Comments on: Research finds leadership skills inadequate to meet current and future demand

By: Pablo

Pablo — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 15:14:19 +0000

Not surprising, since people are not being educated to be leaders.

By: Teresa

Teresa — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 12:20:15 +0000

This is so true. Yes, there is a gap!

Thank you for educating others with your posts!

Cheers,
Teresa

By: JasonShick

JasonShick — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 18:03:02 +0000

Everyone is bringing up such good points. The question I always go back to is “how does this relate to me and my organization?” I think the research shows clearly that if you want to be valued and in demand in the future, you need to find a way to grow as a leader. Many leaders are so busy putting out fires and getting the job done that the first thing to go is personal development. Focus on becoming a better leader, learn, listen, take time to reflect… all this will help ensure that you become one of the sought after leaders in the years to come. Not to mention the fact that it will increase your effectiveness exponentially which is what we expect from leaders – RESULTS.

By: Twitted by SteveHake

Twitted by SteveHake — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 17:23:30 +0000

[...] This post was Twitted by SteveHake [...]

By: Vlad

Vlad — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 09:10:47 +0000

The 7 most important leaders qualities actually have not changed since Peter Drucker described them in ~1960. But the speed and the correlations in todays dynamic world require a better leadership for the ones that wants to be successful managers.

By: Andy1nnovation

Andy1nnovation — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 13:02:16 +0000

The outcome is the same I register in daily life. It’s the change in basic management approach. Away from taylorism based theory x approach up to the knowleged and community based theory y approach. Put this discussion on my blog as well. Good research. Thanks for this input.
http://wp.me/pJLMj-2m

By: Mediavorous » Blog Archive » Links for November 18th

Mediavorous » Blog Archive » Links for November 18th — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 05:57:14 +0000

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By: Devon Claffey

Devon Claffey — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 23:45:40 +0000

There are seven competencies, listed above, for success, now and in the future that are all true for leadership like leading people, strategic planning, managing change, inspiring commitment, resourcefulness, doing whatever it takes and being a quick learner. Although, I think that the missing is emotional awareness, social awareness and good communication skills because this is life and people are all different. These are harder to teach because these are things that you are taught growing up or born with. This helps you adapt to certain situations. Learning more and more through out your life time by experience makes a person more aware on how to deal with these emotion and social situation and help develop the skills needed for different situations.
Leadership is a process by which a person influences others to accomplish an objective and directs the organization in a way that makes it more cohesive and coherent. Leaders carry out this process by applying their leadership attributes, such as beliefs, values, ethics, character, knowledge, and skills. Although your position as a manager, supervisor, lead, etc. gives you the authority to accomplish certain tasks and objectives in the organization, this power does not make you a leader, it simply makes you the boss. Leadership differs in that it makes the followers want to achieve high goals, rather than simply bossing people around. There are different kinds of approaches to take in leadership like trait approach, behavioral approach and the power and influence approach. The trait approach is leadership as best understood in terms of traits or dispositions held by an individual that are accountable. The behavioral approach is a conception that leadership is best understood in actions taken by an individual in conduct of leading a group. Lastly, power and influence approach, which is best understood by the use of power and influence exercised by a person with a group. Also, there are all different kinds of leaders like transformation and charismatic leaders. Transformational leadership is the process of inspiring a group to peruse goals and attain results. These are leaders that are looked up too. There are also charismatic leaders, who produce support and ideas and beliefs of an individual who possess these traits.

By: Chuck Rask

Chuck Rask — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 21:43:43 +0000

All the above points are good, but I want to comment on the born/made aspect of leadership. Yes, every sociological situation in the human sphere tends to have a leader emerge. This does not necessarily mean that the person so “chosen,” has traits that could lead to leadership in another context. So, we have a situational aspect that demands different traits for success. In a general business context, there should be some traits that allow for a larger probability of success. Intelligence (ability to learn quickly), emotional awareness, social awareness, communication skills (determining audience position/sensitivities). Can these be taught if there is no existing framework? I believe leaders are born with traits that allow them to learn and adapt to situations. Of course, continued learning and experience leads to more awareness and tools for different situations. One more thing…an angry mob will develop a spokesman/leader…but this situational leadership is more a function of the situation. A skillful leader would be the one that could turn the mob from it’s goal and direct it elsewhere. A business set up is usually a situation that is conducive to producing results. Employees are paid, contractors under contract…everyone involved is usually a willing party to getting the result. I see a managers role as making sure the players can do what needs to be done, and not letting anything, including him/herself get in the way.

By: Lynn Andrews

Lynn Andrews — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 21:48:41 +0000

Several comments have alluded to the need for leaders to know who they are leading, and I would add, why they are working in our organizations. In “Good to Great”, Jim Collins posits that if leaders can get the right people on the bus and in the right seats, they will be well on the way to creating a great organization. All the skills and dispositions or qualities mentioned in the study and in other comments would certainly support effective leadership once this is accomplished, as long as leaders stay in touch with the vision, stengths, and needs of those who have chosen to ride the bus along with us.