Leadership Challenge One
Summary
The Leadership Challenge by (Kouzes & Posner, 2012) is a book written with the intent of guiding the reader through five essential practices of leadership including, Modeling the Way, Inspiring a Shared Vision, Challenging the Process, Enabling Others to Act, and Encouraging the Heart (Kouzes & Posner, 2012). This book is the results of “…research that first began in 1982 when Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner set out to understand those times when leaders performed at their personal best They conducted hundreds of interviews and reviewed hundreds of cases studies and survey questionnaires” (Kouzes & Posner, 2016, about sec). This paper is a reflection of the first essential practice, entitled Modeling the Way.
…show more content…
When a leader finds their inner voice, they enjoy discovering what they care about as well as what defines them as a leader, essentially what pushes their buttons and excites their passions. Authenticity is a central theme to clarifying of values and Kouzes & Posner (2012) explain that “You can be authentic only when you lead according to the principles that matter most to you” (p. 46). Kouzes and Posner (2012) also remind us that the leader’s values must guide actions. When leaders are value driven, and they articulate those values using their true voice, they are able to establish a culture of moral authority for their …show more content…
Leaders must possess a strong presence of moral authority in order to set the tone for their followers. Covey (2009) tells us that, “Leadership is not a formal authority one exercises over others. It is about developing moral authority within oneself” (Padney Interview para. 7). Covey’s definition of moral authority implies that leaders must live by guiding principles that they have mastered within themselves before guiding others. According to Kohlberg (as cited in Covertson n.d.), humans navigate and develop social morality in developmental stages, beginning with the lowest level; punishment and obedience, and then progress toward the highest level, universal ethical principles. Few individuals ever reach Kohlberg’s highest stage of morality (Covertson section a. and
Social change and charity have two different effects on the community in chapter one of Leadership for a Better World by Susan R. Komives. Chapter one discusses the differentiation in the ideas when one is more practical in a culture. Social change is defined as affecting the root of the social problem (Komives 11). An example of social change is the Civil Rights Movement, where Martin Luther King Jr. led groups of people to end segregation. King wasn’t just trying to help the problem of having sit in the back of the bus or drinking from different water fountains, his objective was to generate an equal society where racial segregation didn’t exist. Charity classification as donating food, money, and other kinds of goods is given to a community. An illustration of this is the local soup kitchen, where they provide food for the
Kohlberg’s theory of moral development shows the different stages of morality as people change as they get older (McLeod). He had three levels which broke down his stages
They have profound convictions for for their leadership; Their behavior always reflect their core values and they view themselves as individuals that “lead with their hearts as well as their heads while also building enduring organizations” (George 2003). Leaders are encouraged to maintain the perception of authenticity but making sure that their words are consistent and reflect their action or intentions. They should not be so pompous and arrogant that they cannot relate to or find mutual and common ground with their staff. (Goffee & Jones 2005)
Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Development is three levels consisting of two stages in each. Kohlberg’s Theory explains how a human’s mind morally develops. Level one is typically common in younger children. The two stages in level one are pre-conventional stages. Stage one is obedience and punishment driven; one will judge an action by the consequences given. Stage two is out of self interest. Level two is mostly common in teenagers. The stages in this level
The Leadership Challenge by Kouzes and Posner (2007) is the result of twenty years of research on the factors that influence and create great leadership. Through studies and stories from leaders with various backgrounds throughout the world, the practices and characteristics that create great leadership are delineated. Leadership is viewed not as a group of inherent characteristics, but as learned behavior that anyone can achieve. The goal of Kouzes and Posner’s book is to inspire and educate leaders through transformational leadership. As such, leadership is about mobilizing others to become and do extraordinary things.
Mlls, D. Q. (2005). Leadership How to Lead, How to Live. Boston: Harvad Business School Press.
Leaders is an effective tool for summarizing and inspiring leadership, not in that it teaches tough strategies and manipulations, but that when looking at an overview of its content, Bennis and Nanus are essentially teaching human relations and human decency. All in all, this book highlights strategies for us all to be better in our lives and our everyday interactions.
There are several ways to define leadership, but what sets effective leaders apart from commonplace managers are their extraordinary actions and the successes that result. In The Leadership Challenge, James Kouzes and Barry Posner claim leaders that employ The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership are much more effective than those who do not (2012, p. 25). This paper will be reviewing my assessment findings, exploring my strengths and weaknesses, examining my personal-best leadership story, and detailing a specific area of development.
Kohlberg’s theory of the stages of moral development has gained some popularity despite being controversial. The claim that the levels form a “ladder,” the bottom being the immature child with a pre-conventional level and the top being a post conventional ethical individual. The sequence is unvarying and the subject must begin at the bottom with aspirations to reach the top, possibly doing so. (7) Research confirms that individuals from different cultures actually progress according to Kohlbergs theory, at least to the conventional level. Kohlberg’s stages of moral development continue to provide a foundation for psychology studies of moral reasoning. (6)
Kouzes, J., & Posner, B. (2007). The Leadership Challenge (4th ed.). San Francisco, CA 94103-1741: Jossey-Bass.
Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (2012). The leadership challenge: How to make extraordinary
Leadership is defined as a process by which an individual influences others to obtain goals. There are three aspects that should be addressed when explaining leadership. One aspect is that leadership is a social influence process; leadership could not exist without a leader and one or more followers. Another leadership aspect is compliance; all of the leader’s directions must be complied with voluntarily. Compliance is what separates leadership from other influence-based formal authority. Finally, leadership results in the followers’ behavior, that is purposeful and goal-directed which must be in some organized setting (Leadership Theories and Studies, 2009).
Northouse, P. (2010). Leadership: Theory and practice (5th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.
Introduction People always talk about how important it is for companies to have a good leader, someone who not only keeps the blue numbers, but also achieves a loyalty from customers, pleasant working environment, successful business partnerships and ahead of the competition. To exercise effective leadership, the individual must meet certain parameters, which if they are carried out successfully all of them will ensure a long life to the organization. The relationship with partners should be based on trust. Do not just give employees a list of tasks, encourage their views so that their skills might be enhanced for advancement.
Kohlberg's moral development schema is highly dependent upon the idea that there are fundamental truths that cannot be dismissed. These ideas are "in the ether", wound into the very fabric that constructs human nature. Granted, his descriptions of the various stages also seem very dependent upon the surroundings and social institutions that an individual would be subjected to. Yet these institutions would be have to be built upon people, all of whom would share these ideological truths. It seems fairly obvious that all people have undeniable needs, survival and some group membership. Kohlberg's stages are merely methods by which one could fulfill these needs.