| Everyone has their own theory or theories of leadership.In my experience, effective leaders …Are authentic expressions of their unique talents and experiences. They are |
| independent and non-conformist. |
| Are shaped by their personality profiles. They leverage their strengths and minimize their non-talents. They flex styles for short periods, with effort. |
| Are true to themselves, applying constructive approaches to work, home and community. This natural style leverages their assets. |
| Are internally driven and project a clear commitment to making progress, overcoming |
| challenges, reaching goals and making a difference. |
| Are human with strengths and non-talents. They are effected by biases and paradigms. |
| Self-awareness and self-control are partial. |
| Recognize the strength of organizational and cultural inertia in preventing change, |
| alignment and pursuit of lofty objectives. |
| Accept the political nature of organizations and the role of self-interest as part of the natural arena for leadership practice. |
| Understand the value creating role of key leaders in organizations, but do not minimize the value of managers and staff. |
| Appreciate the social psychology of organizations and teams. They demonstrate their |
| passion, commitment and belonging in real and symbolic ways. |
| Use an interactive decision-making process to engage contributors, frame |
| decisions, generate options, evaluate solutions and build commitment. |
| Are patient, unstructured decision-makers. Organization level issues, plans and policies |
| require time to define, analyze, choose and embrace. They change perspectives, urge |
| creativity, challenge traditional answers and encourage contrasting paths to answers. |
| Value the contributions of professional specialists, but employ a generalist perspective and |
| healthy skepticism. They employ various facilitation tools to work through ambiguous |
| situations. |
| Employ a broad array of skills and experiences, as decisions are increasingly complex, |
| including political, ethical, global and environmental dimensions. |
| Embrace a modern approach to diversity, deeply understanding the value of diverse |
| perspectives in contributing their piece of the truth to decisions. |
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