Discovering the Leader in You: How to realize Your Leadership Potential (J-B CCL (Center for Creative Leadership))

210 Pages·2011·1.46 MB·English

by  Sara N. King

Praise for Discovering the Leader in You
‘‘Anexcellentguideforbothnewandseasonedleadersontheunique
andcomplexchallengesofleadershipinthe21stcentury.Thiswell-
written, concise book will take you through the steps needed to
makeconscious,deliberateleadershipchoicesinour24/7worldof
constantaccessandrapidchange—choicesthatwillhelpyoubetter
shapeandcontroltheinfluenceyouwanttohave.’’
—Molly Corbett Broad,president,AmericanCouncilon
Education
‘‘Whenmanagersorexecutivesdriftintoleadershippositions,simply
as a step in their careers, they can find themselves tossed about by
change and complexity. The authors of Discovering the Leader in You
plotthecoordinatesofvaluesandvisionsagainstwhichleaderscan
settheircompassandnavigateunknownseas.Ihighlyrecommend
thisbookforemergingandestablishedleaders.’’
—Robert W. Bryan,CFOandSVP,RollInternational
Corporation
‘‘Leaders are made, not born. Effective leadership requires deep
passion, an unwavering commitment to serving others, a bold
visionoffuturepossibilities,andaconsciouscommitmenttolifelong
learning. The authors, all associated with the world-renowned
Center for CreativeLeadership,have writtena book that will help
leaders in all sectors of society enhance their leadership skills and,
inturn,improvethehumancondition.’’
—Shirley Chater,Ph.D.,R.N.,formercommissioner,
U.S.SocialSecurityAdministration;presidentemerita,
TexasWoman’sUniversity
‘‘Being a leader can be one of the most gratifying roles in life.
DiscoveringtheLeaderinYouspellsoutaneffectiveprocessthatleaders
or aspiring leaders can go through to unleash their ability to effect
change in the world. This is a compelling book that I recommend
highly.’’
—Vice Admiral Cutler Dawson (USN Retired),president
andCEO,NavyFederalCreditUnion
‘‘King, Altman, and Lee have written an important book that will
reward those who are willing to learn, improve, and think expan-
sivelyaboutpersonalpassionandgrowth.’’
—Ben Feder,CEO,TakeTwoInteractiveSoftware
‘‘Discover who you are as a leader with the world’s top experts on
thesubject!’’
—Marshall Goldsmith,world-renownedexecutivecoach;
authoroftheNewYorkTimes bestsellersMOJO andWhatGot
YouHereWon’tGetYouThere
‘‘Where does leadership fit in your life? Readers can count on this
book to help them answer this question confidently. The authors
weave compelling stories of leadership in action with their own
extensive coaching experiences to make this book an engaging,
active force for creating the leadership our world calls for and
deserves.’’
—General John W. Handy (USAF retired),president,
JHandyConsulting
‘‘Strongleadershipisonekeytoahealthyandvibrantorganization.
Building a cadreof leaderswho cannavigatethe challengesahead
is the work of our educational institutions. Discovering the Leader in
Youhelpsbyprovidingapracticalroadmapforemergingleadersto
examine who they are as leaders and which opportunities present
thebestfitwiththeirstyle,strengths,andexperiences.’’
—Nathan O. Hatch,president,WakeForestUniversity
‘‘Most leadership books give you answers, but too few ask pointed
questions so that you can reflect on and come up with your own
answers.DiscoveringtheLeaderinYoudoesexactlythat—andhenceit
isanimportantbook.Readit.’’
—Prasad Kaipa,Ph.D.,CEOcoachandadvisor,Kaipa
Group
‘‘Through their hands-on work unlocking the leadership skills of
numerous CCL classes, these authors have distilled the leadership
discovery process and key behaviors into an engaging and easy-
to-read book. Everyone can learn to build on his or her unique
strengthsandbecomeamoreinspiringleader.’’
—Harlan Kent,CEO,YankeeCandleCompany
‘‘Allgreatleadersstriveforexcellencebycommittingandperiodically
recommittingtoself-improvement.InDiscoveringtheLeaderinYou,the
authors help leaders hone their awareness of self and environment
inthismust-readguideonthejourneytobetterment.’’
—Risa Lavizzo-Mourey,M.D.,MBA,president,
RobertWoodJohnsonFoundation
‘‘The most effective leaders know who they are, why they want to
lead,whattheywanttoaccomplish,howtheycanleadauthentically,
and how their experience teaches valuable lessons. The authors of
Discovering the Leader in You help emerging and experienced leaders
gainmoreclarityabouttheseveryissuessothattheyleadwithmore
purposeandnavigatethechallengesandrewardsofleadership.’’
—Kim Martin,president/generalmanager,WEtvand
WeddingCentral
‘‘In Discovering the Leader in You, CCL continues a rich tradition of
drawing insight from the study of leadership while also presenting
atangiblecalltoactionforthepracticingleader.Whatisdistinctin
thisworkishowCCLspeakstoboththe‘formal’leader—someone
with a title or job description that embodies leadership—and
the ‘informal’ leader—the person who steps up and takes on a
communityserviceprojectoraroleonaschoolboard.Theauthors
ask us to reflect on the question, ‘Why do I want to lead?’ In
a world that appears more and more self-centered, the call for
leadershiphasneverbeenmoreimportant.Thisbookinspiresusto
beintentionalintheimpactwewanttohaveathome,atwork,and
inourcommunitiesandtostepupandleadtowardthispurpose.’’
—SteveMerrill,VPofHumanResources,OGEEnergyCorp.
‘‘Aneffectiveleaderhastohavekeenself-awareness,whichcanonly
beobtainedthroughasystematicprocessofself-discoveryandeval-
uation.Thisbookwilltakeyouthroughaprovendiscoveryprocess
thatwillhelphoneyourleadershipskills.Ihighlyrecommendit.’’
—Donna Noce,president,WhiteHouseBlackMarket
‘‘Leaders are increasingly called upon to lead in a world that is
rapidlychanging,complex,anduncertain.TheauthorsofDiscover-
ingtheLeaderinYouhavedoneamarvelousjobincallingoutthekey
dimensions of effective leadership for these times of challenge and
opportunity. Iheartilyrecommendthisbook.’’
—Nenad Pacek,presidentandfounder,GlobalSuccess
AdvisorsLtd.,Oberwaltersdorf,Austria
‘‘Thisbookhasplentyofpracticaladviceabouthowtobeaneffective
leader.Itwillmakeanotablecontributiontoeachleader’sreflective
journey.Theideaswillsparkrenewedenergyforreaderswithyears
of leadership experience and provide sound advice to individuals
whoarenewtoleadership.’’
—Kristen M. Swanson,Ph.D.,R.N.,F.A.A.N.,deanand
AlumniDistinguishedProfessor,SchoolofNursing,University
ofNorthCarolina,ChapelHill
‘‘Discovering the Leader in You isn’t about finding what’s inside you or
recovering what you’ve lost. It’s about recognizing your situation,
embracing its challenges, and making the necessary changes to
overcome the challenges you face. This book helps leaders at all
levels frame leadership discovery as a choice—a decision to make
a difference to improve the lives of other people. Leadership is
essentialnomatterthesituation.’’
—General James D. Thurman,commandinggeneral,
U.S.ArmyForcesCommand
‘‘Leaders can make or break an organization. With Discovering the
Leader in You, the authors supply us with a systematic approach to
excelling as a leader. The principles defined in this book can help
youbecometheeffective,impactfulleaderyouwanttobe!’’
—Eric Wiseman,chairman,president,andCEO,
VFCorporation
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DISCOVERING
THE LEADER
IN YOU
How to Realize Your
Leadership Potential
New and Revised
SARA N. KING
DAVID G. ALTMAN
ROBERT J. LEE
Copyright2011byJohnWiley&Sons,Inc.Allrightsreserved.
PublishedbyJossey-Bass
AWileyImprint
989MarketStreet,SanFrancisco,CA94103-1741—www.josseybass.com
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LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
King,SaraN.
Discoveringtheleaderinyou:howtorealizeyourleadershippotential/SaraN.King,
DavidG.Altman,Robert J.Lee.—Newandrev.ed.
p.cm.—(AjointpublicationoftheJossey-BassBusiness&managementseriesandthe
CenterforCreativeLeadership)
Earliered.enteredunder:Robert J.Lee.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN978-0-470-49888-0(cloth); ISBN978-0-470-90225-6(ebk);
ISBN978-0-470-90228-0(ebk); ISBN978-0-470-90230-2(ebk)
1.Leadership.I.Altman,DavidG.II.Lee,RobertJ.,1939-III.Lee,RobertJ.,1939-Discovering
theleaderinyou.IV.Title.
HD57.7.L4392011
658.4(cid:1)092—dc22
2010032373
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
RevisedEdition
HBPrinting 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1