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WHAT IS LEADERSHIP?



Leadership is no longer limited to a handful of executives at the top level of an organization. There are different degrees of leadership, to be sure, but in today’s turbulent business world, all employees must learn how to lead if their organizations are to thrive. Our examination of leadership basics at the start of Part One begins with Noel M. Tichy’s take on the importance of leadership to an organization’s success. But what does leadership mean? John P. Kotter explains what a leader does and how the tasks of leadership differ from pure management.
Opinions regarding the requisite qualities and attitudes of leaders are many and diverse, but some common themes emerge; we present perspectives here from Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis, and Annie McKee; Frances Hesselbein; Max De Pree; and James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner. No single style of leadership is perfect for every situation. The remaining chapters in Part One explore the notion that different contexts require different leadership styles. Lee G. Bolman and Terrence E. Deal describe four distinct types of leadership and how to practice them effectively. Paul Hersey and Kenneth H. Blanchard believe that diagnostic ability and adaptability are the keys to leading across diverse situations. Robert K. Greenleaf expounds on the concept of servant-leadership (serving first, leading second), and David A. Heenan and Warren Bennis discuss co-leadership, returning us to the idea of leadership across the workforce.

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