Business

Confront Critical Incidents You can’t plan everything about your day. Even the most disciplined leaders can’t stop the intrusion of the unexpected. Stuff happens. Critical incidents—chance occurrences, particularly at a time of stress and challenge—are a part of the life of every leader. They also offer significant moments of learning for leaders and constituents. 89 […]

Tips for Receiving Feedback 87 S E T T H E E X A M P L E Chapter Ten. The more frequently people ask for and accept feed- back, the easier it will be to deliver and to hear, especially when both parties share similar values and aspirations. The more accustomed people become to

Ask Purposeful Questions Daily Teamwork: What did you do today to lend a hand to a colleague? Respect: What did you do today to acknowledge the work of one of your colleagues? Learning: What’s one mistake you made in the last week, and what did you learn from it? Continuous improvement: What have you done

Ask Purposeful Questions The questions you ask are also quite powerful in focusing attention. When leaders ask questions, they send constituents on mental 82 T H E L E A D E R S H IP C H A L L E N G E journeys—“quests”—in search of answers. The questions that a leader asks

Clarify Values The very first step on the journey to credible leadership is clari- fying your values—discovering those fundamental beliefs that will guide your decisions and actions along the path to success and significance. That involves an exploration of the inner ter- ritory where your true voice resides. It’s essential that you take yourself on

To become a credible leader, you first have to comprehend fully the deeply held beliefs—the values, standards, ethics, and ideals— that drive you. You have to freely and honestly choose the principles you will use to guide your decisions and actions. Then you have to genuinely express yourself. You have to authentically communicate your beliefs

The Impact of Leadership Philosophy Clarity on Constituent Work Attitudes and Engagement Te am Sp irit C la rit y of L ea d er sh ip P hi lo so p hy Low Constituent Work Attitudes and Engagement Pr ide Co mm itm en t Mo tiv ati on Ma kin g a D

Percentage of Respondents Selecting Each Characteristic Characteristic 1987 1995 2002 2007 2012 HONEST 83 88 88 89 89 FORWARD- LOOKING 62 75 71 71 71 COMPETENT 67 63 66 68 69 INSPIRING 58 68 65 69 69 Intelligent 43 40 47 48 45 Broad-minded 37 40 40 35 38 Fair-minded 40 49 42 39 37

What People Look For and Want from Their Leaders What People Look For and Want from Their Leaders To better understand leadership as a relationship, we investigated the expectations that constituents have of leaders. We asked people to tell us the personal traits, characteristics, and attributes they look for and admire in a person whom

THE FIVE PRACTICES AND TEN COMMITMENTS OF EXEMPLARY LEADERSHIP 30 T H E L E A D E R S H IP C H A L L E N G E LEADERSHIP IS A RELATIONSHIP The inescapable conclusion from analyzing thousands of personal- best leadership experiences is that everyone has a story to tell. And