Kouzes and Posner (2010) are well-known for their Leadership Practices Inventory® (LPI) that seeks to determine common traits that increase the likelihood for success in leadership positions. The authors look beyond the fads and instead opt for time-tested, enduring truths of leadership. After 30 years of research and data collection, the authors have identified and curated ten long-lasting truths about leadership.
Kouzes and Posner (2010) explore ten fundamental truths about leadership and becoming an effective leader (p. xxi).
You make a difference. To be an effective leader, you must have strong self-efficacy and believe you can affect change and influence others.
Credibility is the foundation of leadership. Others need to believe in your ability to lead them.
Values drive commitment. People want to know what you stand for and what you believe in before they will truly follow you.
Focusing on the future sets leaders apart. Your vantage points should be long-term and strategic to excite your followers.
You cannot do it alone. You need to engage others and motivate them to join your journey. Nothing extraordinary ever got done alone.
Trust rules. Trust is the social glue that holds teams and organizations together.
Challenge is the crucible for greatness. Strong leaders are not afraid to change the status quo. In fact, they look for ways to do it every day.
You either lead by example, or you do not lead at all. Originated in the military, you have to keep your promises and become role models and mentors for the values you espouse.
The best leaders are the best learners. Learning is the master skill of leadership. Every day is another chance to improve.
Leadership is an affair of the heart. Leaders are in love with their stakeholders and the mission they are fulfilling.
These leadership fundamentals, or “truths,” are not a fast-track to success but instead building blocks to greatness. Leadership is demanding and takes work. It requires an elevated sense of mastery of this craft. However, if this is your chosen path, you can do it.
Now is the time when you assess your own management path and leadership skills in the context of other great leaders.
Research the ten truths about leadership and apply them to your own leadership style, both professionally and personally. Please include the following:
Pick 5 out of the 10 truths that resonate with you the most. Find five other leaders, which could be from corporate America or from your personal life, and explain how they incorporate those fundamentals into their leadership style.
Apply those same five truths to your leadership style. If you are not in a leadership position, explain how you can begin to embrace them as you move forward in your career.
Based on the five truths you chose, which contemporary leadership style do you think these fundamentals describe the best? Why? (Level 5 leadership consists of servant leadership, authentic leadership, and interactive leadership.)