The Leadership Challenge. Posner Barry Z.

portrait of what's going on because leaders don't make extraordinary things happen all by themselves. The full picture requires an understanding and appreciation of what constituents expect from their leaders. You earn leadership from the people you aspire to lead. People choose, on a daily basis, whether they are going to follow and commit completely their talents, time, and energy. In the end, leaders don't decide who leads, followers do.

      Leadership is something you experience in an interaction with another human being. That experience varies from leader to leader, from constituent to constituent, and from day to day. No two leaders are exactly alike, no two constituent groups are exactly alike, and no two days in the life of leaders and constituents are exactly alike. Great leadership potential is discovered, and unlocked, when you seek to understand the desires and expectations of your constituents, and when you act on them in ways that are congruent with their norms and image of what an exemplary leader is and does. What leaders say they do is one thing; what constituents say they want and how well leaders meet these expectations is another. Knowing what people want from their leaders is the only way to complete the picture of how leaders can build and sustain the kind of relationships that will make extraordinary things happen.

      What People Look for and Admire in Their Leaders

      To understand leadership as a relationship, we have investigated the expectations that constituents have of leaders.11 Over the years, we have asked people to tell us the personal traits, characteristics, and attributes they look for and admire in a person whom they would be willing to follow. The responses both affirm and enrich the picture that emerged from studies of personal leadership bests.

      1

      Unless otherwise noted, all quotations are from personal interviews, from Personal-Best Leadership Experience case studies, or leadership reflections written by the respondent leaders. The titles and affiliations of the leaders quoted may be different today from what they were at the time of their case study or publication of this edition. In a few instances when leaders have asked us not to use their real names, we have used pseudonyms for ease of discussion. All other details of the example are the respondent's actual experience.

      2

      We are grateful to Steve Coats for providing this example, expanded by further interviews.

      3

      We are grateful to Natalie Loeb for provid

1

Unless otherwise noted, all quotations are from personal interviews, from Personal-Best Leadership Experience case studies, or leadership reflections written by the respondent leaders. The titles and affiliations of the leaders quoted may be different today from what they were at the time of their case study or publication of this edition. In a few instances when leaders have asked us not to use their real names, we have used pseudonyms for ease of discussion. All other details of the example are the respondent's actual experience.

2

We are grateful to Steve Coats for providing this example, expanded by further interviews.

3

We are grateful to Natalie Loeb for providing this example, expanded by further interviews.

4

More information about the myths that keep people from fully developing as leaders can be found in J. M. Kouzes and B. Z. Posner, Learning Leadership: The Five Fundamentals of Becoming an Exemplary Leader (San Francisco: The Leadership Challenge – A Wiley Brand, 2016).

5

We are grateful to Valarie Willis for providing this example.

6

We are grateful to Valarie Willis for providing this example.

7

We are grateful to Joseph Hines for providing this example.

8

More information about the research methodology and findings can be found in B. Z. Posner, “Bringing the Rigor of Research to the Art of Leadership: Evidence Behind The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership and the LPI: Leadership Practices Inventory,” http://www.leadershipchallenge.com/Research- section-Our-Authors-Research-Detail/bringing-the-rigor-of-research-to-the-art-of-leadership.aspx.

9

Posner, “Bringing the Rigor,” and J. M. Kouzes and B. Z. Posner, LPI: Leadership Practices Inventory, 4th ed. (San Francisco: The Leadership Challenge – A Wiley Brand, 2012), http://www.leadershipchallenge.com/professionals-section-lpi.aspx.

10

R. Roi, Leadership Practices, Corporate Culture, and Company Financial Performance: 2005 Study Results (Palo Alto, CA: Crawford and Associates International, 2006), http://www.hr.com/en?s=ldYUsXbBU1qzkTZI&t=/documentManager/sfdoc.file.supply&fileID=1168032065880. For a list of hundreds of scholarly articles examining how The Five Practices impacts engagement and performance, see Posner, “Bringing the Rigor.”

11

For a more in-depth discussion about leadership being a relationship, what people look for in their leaders, and the actions leaders need to take to strengthen that relationship, see J. M. Kouzes and B. Z. Posner, Credibility: How Leaders Gain and Lose It, Why People Demand It (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2011).

11

For a more in-depth discussion about leadership being a relationship, what people look for in their leaders, and the actions leaders need to take to strengthen that relationship, see J. M. Kouzes and B. Z. Posner, Credibility: How Leaders Gain and Lose It, Why People Demand It (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2011).