As a way to introduce the topic of leadership, I would like to ask each of you several
questions. In answering these questions, you will hopefully learn something about the
topic of leadership.
While the text defines leadership, I want you to think about how you – not someone else
– looks at the topic of leadership. In addition, by answering this question you will
hopefully see how you answer has changed by the time we reach the end of the class.
Who have taken their place? Leaders today sometimes appear to be an endangered
species, caught in a whirl of events and circumstances beyond rational control. In the last
two decades, there has been a high turnover among both occupational and actuarial
leaders.
According to Bennis, “They’re out there pleading, trotting, temporizing, putting out fires,
trying to avoid too much heat. They’re peering at a landscape of bottom lines. They’re
money changers lost in a narrow orbit. They resign. They burnout. They decide not to
serve. They’re organizational Houdinis, surrounded by sharks always trying to escape,
miraculously, to make more money via their escape clauses than they made in several
years of work.”
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the earth as only one of many entities circling the earth. This new paradigm changed the
way we then look at other aspects of life - particularly this paradigm made available
multiple sources of power and possibilities.
Question #3: What are the qualities that you look for most in a leader? In your
opinion, who best exemplifies these qualities?
In answering the second part of this question, you can use any leader that you like from
any area. It may be someone you respect and admire in business, politics or religion.
In an effort to help everyone better develop their leadership skills (and not just their
knowledge on the topic of leadership) I have selected the text, Learning to Lead by
Bennis and Goldsmith. This book will help you learn more about yourself and how you
deal with others through the experiential exercises provided in each chapter.
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Exercise #2 The Distinction Between Leaders and Managers
Give examples of Leaders and Managers who you are familiar with.
Leaders
Name Position
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Managers
Name Position
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Given your list of managers and leaders, what distinctions do you see
between the two. Include additional characteristics of managers and
leaders based on your experience with people you know.
Now, place your own name on the appropriate list as a manager or leader.
Did you have more people in one category than the other? If so, which one and why?
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