The+Leadership+Challenge

=The Leadership Challenge, 4th Edition =

HOW THE LEADERSHIP CHALLENGE BEGAN
The Leadership Challenge has its origins in a research project Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner began in 1983. They wanted to know what people did when they were at their "personal best" in leading others. They started with the assumption, however, that they did not have to interview and survey star performers in excellent companies to discover best practices. They assumed that by asking ordinary people to describe extraordinary experiences, they would find patterns of success. They were right. After some preliminary research, Kouzes and Posner devised a personal-best leadership survey consisting of thirty-eight open-ended questions such as these:

Who initiated the project? How were you prepared for this experience? What special techniques and strategies did you use to get other people involved in the project? What did you learn about leadership from this experience?

THE LEADERSHIP CHALLENGE MODEL
From an analysis of the personal-best cases, they developed a model of leadership that consists of what Kouzes and Posner call The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership.

Model the Way Inspire a Shared Vision Challenge the Process Enabling Others to Act Encourage the Heart  

THE LEADERSHIP CHALLENGE MAJOR THEMES
For our discussion, I suggest we post by themes. Feel free to discuss insights from the readings. This space is designed for us to engage in a series of online dialogue sessions concerning the themes and learnings found in our L.E.A.D. Read texts. Please provide honest and thoughtful responses that are reflective of your reading and experience.