I was pleasantly surprised that my Russian colleagues received a Russian translation of the text (probably from the 3rd edition). And I even received the brand new 4th edition which has been updated to make it more compact with international in scope.
We began this week by taking an adapted version of the LPI (Leadership Practices Inventory, also by K&P) which helped each of to assess his own leadership strengths and weaknesses. Kouzes and Posner posit that good leaders are recognized universally by their practices -- their behaviors. And because leadership is not based on a certain personality, everyone can learn to become good leaders.
What makes The Leadership Challenge so good is that it is based on 25 years of data. Kouzes and Posner have used very large samples of people, in-depth questionnaires tested for reliability, and have made the summary statistics from their 2004 data set (8,500 cases for much of the analysis) available on their website. They frequently describe their findings as "evidence-based".
Noting that credibility is the absolute foundation for the rest of the model, Kouzes and Posner describe five key practices for leadership. Good leaders...
- Model the Way - Leaders spend time clarifying and communicating core values and set the example for all to follow.
- Inspire a shared vision of the future that invites others to join the cause.
- Challenge the process - Leaders are constantly searching for new opportunitites for growth while willing to experiment and take risks.
- Enable others to act by encouraging collaboration and empowering followers for their jobs.
- Encourage the heart by recognizing the contributions of everyone. Leaders will celebrate the values and victories of their organization and the people in them.
In the future, I intend to follow up on these points from a Christian leadership perspective.
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