Tag Archives: Peter Drucker

Leadership

Where Christian Leadership Principles Begin

Recently our country has been overloaded with far too many incidents of leaders in business, sports, and politics who have been exposed or destroyed through “leadership” failures. The headlines, tabloids, and blogs today continue to tell the sad stories of people whose flaws are now pubic domain as well as late-night comedian disdain. This is a particularly daunting challenge for Christian leaders in business. It is far to easy for all of us to base our fundamental leadership principles upon currently popular yet misguided core principles.

So how can Christian business leaders avoid these same failures? Where should Christian leadership principles begin?

Before I answer that question, I need to mention the two primary ways society’s most popular leadership principles fall short (and even Christian business leaders get caught).

Where Society’s Leadership Principles Begin… and Fail

First, today’s society focuses far too much awe and reverence on leadership charisma. Peter Drucker, the world-renowned author and management expert, once said that, “Charisma has nothing to do with leadership. Hitler, Stalin, and Mao were the most charismatic leaders of the 20th century. It that is leadership, I want no part of it!”

Second, society also places far too much emphasis on leadership skill. Be it brilliance in strategy, finance, marketing, innovation, or any number of important competencies, an over reliance on leadership skills alone is wholly inadequate for higher level leadership success.

“Whoa, Dr. Jim, are you saying a leader’s high skill level is a bad thing?” No, not at all. For example, would you prefer the leader(s) of your company to be:

•a highly skilled professionals of questionable character, or

•a moderately skilled professionals of unquestionable character?

I bet I know (and I just gave away the answer to the title of this article.)

Where Christian Leadership Principles Begin

Christians leadership principles must first and always begin with our character. For it is our character that is the wellspring of everything we do: from how we treat our colleagues and customers, how to talk to employees, when we pay our bills, how we manage and discipline, and everything else. It’s the depth of our character, the combination of our wisdom, integrity, and self-discipline, that can separate us from society’s expectations of leaders and propel us and our teams to a higher level of success and significance.

The incredibly gifted military leader, General Norman Schwarzkopf, may have said it best when he stated, “Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character, but if you must be without one, be without strategy!”

Regardless of a person’s political power, net worth, position rank, social status, or professional skills, without a solid foundation of character, any leadership house will crumble – including believers in business!

How To Get Started

To help you clarify your core Christian leadership principles, here is a three-step plan I encourage you to begin now (This is a system I use in both professional coaching and business team strategic planning/culture transformation.).

 

  1. Craft a character-development plan for yourself and your team List and define those core convictions you and your team refuse to negotiate, the lines-in-the-sand you refuse to cross, in how you treat your colleagues, customers, constituents, community, and competitors.
  2. Develop operational definitions for each conviction, how others will actually “see” that conviction played out. In other words, how will you and your team walk-the-walk of your core convictions?
  3. Create a feedback system that recognizes rewards behaviors that align with your core convictions.

 

I firmly believe that your Christian leadership principles should first and foremost be based on your character, not your charisma, competence, or any other quality.

For more insights on how to begin with Christian leadership principles, download my white paper ” Taking Leadership to a Higher Level ” and tell me your thoughts.

Dr. Jim Harris teaches thousands of professionals every year how to crystallize their goals, leverage their strengths, energize their teams, and realize their significance as a professional and as a leader. From keynotes and workshops to 1-on-1 coaching and digital learning products, Dr. Jim helps transform your potential into productivity, and your passion into results. An author of eight books, Dr. Jim offers you, your team, and your audience a unique combination of perspective, insight, passion, and integrity.

He is currently the President of the Ropella Leadership Transformation of The Ropella Group. To learn more, subscribe to our videos.

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Dr._Jim_Harris/1261279

 

Leadership

Future of Leadership

According to Abraham Maslow, Peter Drucker’s management principles accurately apply to the leaders who have evolved and are at the top of human development. These leaders have met all of their requirements in life and their needs are fulfilled. The strategies purported by Peter Drucker neatly fit the lifestyle of the prototypical leader.

Applying Peter Drucker’s principles to leadership is an effective way to operate with efficiency and success. However, these tactics are only effective for a small minority of leaders.

Today, leadership is not based on old-school principles of preformatted industry giants with similar executive knowhow who replace each other with symmetry. Rather, the leadership role has embraced different styles and types of individuals that compliment the change in society at large. Tomorrow’s leadership will continue to diversify and change in lockstep with the ever adapting economy. The knowledge economy has shifted responsibilities of leadership to a new breed of self-starters and entrepreneurs who do not possess the skills required from a leader who fits into Peter Drucker’s leadership principles.

Employees are more informed, consumers are more informed, the media keeps leaders honest, and the distance between yesterday and today is vast. Differentiated leaders will be the norm, and differentiation will be the requirement for continued economic success. The leadership dynamics have changed in some places, and will change in most places in the near future.

Leadership is not an isolated position as it once was, but rather, an all-inclusive “lead from the center” task that requires more interpersonal sophistication and greater self-awareness than ever before.

The landscape of leadership is not a “one size fits all” equation and all the gimmicks such as the top five qualities list will not suffice for enhanced effective leadership. Rather, leadership is simpler than it may appear. Leadership is at times scripted because people are still sensitive, but the old playbook has evolved into a more advanced scheme.

The power distance has decreased which has exposed the leadership position to increased scrutiny. The generational gap once highly guarded at the leadership position has been removed and the unassuming are taking the leadership reins. These young guns are not the prototypical leader of the past. They have to fill the leadership role with effectiveness in order for success because the leadership position is a critical component to the operations of the business.

The younger leader has to meet the leadership demand with attentiveness and ingenuity that requires a set of prior needs to be met that comes with experience. The time has not been amassed to produce the life satisfaction needed to bring desired competence to the leadership position. Regardless, the leadership task needs to be met and alternative methods need to be addressed to compensate for the lack of life experience. These are weaknesses that need to be developed into competence and designed strengths need to be maximized and leveraged to achieve leadership success.

Implementing techniques to facilitate the learning sequence using a shortcut method is the ideal approach for today’s young leader. A bold prediction follows: The leaders of today will surpass the leaders of yesterday because there are more weapons available for development, there is more openness for accepting failure, and the leadership role has expanded to include those from any race, creed, or color. The talent that is allowed to develop today is far and wide. The internal competition will fuel results and the inclusion will empower the once excluded into our super leaders of the future.

Keith Lawrence Miller, President and Certified Executive Coach specializes in Executive Leadership Coaching & Consulting, Behavioral Change – Career Coaching and is an Assessment Specialist (360 Multi-Rater Feedback, EQ-I, ESCI, Strengths-Based, DISC, and much more)

His education is at the graduate level from Columbia University with strengths in Leadership, Coaching, Change, & Consultation – He is Certified in Emotional Intelligence, Cultural Intelligence, & Social Intelligence from Columbia University and is an ICF Certified and Associate Credentialed Professional Coach.

The Million Dollar Coaching Company provides Certified Professional Solutions-focused Executive Leadership Coaching – Career Coaching & Consultation to Maximize Opportunity through Behavioral Change, Innovative Communication, Career Transition & S.M.A.R.T. Goal Setting.

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Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Keith_Lawrence_Miller/1161715

 

Leadership

The Purpose of Leadership

The purpose of leadership is to get people to move forward to a place where they would not have gone alone. Leaders define a vision of the future, rally followers to their cause, and inspire them to take action to move in that direction.   The best leaders inspire their followers to join them on their journey using influence rather than coercion.

Perhaps the best way to understand the purpose of leadership is to look at what famous leaders and commentators have said to describe it themselves. They offer insights on the purpose of leadership based on their own deep experience as leaders.  Here is how some famous leaders have sought to capture it in their own words:

 

  • Dwight D. Eisenhower, the famous World War II General and President of the United States, defined leadership in the following way: “Leadership: The art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.”
  • Former First Lady Roselynn Carter described leadership in a similar way:  “A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don’t necessarily want to go, but ought to be.”
  • Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte concisely articulated the purpose of leadership by asserting, “A leader is a dealer in hope.”
  • Reverend Theodore Hesburgh, former president of Notre Dame University said, “The very essence of leadership is that you have to have a vision.”
  • Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger said this about the purpose of leadership:  “The task of the leader is to get his people from where they are to where they have not been.”

 

Although each of these leaders has expressed the purpose of leadership in a slightly different way, there is a common theme: leadership is about direction and transferring energy from the leader to their followers to take action.  Now look at what some famous leadership commentators have said about leadership, and how they correctly distinguish leadership from management.  They have dedicated their lives studying leadership and contributed these insights as thought leaders on the subject:

 

  • Peter Drucker, esteemed business consultant and university professor said: “Management is doing things right; Leadership is doing the right things.”
  • Stephen Covey, author of the best selling book, Seven Habits of Highly Effective people had a similar view:  “Management is efficiency in climbing the ladder of success; leadership determines whether the ladder is leaning against the right wall.”
  • Warren Bennis, widely recognized leadership expert and university professor stated: The manager asks how and when; the leader asks what and why.

 

In the end, leaders are measured by their results.  How they get their results is the purpose of leadership: by defining a vision of the future, by inspiring followers, and by taking action to get where they want to go.  Various leaders will use different styles of leadership and exhibit a variety or personal attributes like courage and integrity.  Every leader is unique.   Nevertheless, if they can bring their followers along with them on their journey to a better place, then they will have succeeded, and when they get there, people will say: “There is a great leader.”

Leonard Kloeber is an author and leadership consultant. He has extensive leadership experience as business executive and as a military officer. He has been a hands-on leader in a variety of organizations large and small. Most recently he was a human resources executive for a Fortune 100 company. His book – Victory Principles, Leadership Lessons from D-Day – illustrates seven bedrock leadership principles that all successful leaders use. Download a free summary of the Victory Principles at: http://www.victoryprinciples.com and find other bonus materials for leaders. Contact him at staffride@gmail.com

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Leonard_Kloeber/332142

 

Leadership

Management Vs Leadership – An Assessment of Interdependence

Abstract:  Leadership and management have been the focus of study and attention since the dawn of time. Over time leadership and management have been seen as separate entities, but those times have past. It is this paper’s intent to prove that good management is incumbent upon the success and quality of the leadership that drives it, and by proxy, so too will poor leadership bring poor management that will lead to poor results, and decreased levels of success.

From the great minds in management theory: Fayol, Taylor, and Weber; homage being paid to Barnard and Mayo, as well as Maslow, Mintzberg, Drucker and Porter; to the great minds in leadership development: Jung, McClelland and Burnham, this paper intends to examine them all and bring them together as is required in this economy and these times.

Much time, effort, and money has been placed into the study of both management and leadership successes. Mintzberg and Drucker have done some of the best and most informative work at bringing management and leadership together; now, with the rising costs of overhead and decreasing profit margins, now is the time to connect the dots, once and for all.

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