helping you overcome your shortcomings than your company or boss will. If you are always late for meetings as an example you may cop a small fine from your club sergeant, however if you constantly do that at work and you may well get fired. Which way would you rather learn timeliness?

In Rotary you will be exposed to all kinds of leaders from autocrats to democrats. Learning how to deal with a range of individuals in a work type scenario will always be valuable.

Wherever people gather there will be politics so you should (or will) develop a greater level of political savvy and a better understanding of group dynamics. Groups of course operate on a different set of rules than do teams. All clubs have disputes over issues as simple as where to meet, to as complicated as which types of charity or projects they should support or not. There are always more in need than there are resources available to help. Here you will also learn how to make hard decisions that really can impact on the lives of others.

I asked a few Rotarians for their perspectives on learning through Rotary and these are a couple of the responses I received:

A lesson in setting personal priorities:

“Study the [your] priorities, get them right and then and only then if the circumstances are right, make the service/community commitment and [make sure you] carry it through. Part of “the lesson is that there does not have to be a personal financial reward for actions, the moral obligation and the outcome is [should be] enough.

Chris Brooker – Rotarian

I summed up his overall comments and attitude with the following statement that he agreed with:

“An individual (manager) who joins a Rotary club will learn very quickly that they need to deliver on what they promise. They will also learn to deliver because of a moral obligation (sticking to their word), rather than for any fleeting chance of financial reward, as there is no direct financial reward involved. This is a lesson in caring for others (a leadership quality needed to succeed) and in the value of sometimes placing your own priorities at the bottom of the list.”

Lessons in accepting diversity and the value of networking:

“The diversity of people with experiences, interests and occupations that can be called upon or learned about in an informal atmosphere, from either fellow members or guest speakers” is a major aspect of Rotary. Also as a Rotary member you can draw on the resources of both a “national and international network”.

David Edmonds – Rotarian

For me the lesson from David’s second point is that to co-operate locally can be quite easy however to deal with an international organization with its rules and procedures can be quite daunting. To learn to co-operate and deal with others, to gain access to funds and resources, mainly through expressing your needs through written submissions, is a great skill to learn.

Lessons in Power:

“[Inspiring] a volunteer/s, without being able to rely on authority provided from a position of legitimate power, is a rewarding way of enabling oneself and others to give of their best.”

Rotarian – Name Withheld

This Rotarian’s comment made me think more about the power issue. The management of Rotary projects teaches you how to use your four other points of power; personal attractiveness or charisma, referent or relationship power, knowledge or expertise, task abilities skills or competence developed from your field of expertise. Power is an emotional topic however if you don’t have it in all its forms as a manager and a leader you will find it difficult to succeed in your career

From my experience Rotary is a valuable way to add to the training and development of managers and of course the information they gather on their local community is a great asset to both the individual and the organization, not to mention the community goodwill that can be created.

Hopefully when you are next sitting thinking about your management development programs you will consider Rotary a legitimate option to assist in their broader education.

Some basics of business and some more ant antics…

OUTPUT QUALITY. Another ant variety, ‘Rattue’, can teach us about partnering with our suppliers and customers. They team up with a caterpillar that supplies them with food in return for their protection from predatory spiders. Dangerous intruders cause the caterpillar tap when they approach. The interesting thing is that the supplier (caterpillar) speaks the ants’ language. The most successful finance salesman I ever new was an ex-roadwork’s construction contractor. His customers dealt with him because he understood their industry, the machinery they needed and the financial aspects of their business. How much do we know about our customers and their problems and how well our solutions really fit or just flog product? As an ex financier I am still amazed by the antics of each new generation of bankers who at best are inept and at worst, incompetent or dishonest.

NO ANTS TO BE FOUND. A few years back in a past crisis the Internet business and the infamous problems it had including many failures is a prime example of how businesses lose track of what their customers need. As an example, I had great trouble trying to change my web host due to poor communication practices of my ‘supplier’. One of their staff even said, ‘for that price you don’t get any service or advice just a space on our server’. After 3 months, 20 or 30 emails and a couple of expensive phone calls to the US from Asia where I was stationed at the time, I was finally able to complete the change. Many Internet companies forget that people deal with people and that they need to personally communicate with individuals. Badly worded, jargon filled, technical, anonymous, do it yourself forms are not effective communication devices, particularly when problems arise. This of course is reinforced by much of the financial documentation we still suffer today with many customers not really understanding what they are signing up for. I once had a financial adviser even admit, when I was trying to write an investor information seminar for him, that he would rather not be too explicit as they still relied on “smoke and mirrors” in his industry. This guy at the time of writing with investments under stress still avoids his “customers”… an ant that would rather not be found. Good business is about listening to your customers, then saying what you will do and then doing what you say and being around when needed.

Are we listening for the tapping caterpillar, do our staff have the cutting attributes they need, has anyone listened to a dissatisfied customer lately to analyze our organization’s shortcomings… or…

IS THERE A SPIDER AT THE DOOR?

Part 3 Army Ants and Intelligence!

According to Bobby Borg of getsigned.com “the most important qualities to look for in a manager are; in addition to being powerful, well-connected, a good negotiator, enthusiastic, committed and accessible, a good manager should be one who over-all inspires your trust and respect”.

Steve Aston commenting on hbswk.hbs.edu suggests picking individuals (managers/leaders) that have “a vision” who have “learned to engage people” and possessed of a great deal of “political savvy” who ‘know how to pay attention to, neutralize and/or convert these [political] forces quietly, ethically and effectively’. Finally he says leaders need to be able to “manage a healthy tension between patience and a ‘sense of urgency’”.

Well that all sounds great on paper and perhaps you can test for those qualities or recognize them over time. Some of the more “top of the behavioral pyramid” observable traits that I believe can help and you could look for are:

– those who regularly tell others what they are doing and the results they have achieved on behalf of the company. I know they can be seen as braggers however better this sort, than the ones who are grumbling about the problems or spending there time explaining why things can’t happen based on their professional ‘competence’

- those that seem to be able get their workmates to help out when things need to get done, the characters that say ‘hey lets stay on and finish this off together’ and that don’t bad mouth others or complain about workmates

- those who are willing to be in the spotlight… you know… the types that volunteer to plan a company event or activity or that will give presentations to other employees

- those with a good network, they know ‘everybody,’ the sort of person you instinctively go to, to ask… do you know anyone that can get me a left handed widget for my ‘whats-it-thingo’

- those that finish tasks on time without sacrificing quality or wasting resources

- those that seem to make others feel good about themselves, the types that say, ‘he’s a good guy’ or ‘she’s a great help’ and that are comfortable paying compliments to others

- those that can sell the ‘no’ or a different point of view with tact and still maintain relationships by knowing what is common ground and strengthening that, rather than accentuating differences

- those that solve problems in imaginative ways and through negotiation rather than the ones that come to your office and say, ‘this is a foul up what do we do now’!

- those that listen and show they are listening and can communicate their ideas and thoughts effectively

Now you may see the above points as a little less serious than the more formal and recognized approaches however experience shows that often those that do demonstrate the traits above are also the natural leaders.

Finally Adrian Grigoriu also commenting on hbswk.hbs.edu/item/6103.html says:

“It is generally accepted that business management is about organization, control, planning and budgeting. Leadership is thought to be about motivation, mobilization, creating the vision and establishing culture. It demands charisma, the quality of an individual to attract followers for a specific endeavor by inspiring trust and respect . This comes from experience, education, leading by example and natural abilities such as self confidence and emotional control (EQ) to reassure and be credible.”

So can I suggest if you are gazing out at your staff compliment and wondering which is the best technical expert that you should make your next department head, before you decide, think about the above points and just maybe one of the lesser technicians is your best choice as the leader/manager.

Expert power is based on the specialized knowledge or skills that an individual has which can be contributed or withheld. Generally, individuals are positive about being lead, or at least influenced, by those whom they regard as ‘an expert’. This form of power is “comparative” and the holder of this type of power is always under threat from other “experts”. Expert power is often based around a very narrow bank of knowledge, skills or competence and can be short lived as time passes and technology or techniques evolve. It is a reality that someone will always come along who knows more than you do in a particular area.

Connection or as I was taught it “referent” power:

Referent power comes about as a result of an individuals ability to control or use access to influential people through formal networks or associations. Additionally as people/employees increasingly extend their circle of influence or information sources through involvement in informal networks their power can increase. Networks and hierarchies that operate independently of more formal organizational structures can often compete with, or even be more influential than the official company structure.

Personal power or personal attractiveness

This type of power results from an individual’s own personal qualities or ‘charisma’.  People will often undertake a particular action or behave in particulars ways because they admire and like the individual holding the power. Some believe that this type o power is built up through “being reliable, trustworthy, honest and likeable”. This view is obviously limited in its explanation as charisma and what it is is not something that automatically comes with behavior alone. The personal attractiveness part of this equation can also obviously be lost as we age or as our ability to attract others through ‘positive’ personality may be diminished. Suffice to say if you want to develop this type of power in yourself you will need to do the best you can with how you look, present yourself, personal confidence levels, how well you communicate and your natural personal traits.

So what is power about and what are the benefits and pitfalls

According to Richard Petty, professor of psychology at Ohio State University and co-author of a study on power:  “Powerful people have confidence in what they are thinking. Whether their thoughts are positive or negative toward an idea, that position is going to be hard to change,” This of course can be both a benefit and a shortcoming and you, if you hold power, can risk missing opportunities to grow and develop through the arrogance of total self-belief.

Abraham Lincoln said, “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.” So if you seek power, beware of the almost inevitable personal consequences to your thought processes and even your very existence.

Amy Tan “You see what power is – holding someone else’s fear in your hand and showing it to them!” Reality succinctly put perhaps!

I was once told that: ‘for power to exist you must have control over something that is limited in supply and that considered valuable by those over whom you want hold power’. This as we have seen above can be technical skills, information or even a willingness to have an ongoing relationship.

So if you are seeking power be advised you must develop all five areas otherwise your time in control will be but a fleeting moment and the process of losing power can be a terminal event.

This form of power comes from an individual’s designated role and the role’s relative status within the organization. Commonly this power entails the right to organize people and resources. As this form power is conferred by the organization if the position or role is lost so is the power. At its worst this can manifest itself as negative power as the holder has the capacity to stop, delay or disrupt the actions of others. This negative power usually used by those that feel they have no other source of control and is an often expression of anger, frustration, low morale or poor self esteem. A similar form of formal power is sometimes known a sanction power or reward – coercion power. This covers an individual’s capability to use incentives or issue threats to control people’s behavior. Rewards are offered to those who comply and punishment or deprivation threatened for non-compliance. This power can be demonstrated as naked aggression or more indirectly as pressure exerted through the threat of or actual removal of status, privileges or even financial rewards.

Expert power

Expert power is based on the specialized knowledge or skills that an individual has which can be contributed or withheld. Generally, individuals are positive about being lead, or at least influenced, by those whom they regard as ‘an expert’. This form of power is “comparative” and the holder of this type of power is always under threat from other “experts”. Expert power is often based around a very narrow bank of knowledge, skills or competence and can be short lived as time passes and technology or techniques evolve. It is a reality that someone will always come along who knows more than you do in a particular area.

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So what do managers do and what are the pros and cons of taking a management role?

According to Peter Drucker managers:

• Set objectives.
• Organize.
• Motivate and communicate.
• Measure.
• Develop people.

Well then of course there’s the old tried and true, planning, organizing, acting controlling and leader roles managers are expected to undertake to be at least efficient let alone effective. As the need to be a leader/manager is the most prevalent role definition today we all need to be:

• sellers of the vision
• strong advocates for the mission
• implementers of the plan

Of course all this needs to be achieved whilst coming to grips with the mindless vagaries of indolent self centred staff, or worse trying to maintain control the excesses of the exuberant ‘don’t know what they don’t know’ bunch to ensure they don’t give away the profits.

To make things more complicated for those working in cross-cultural situations you have the frustration of… “EMPOWERMENT” no thanks just tell me what to do you’re the boss… or you want ME to take RESPONSIBILITY, or again ‘no thanks that’s too scary ANYWAY IT’S NEVER MY FAULT’.

Assuming we are good at the technical, human, conceptual/evaluative and cultural parts of our traditional management role how can we ensure we breakthrough the pack of average and/or even effective managers and become a SUCCESSFUL manager. When I say successful I mean how fast we are promoted through our organisation.

Two issues are critical. Firstly, if you look around any organisation it doesn’t take long to realise that successful people don’t get paid because they work hard (although most do), they get paid for taking responsibility, that’s where the money is, in being prepared to take responsibility for outcomes and selling our organization on our competence and willingness do what has to be done.

Secondly, a study some years ago conducted by “Luthans, Hodgetts & Rosenkrantz” on Effective v’s Successful managers shows (amongst other things) the interesting statistic that successful managers spend 48% of their time ‘networking’, while average managers spend 19% and effective managers spend 11%. So socialising & politicking and forming bonds of trust both inside and outside our organization will have a profound effect on our trip up (or down) the proverbial ‘greasy pole’.

‘IT’S HARD TO REMEMBER YOUR TASK WAS TO DRAIN THE SWAMP WHEN YOU’RE UP TO YOUR BACKSIDE IN CROCODILES’ (author unknown)

SO WHY BE A MANAGER AND WHAT DO YOU GET?

Status, Power, Monetary Rewards, Personal Satisfaction

WHAT ABOUT THE DOWNSIDE?

Loneliness, often no immediate feedback, the burden of responsibility for outcomes, lack of control as you need to rely on others, someone is always looking to take your position, an increased need for political savvy and sometimes onerous legal responsibilities and regulatory restrictions.

If you would like to read more about management and what’s involved here is the link for direct page viewers return to main blog pagecareer success to check out other posts!

If you are looking to move into a management position you may (will) need to update your resume with the appropriate management skills listed so take a look at the free blank resume form!

Finally before you decide to take on a management role best think long and hard about what you want for your career and the costs your striving for ‘success’ may bring.

‘Jan. 26 2010 PRNewswire/ — According to a recent national survey by Lee Hecht Harrison, the majority of workers in the U.S. find their bosses likeable, but feel the management within their companies have room for improvement.’

Well that’s a “no brainer” of course and I guess it will always be the case however their next statement gives a little more insight.

“When asked to rank which qualities their boss best exhibited, likability took the top spot among U.S. workers, followed by leadership, honesty, fairness, patience and loyalty. Although leadership ranked second, just less than half of workers polled (49%) thought their managers exhibited strong leadership skills – a sobering data point reinforcing the need for renewed focus on leadership development.”

I have seen in many countries the problem of bosses wanting to be liked. To be honest if you are an individual that needs to be liked can I suggest you don’t take on a leadership role. You don’t want to be hated either however you must be respected if you are wanting to be an effective leader.

There are many aspects of to gaining respect however here is a short checklist.

Openness: let people know what you want from them and how you feel about their efforts

Competence: if you can’t demonstrate that you are a competent person you will never gain committed followers

Consistency: a measured and stable attitude to work and followers is essential if you are to reduce unwarranted levels tension and promote excellence

According to the website Bizcovering [and I agree] you also need to ‘Show courage in facing difficult issues even admitting own mistakes, maintain your vision consistently and involve everyone positively’. They go on to say a “most importantly. you need some mechanism for sustaining hope when things otherwise look sour.”

Another key survey finding uncovered: “Motivation & Mentorship Lagging: Only 24% of employees polled felt that their manager displayed motivational skills [I think they mean inspirational skill as I have explained in another blog post] and the same number noted that their supervisor failed to mentor and explain the choices made from an organizational perspective.”

**Link for direct page viewers return to main blog if you would like to read other blog posts on career and leadership success!

If you are looking to work for a more effective leader and need a change of jobs/employers take a look at the free blank resume form!

Finally can I suggest that again the central problem is poor communication skills. I have written many posts on the need to communicate well as a manger, the difficulties most of us have and some of the solutions available. Can I also strongly suggest that if you are a manger and not currently reading (or have never read) a book on leadership and/or leadership communication, best visit your local bookstore as soon as possible.

Creative

Hackman and Johnson (1991) state that creativity is “challenging the status quo by seeking out new ideas…” Managers typically concern themselves with status quo maintenance, but leaders move beyond status quo to face and deal with the future. Transformation requires innovation and fresh perspectives to enduring questions. Many managers I deal with think that they will never become leaders because they don’t see themselves as being creative. Remember creative thinking can be taught and creative thinkers can hired and good leaders can effectively use the creativity of those around them… if the have the wisdom to listen.

Interactive

Hackman and Johnson (1991) also suggest that an interactive leader provides better direction than a non-interactive leader. In order to meet the needs of the follower, the leader must take a posture of open participation with follower. They also contend ‘that interaction is central to putting leadership into motion’. Many other theories (and practical experiences) of leadership emphasize the need for (effective) communication in order to attain success. Remember though communication is not interaction its merely the conduit between individuals. The important issues are found in dictionary definitions… “acting in close relation with each other” or “affecting each others behaviour”.

ARE WE CREATING TOMORROW OR BANKING ON THE PAST?

Empowering

Empowerment is fourth aspect that Hackman and Johnson (1991) suggest is important. Empowerment is the ability to “translate intention into reality and sustain it [for the followers]” (Bennis & Nanus, 1985). B & N further explain that ‘empowerment is the reciprocal of power and that empowerment puts duality into motion’. In other words, power translates into empowerment and empowerment, in turn, creates more power. Without leaders promoting responsibility and displacing power, followers cannot fully achieve their potential. This as we know is a big challenge in some Asian cultures. The key is if you want to have a modern successful organization, you as a leader must address this issue.

Visionary

Perhaps the most elemental characteristic of the transformational leader, “more than anything else, transformational leaders communicate a vision to their followers” (Hackman & Johnson, 1991). Zorn (1991) notes that vision helps to rally action toward achievement of the goal. Leaders must not only speak the vision, they must also enact the vision for individuals and the organization. Vision sets the direction and it is impossible to get where you want to be without direction. Can you or you staff quote your company’s vision, (or your own for that matter). So much has been said about vision and its central role in business and success, any more here would be superfluous.

A VISION WITH POWER CAN CHANGE MEDIOCRITY INTO EXCELLENCE

Passionate

‘Transformational leaders are passionate in their commitment to task and people alike’ (H & J, 1991). Bennis and Nanus (1985) again elaborate, “like explorer and artists, [leaders] seem to focus their attention on a limited field – their task – to forget personal problems, to loose their sense of time, to feel competent and in control”. To transform leaders must have a strong commitment to their vision. Passion is essential for this strong commitment, without passion there is no real direction and vision is short-lived.

Ethical

One final notable characteristic is that of high ethical standards. Any discussion of transformational leadership must include ethics. Burns (1978) comments, “Leaders must effectively ‘connect with’ followers from a level of morality only one stage higher than that of the followers, but moral leaders who act at much higher levels relate to followers at all levels…” Blanchard and Peale (1989) suggest that a manager with strong ethical standards is armed with the ability to do the right thing all of the time. They further conclude that ethics must not only be the result, but ethics must be involved in the process of decision making. An effective leader must be committed to ethical responses to any situation.

ETHICAL BANKERS, ACCOUNTANTS, LAWYERS, CORPORATE EXECUTIVES AND POLITICIANS… NOW THERE’S AN IDEA!

Refs: Hackman, M. & Johnson, C. (1991) Leadership. Waveland Press.
Zorn T E (1991). Construct system development, transformational leadership and leadership messages. Sthn Communication Jrnl, 56 (3), 178-193. Journal of Leadership Studies in 1995

Ric (orglearn) **Link for direct page viewers return to main career success blog to check out other posts!

While you’re here take a look at the free blank resume form!

SUMMARY

Transformational leadership assumes that people will energetically follow an individual who has the ability to inspire them and who can use others natural motivation to strive towards a shared vision. A person to be a true motivational leader must in addition to having worthwhile vision show a willingness to excel and the competence do great things in a creative new way. Transformational leadership to be successful assumes that agreed tasks can be accomplished by injecting commitment and enthusiasm among the followers.

Transformational leadership adjectives: articulate, uplifting, passionate, caring, trustworthy, integrity listening, committed, serving, influencing, encouraging, charismatic, creative, innovative, empowering and confident.

Transformational leaders set an example and become a role model for their followers. Transformational leaders see their followers as individuals and treat them as such.

In light of recent events transformational leadership’s capacity to reshape social and physical relationships is more needed than ever. Perhaps it is time to destroy old way of living and make way for new one. Finally transformational leadership encourages people to surpass their current levels of achievement and embrace a dynamic and innovative way to approach our future at a personal, organizational and political level. The world currently seems to be crying out for true leadership, transformational leadership, at all levels of society.

One more time:

INSPIRING AND ETHICAL BANKERS, ACCOUNTANTS, LAWYERS, CORPORATE EXECUTIVES, BUSINESS LEADERS AND POLITICIANS… NOW THERE REALLY IS A TRANSFORMATIONAL IDEA!