my earliest days I have been fascinated with leadership,” said Kevin Sharer, CEO of Amgen. “When somebody asked me at 10 years old, ‘What do you want to do when you grow up?’ I said, ‘I just want to be in charge.’”
“I don't think other people think of me as a leader,” said David Kelley, founder of IDEO. “‘Leader’ is a funny word for me. You see, I'm a collaborator. If there is a problem, I call all the smart people I know and get them in a room and have them figure it out.”
How about you? How do you think of yourself as a leader?
Introductory Exercise 1: Leadership Images in Your Life
You first learn about leadership and leaders by watching others. These examples offer patterns from which to learn. They are the raw material from which to construct the conceptions of leadership you carry into your work and your life.
The purpose of this exercise is to call to mind what you already know about leading, those implicit theories of leadership you've developed by watching others.
Think of five leaders, past or present, whom you have admired. Write their names below, and then answer for yourself the questions that follow.
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Which of these leaders have had the greatest impact on your conceptions of leadership?
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What specific examples of leading stand out in your mind for each of these leaders?
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Which three of these leaders do you consider to be authentic?
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What reservations or concerns might you have about following each one?
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How did the context in which each of them led differ from what you face today?
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What qualities, if any, of these three leaders would you like to emulate?
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What qualities, if any, would you like to avoid?
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No Leader Is Perfect
The biographies of those most often placed on the “best leaders” lists can be surprising at times. Even the most widely admired leaders have very human weaknesses: notable failures as well as successes, startling inconsistencies in relationships or behaviors, and even times of intense struggle with their core values and principles. These struggles do not disqualify anyone from being a source of inspiration, a role model for others, or a teacher. Indeed, leaders, teachers, and mentors must first know and understand their personal developmental needs in order to help you work on yours.
Introductory Exercise 2: Your Preparation for Leading
The purpose of this exercise is to establish a starting point for your work with this fieldbook.
What are the most important qualities you bring to leading?
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All good leaders are continuously developing. Which of your leadership qualities would you like to develop further?
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It is important to keep in mind those qualities that you want to work on. This fieldbook is intended to help you fulfill your aspirations to become a more authentic and effective leader. No one can give you the leadership qualities you seek. You already have them within you. This guide is designed to help you gain a clearer understanding of what they are, identify those aspects of yourself that you like and want to embrace, as well as those that you don't necessarily like and want to change.
Learning From Your Leadership Journey
In
