Book – Leadership Challenge by Kouzes and Posner

Summary some of the lessons for me:
Part 2: Model the Way
– Chap 3: Find your voice by clarifying your personal values

• Look in the mirror.
• Take time for contemplation.
• Write a tribute to yourself.
• Record the lessons from the leaders you admire.
• Write your credo.
• Engage in a credo dialogue and assessment.
• Collect stories that teach values.
• Audit your ability to succeed.

– Chap 4: Set the example by aligning actions with shared values.

• Create alignment around key values.
• Speak about shared values with enthusiasm and confidence – even drama.
• Teach & reinforce through symbols & artifacts.
• Lead by storytelling.
• Put storytelling on your meeting agendas.
• Ask questions.
• Keep score.
• Do a personal audit.

Part 3: Inspire a Shared Vision
– Chap 5: Envision the future by imagining exicting and ennobling possibilities

• Read a biography of a visionary leader.
• Think about your past.
• Determine the “something” you want to do.
• Write an article about how you’ve made a difference.
• Write your vision statement.
• Become a futurist.
• Test your assumptions.
• Rehearse with visualizations and affirmations.

– Chap 6: Enlist others in common vision by appealing to shared aspirations

• Get to know your constituents.
• Find the common ground.
• Draft a collective vision statement.
• Expand your communication skills.
• Breathe life into your vision.
• Speak from the heart.
• Listen first – and often.
• Hang out.

Part 4: Challenege the Process
– Chap 7: Search for opportunities by seeking innovative ways to change, grow and improve.

• Treat every job as an adventure.
• Seek meaningful challenges for yourself.
• Find and create meaningful challenges for others.
• Add fun to everyone’s work.
• Question the status quo.
• Renew your teams.
• Create an open-source approach to searching for opportunities.
• Send everyone shopping for ideas.

– Chap 8: Experiment and take risks by constantly generating small wins and learning from mistakes

• Set up little experiments and develop models.
• Make it safe for others to experiment.
• Break mindsets.
• Break it up and break it down.
• Give people choices.
• Accumulate yeses.
• Admit your mistakes.
• Conduct pre/postmortems for every project.

Part 5: Enable Others to Act
– Chap 9: Foster collaboration by promoting cooperative goals and building trust

• Conduct a collaboration audit.
• Be the first to trust.
• Ask questions, listen, and take advice.
• Always say we.
• Create jigsaw groups.
• Focus on gains, not losses.
• Make a list of alternative currencies.
• Take a lot of human moments.
• Create places and opportunities for informal interactions.

– Chap 10: Strengthen others by sharing power and discretion

• Offer visible support.
• Assign critical tasks.
• Enrich people’s jobs.
• Use modeling to develop competencies.
• Stop talking and start building at staff meetings.
• Enlarge people’s sphere of influence.
• Educate, educate, educate.
• Create a learning climate.

Part 6: Encourage the Heart
– Chap 11: Recognize contributions by showing appreciation for individual excellence

• Be creative about rewards.
• Make recognition public.
• Provide feedback en route.
• Be a Pygmalion.
• Foster positive expectations.
• Make the recognition presentation meaningful.
• Find people who are doing things right.
• Don’t be stingy about saying thank you.

– Chap 12: Celebrate the values/victories by creating a spirit of community

• Schedule celebrations.
• Install a public “Bragging Board.”
• Create a commemorative award honoring exemplary actions.
• Demonstrate caring by walking around.
• Show passion and compassion.
• Be a cheerleader – your way.
• Have fun.
• Set the example – plan a celebration right now.

Book website: http://www.leadershipchallenge.com/