Developing Effective Leadership in Organizations

Developing Effective Leadership in Organizations

A Competency-Based Approach Focused on Keys to Performance

The most dangerous leadership myth is that leaders are born -- that there is a genetic factor to leadership. This myth asserts that people simply either have certain charismatic qualities or not. That's nonsense; in fact, the opposite is true. Leaders are made rather than born.

-Warren G. Bennis

Do you aspire to move forward in your career? Do you own your own business? Do you want to be a leader in your organization? Are you responsible for helping others to develop their leadership competencies and reach their potential?

This book is for you!

This book is intended for individuals who want to develop their leadership competencies and those responsible for developing talent in their organizations. It follows a structured competency-based method to building knowledge and skills by following a systematic and proven approach.

Although the book is directed at individuals, faculty teaching in university and college leadership programs as well as trainers in organizations will find it useful as a text or guide to bridge theory and practice.

People in organizations who just want to learn and study more about leadership can use the book as a self-paced guide for workshops and seminars or learn-at-lunch programs.

As you proceed through the content and associated learning activities, it is helpful to apply what you learn to an organization that you are familiar with. This will help you better understand the concepts, as well indicate areas for potential organizational improvement.

This book utilizes the U.S. Department of Commerce - National Institute of Standards and Technology's Malcolm Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence as its basis for design. All the major chapters of this book are aligned with Baldrige's seven primary criteria areas:

       + Building Leadership Competence

       + Facilitating Strategic Planning

       + Finding and Retaining Customers

       + Leadership Tools: Data and Measurement

       + How to Attract and Develop Employees  

       + Managing Operations and Quality  

       + Leading for Innovation and Results

If the areas look familiar, you are probably thinking that these same areas are typically associated with an MBA program. You are right. Some have referred to studying the content of this book as pursuing a Mini-MBA.