SIRIUS INFORMATION  RESOURCES YOU CAN USE |
MARYLU DYKSTRA WWW.SIRIUSRESOURCES.NET |
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IF YOU GET THIS
On Becoming A Leader | by Warren Bennis | ISBN 0-7382-0817-5
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YOU CAN USE THIS
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(table excerpts from pages 40 and 41)
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All leaders have four essential competencies
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Real leaders are able to engage others by creating shared meaning. The leader has a vision. True leaders are empathetic and understand the wants and needs of their followers. Vision and empathy, together, create the foundation for active engagement. |
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Authentic leaders have a distinctive voice, a collection of traits that when combined reflect a person with purpose, self-confidence and a sense of self. This “voice” allows others to believe in the leader. |
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All true leaders have integrity. A component of integrity is moral compass. Leadership is always about character. When difficulties arise the leader has the courage to do what is right and not just what is easy. |
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The key competence, essential for all leaders is adaptive capacity. It is what allows leaders to respond quickly and intelligently to relentless change. |
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What distinguishes a leader from everyone else is that he or she takes in life circumstances, all that has been taught or directed and creates a new and unique self. True learning must start with unlearning. A leader must engage in innovative learning: anticipation (being actively imaginative); learning by listening to others; participating and shaping events rather than being shaped by them. |
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| Inductive |
Deductive |
| Understanding |
Memorizing |
| Experiential |
Rote |
| Alternatives |
Goal |
| Initiative |
Direction |
| Long-term |
Short-term |
A LEADER
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A MANAGER
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THE NEXT STEP
This is an amazing book and likely the best book on leadership I have ever read. It addresses the need for inner work and the importance of reinventing oneself. As a martial arts sensei, I must lead my students to a place of humble learning. As a student earns a black belt, their perception of how much they know compared with what they really know are polar opposites. In truth, becoming a black belt merely suggests they have enough of a foundation to start learning. This is a difficult concept for some. I tell them, “empty your cup,” reflecting a story about a person who visited a Zen master for training. The master poured tea to the brim of the cup, then kept pouring. The visitor was astonished. The master explained that he could not learn until he emptied his cup. I take this analogy further. To me, the cup is the ego, it holds onto what you believe and what you know. You have to reshape your ego to allow you engage in life-long learning. This is something that must be practiced everyday. Not easy, but worth it.
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Sirius Resources creates and facilitates business and marketing strategy sessions to ensure you define and reach your goals with actionable ideas and objectives.
Marylu Dykstra 616.868.6306 mdykstra@siriusresources.net |
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