The Truth About Leadership

Transcription

1 ILS 565 Assignment - Book Review The Truth About Leadership The No-Fads, Heart-of-the-Matter Facts You Need To Know Authors: James M. Kouzes Barry Z. Posner Lucinda D. Mazza March 17, 2011

2 The Truth About Leadership The No-Fads, Heart-Of-The-Matter Facts You Need To Know Leadership is one of the major elements of management. In their book, The Truth About Leadership, Kouzes and Posner speak from years of research and statistical analysis to articulate what is inherently found in a strong leader. This is a book that captures the fundamentals of becoming a great leader. As a manager you are the most important person to your direct reports, even more so than the CEO of the company. It is therefore critical to be the best leader possible. Kouzes and Posner (2010) identify The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership; 1. Model the Way 2. Inspire a Shared Vision 3. Challenge the Process 4. Enable others to Act 5. Encourage the Heart (p. 13) What do direct reports look for in a leader? What qualities in a leader motivate and gain the respect of their direct reports? Extensive global research, done by Kouzes and Posner (2010), consistently ranked the most important characteristics of a leader to be; 1. Honest - tell the truth, hold clear standards, and believe what you say 2. Forward-Looking - provide a sense of direction and concern for the future, align your vision with your teams hopes and dreams 3. Inspiring - give them reason to believe and be positive and optimistic 4. Competent - Ability to get things done, leadership competence means mobilize the best efforts from your team to deliver extraordinary work. (p. 17) ILS565 Assignment - Book Review 2

3 The value of motivating ones direct reports to willingly work towards a common goal is tremendously valuable in a library setting where making your patrons happy is vital to the success of the library. If the library staff are motivated and have a positive attitude it will be reflected in their interactions with the patrons. Leading is not about getting others to conform to your point of view. It is about listening to the needs and aspirations of others. "Leadership is a relationship and relationships are built on mutual understanding"(kouzes & Posner, 2010). The future direction of a library should be a shared vision inspired by the leader, yet created and understood by all. "Leadership is a team sport" (Kouzes & Posner, 2010). A leader builds a team of "people who feel powerful and capable of taking action" (Kouzes & Posner, 2010). In order to create this team, a leader believes in his employees, sees their strengths and supports their growth. Trust is a vital element of a healthy organization. Developing trust within an organization is essential, but if you are a new Director in a library the structure of trust needs to be built. Trust must first be demonstrated by the Director or leader. "Trusting others encourages them to trust you"(kouzes & Posner, 2010). When the going gets tough leaders "get gritty", they display firmness of spirit and unyielding courage. Leaders never give up, they acknowledge the challenges, but tell themselves and others the challenges can be overcome with hard work and determination. "No one ever got anything extraordinary done by keeping things the same" (Kouzes & Posner, 2010). This statement could not be truer for libraries in the 21st century. Change is the future, technology makes it so. Information comes in all shapes and sizes, if librarians let this opportunity pass us buy, we will be left behind, closing our library doors for good. ILS565 Assignment - Book Review 3

4 Kouzes and Posner believe that "leadership is an affair of the heart" (Kouzes & Posner, 2010). Now this seemed a bit farfetched, however their research has shown that the highest performing managers and leaders are the most open and caring. "They are more positive and passionate, more loving and compassionate, and more grateful and encouraging".... "exemplary leaders excel at improving performance because they pay great attention to the human heart" (Kouzes & Posner, 2010, p. 136). Finally Kouzes and Posner state that "Love is the Soul of Leadership" (Kouzes & Posner, 2010). They go on to explain that love is the source of the leader's courage and that "love creates the desire to serve others and to see them grow and become their best" (Kouzes & Posner, 2010). Leadership is tough work, along with the successes and victories come the failures and defeats. Leading requires persistence and patience and lots of hours and energy. "Fall in love with the work you are doing and with the reason you are doing it"(kouzes & Posner, 2010). Be passionate about your work, wake up excited to get to work, eager to learn and anxious to practice getting great at it. Promote the positive, "enthusiasm is infectious"(kouzes & Posner, 2010). As a leader we must always remember that You are responsible, leadership is not about wishful thinking it's about determined doing. This message serves as a guiding principle for Librarians. With the rapid evolution of technology and the constant increase of information, librarians have an opportunity and obligation to guide the future of information management. Let us remain passionate and positive about what the future holds. ILS565 Assignment - Book Review 4

5 References Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (2010). The truth about leadership : the no-fads, heart-of-thematter facts you need to know (1st ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. ILS565 Assignment - Book Review 5