What does it really take to become a great leader? You need a framework for leading that gives you clarity when chaos is all around you. The framework, called "Leadership in Context" already exists. It's up to you to master it and put it to work. Drawing on over forty years of research and personal experience, the authors of Achieve Leadership Genius have helped people develop the skills they need to achieve organizational and personal goals. This guide will teach you - how to lead individuals, teams, organizations, alliances, and above all, yourself; - the five crucial leadership practices that work no matter who you're leading; - how to handle the unique issues that arise in every leadership context and situation. You'll also discover high-level and micro-level techniques that will help you break through the barriers that prevent you from leading. With practice and internalization, you can make these techniques work for you. Stop making excuses, and start benefiting from a new model of leadership. It's not too late to Achieve Leadership Genius.
“This is not one of those leadership books to be scanned and tossed aside. Instead, it is a special book that deserves to be closely read and then kept nearby so that you can draw upon it again and again as you seek to lead effectively.”
–David Gergen, Professor, Harvard’s Kennedy School, Director, Center for Public Leadership
“Drea, Susan, and Dick are three of the nation’s most innovative, perceptive, and gifted management thinkers. Their book, Achieve Leadership Genius, is an exceptional tour de force against which all books brave enough to tackle the critical issue of leadership must be judged.”
–Sheldon Bowles, Best-selling Co-author, Raving Fans, Gung Ho!, and High Five
“A gem! One of the first books I’d recommend to a novice or champion if they want to learn about improving the lives they lead and make the journey to leadership mastery.”
–Warren Bennis, Distinguished Professor of Management, University of Southern California, author of On Becoming a Leader
LEADERSHIP IS NOT A “ONE SIZE FITS ALL” PURSUIT... DIFFERENT SCENARIOS REQUIRE DIFFERENT TECHNIQUES...
- How to lead individuals, teams, organizations, alliances, and above all, yourself
- The five crucial leadership practices that work no matter who you’re leading
- How to handle the unique issues that arise in every leadership context and situation
What does it really take to become a great leader? Commitment, hard work...and a framework for leading that gives you clarity when there’s chaos all around you.
That framework exists. It’s called Contextual Leadership®. This book will help you master it, and put it to work. You’ll discover high-level and “micro”-level techniques you need to achieve breakthrough effectiveness. You’ll practice them, internalize them, make them yours.
This book draws on more than forty years of research, and the extraordinary personal experience of three renowned leadership consultants.
Its techniques are tested. Proven. They’re not a quick fix. But, as thousands of leaders can tell you, they work.
Hundreds and hundreds of leadership books have been published over the years. Almost all of them treat leadership as if “one size fits all”: as if leadership skills were “one trick pony” skills that can be applied across any circumstance. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Leadership genius depends on your ability to recognize the setting you are leading in. Are you leading a team? Leading one person? Leading yourself? Leading an entire organization? Leading an alliance? Who, what, when, and where you lead determines how you should lead.
This book presents a detailed, practical, and skill-based framework any leader can use to become dramatically more effective.
Another aspect of leadership genius is realizing that within each setting, or context, a leader must also be able to adapt to a wide variety of scenarios. The authors show you how to bring your best to bear in any circumstance, and in every facet of the leadership process: envisioning, initiation, and implementation.
From start to finish, this book addresses both the high level and ‘micro’ skills that define leadership genius–guiding readers systematically through assessing their current behaviors and moving toward excellence.
- DEVELOP THE ATTRIBUTES OF LEADERSHIP GENIUS
Skillfully respond to what the context and circumstances demand of you as a leader - MOVE BEYOND THE LEADERSHIP “QUICK FIX”
Discover a solid, proven framework for becoming a contextual leader - MASTER THE FIVE CONTEXTS OF LEADERSHIP
Lead yourself... lead one-to-one... lead teams, organizations, and alliances - MASTER THE SKILLS OF ALL FIVE LEADERSHIP PRACTICES
Prepare, envision, initiate, assess, and respond - LEVERAGE YOUR LEADERSHIP SUCCESS; MOVE FROM INDIVIDUAL TO ORGANIZATIONAL EXCELLENCE
A new view of leadership and its imperatives
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Dr. Drea Zigarmi is Founding Associate of The Ken Blanchard Companies®, and co-creator of Situational Leadership® II, today’s best-of-class developmental leadership model. He co-authored the two-million-copy best-seller Leadership and the One Minute Manager, and most recently, The Leader Within. He has trained 50,000 managers from organizations ranging from American Honda to IBM, Nissan to Siemens, McDonnell-Douglas to The San Diego Padres.
Susan Fowler is one of the world’s foremost experts on personal empowerment. She is creator and lead developer of The Ken Blanchard Companies Situational Self Leadership, today’s best-of-class self-leadership and personal empowerment program. Fowler’s publications include The Team Leader’s Idea-a-Day Guide (with Drea Zigarmi), Empowerment (with Ken Blanchard), and Self Leadership and The One Minute Manager (with Ken Blanchard and Laurence Hawkins).
Dr. Dick Lyles is President and CEO of Leadership Legacies, a company that focuses on developing a new generation of leaders. He co-founded Maric College in San Diego, is past President of the Ken Blanchard Companies, and currently sits on the Board of Directors for a number of firms. His best-selling books include Winning Ways: Four Secrets for Getting Great Results by Working Well with People.
CONTENTS
Foreword by Georgette Mosbacher xiii
About the Authors xv
Acknowledgments xviii
Introduction 1
PART ONE THE FIVE CONTEXTS 9
CHAPTER 1 THE SELF CONTEXT: YOUR ROLE IN CREATING MEANINGFUL WORK 14
CHAPTER 2 THE ONE-TO-ONE CONTEXT: YOUR ROLE IN DEVELOPING INDIVIDUAL EXCELLENCE 22
CHAPTER 3 THE TEAM CONTEXT: YOUR ROLE IN FACILITATING HIGH-IMPACT TEAMS 31
CHAPTER 4 THE ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT: YOUR ROLE IN GENERATING THE ORGANIZATION’S VITALITY 42
CHAPTER 5 THE ALLIANCE CONTEXT: YOUR ROLE IN FOSTERING STRATEGIC RELATIONSHIPS 51
PART TWO THE FIVE PRACTICES OF CONTEXTUAL LEADERSHIP 58
CHAPTER 6 PREPARE: THE FIRST LEADERSHIP PRACTICE 63
CHAPTER 7 PREPARE: WHAT’S DRIVING YOUR LEADERSHIP BEHAVIOR? 69
CHAPTER 8 PREPARE: LEADING WITH DEVELOPED VALUES 81
CHAPTER 9 PREPARE: INVESTIGATING YOUR PERSONA 97
CHAPTER 10 PREPARE: THE CHALLENGE OF CHANGE 107
CHAPTER 11 ENVISION: THE SECOND LEADERSHIP PRACTICE 115
CHAPTER 12 ENVISION IN THE SELF CONTEXT 120
CHAPTER 13 ENVISION IN THE ONE-TO-ONE CONTEXT 135
CHAPTER 14 ENVISION IN THE TEAM CONTEXT 142
CHAPTER 15 ENVISION IN THE ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT 150
CHAPTER 16 ENVISION IN THE ALLIANCE CONTEXT 157
CHAPTER 17 INITIATE: THE THIRD LEADERSHIP PRACTICE 162
CHAPTER 18 INITIATE IN THE SELF CONTEXT 165
CHAPTER 19 INITIATE IN THE ONE-TO-ONE CONTEXT 174
CHAPTER 20 INITIATE IN THE TEAM CONTEXT 187
CHAPTER 21 INITIATE IN THE ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT 201
CHAPTER 22 INITIATE IN THE ALLIANCE CONTEXT 207
CHAPTER 23 ASSESS: THE FOURTH LEADERSHIP PRACTICE 211
CHAPTER 24 ASSESS IN THE SELF CONTEXT 217
CHAPTER 25 ASSESS IN THE ONE-TO-ONE CONTEXT 225
CHAPTER 26 ASSESS IN THE TEAM CONTEXT 233
CHAPTER 27 ASSESS IN THE ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT 240
CHAPTER 28 ASSESS IN THE ALLIANCE CONTEXT 244
CHAPTER 29 RESPOND: THE FIFTH LEADERSHIP PRACTICE 248
PART THREE THE PROMISE AND CHALLENGE OF CONTEXTUAL LEADERSHIP 258
CHAPTER 30 A NEW VIEW OF LEADERSHIP 260
CHAPTER 31 LEADERSHIP IMPERATIVES 268
BIBLIOGRAPHY 275
INDEX 305
