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Leaders on Leadership
While leadership may be an art, it is a decidedly mysterious one. What exactly constititues great leadership has been a subject of endless debate. "Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it," said Dwight D. Eisenhower. Peter F. Drucker, commenting on the difference between management and leadership, said, "Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things." Robert K. Greenleaf, the father of servant leadership, had yet another view. "The only test of leadership," he observed, "is that somebody follows." Come join a discussion with two proven leaders about what it takes to provide effective leadership in today's business environment.
Bo Burlingham participates in the 10:45am breakout session on leadership. Please use the comment section below to post questions and responses regarding leadership, and he will respond to your comments.
Post Comments | 2 total | Add new comment
September 7th, 2007 1:22 pm | Sherri Smith
I suspect that some of you may be unfamiliar with open-book management, especially Jack's version of it: The Great Game of Business. There's a booth here at the conference with people from an SRC subsidiary called The Great Game of Business, as well as Jack's two books at the bookstore. If you really get hooked on it, there's an annual conference of open-book practitioners, called The Gathering of Games. You can find out more about it at the Great Game web site: www.ggob.com
October 17th, 2007 5:50 pm | Patrick Gauthier
I think there are several aspects of leadership that need to be acknowledged and given approporiate time and space within organizations. The first is leadership that can identify and uproot harmful behaviors in and among all team members including within oneself. The second is addressing fear (a function, frankly, of the first point above). I believe every strongly that America's business climate is suffering from a kind of fear that is not experienced in other global markets (or in the same way or to the same degree)including America's own public sector. Fear, some have said, is the mind-killer. Some hearty folks believe fear is good. I suggest healthy doses of stress (not be confused with distress) are good. Fear is not a healthy substitute for understanding risks and behaving in alignment with one's environmental reality and standards. Fear causes irrational, unusual and mostly unhealthy behaviors to develop into habits. A true leader turns fear into respect, risk management, contingency planning, dialogue and opens the field of innovation by liberating the energy fear otherwise binds up. Fear should be led to the field of opportunity.
Leadership also involves a willingness to step into both the divergence of ideas and convergence of ideas. One for the sake of creativity and innovation. The other for the sake of tactical planning, strategic decision-making and execution. Leadership is the willingness to guide people through chaos and free people in times of order. Leadership primes the pump of chaos and order simultaneously.
Leadership, finally, is not governance. Leadership attracts talent and followers. Leadership is concerned with the whole, the many and the united effort. Leadership keeps its ears tuned into the voice of others - including the customer.
I would like to see more focus on fearless leadership that instills fearlessness in others.
Patrick Gauthier
CA