The leadership challenge

The leadership challenge
By James M. Kouzes, Bary Z. Posner

Getting extraordinary things done in organization

The leadership challenge is about how leaders mobilize others to get extraordinary things done in organization. It's about the practices leaders use to transform values into actions, visions into realities, obstacles into innovations, separateness into solidarity, and risks into rewards.
It's about leadership that creates the climate in which people turn challenging opportunities into remarkable successes.

There are countless opportunities for each of us to make a difference. For instance, there are opportunities to

* Provide direction and support to out teams during uncertain times.
* More fully utilize the talents of our colleagues.
* Set a positive example of what honesty and ethics mean in daily life
* Find a better balance in our always-on, 24/7/365 lives
* Apply knowledge to products and services, creating extraordinary value for the customer
* Put the innocence and wisdom of different generations into our workplace and into our products and services
* Use the tools of technology to weave a web of human connection
* Tap the wealth of scientific knowledge to create a safer and more sustainable world.
* Rebuild a sens of community and increase understanding among diverse peoples.
* Turn information into knowledge and improve the collective standard of living
* Bring peace to a world tired of war
* Restore hope and create a deeper sense of meaning in our lives.


It's about those who seize these opportunities to lead us to greatness. It's about how traditional systems of rewards and punishments, control and scrutiny give way to innovation, individual character,and the courage of convictions. Leadership is not the private reserve of a few charismatic men and women. It is a process ordinary peole use when they bringing forth the best from themselves and others.When the leader in everyone is liberated extraordinary things happen.

In the end, we realize that leadership is self-development. Meeting the leadership challenge is a personal -and a daily - challenge for all of us. We know that if you have the will and the way to lead, you can. You have to supply the will. We'll do our best to supply the way.