CorpU Weekly Digest: Leadership Development (2012-June-18)

Topics: Leadership

Here are this past week's headlines in leadership development: 

• (1) Lessons from history about developing the leaders we need ;  
• (2) Leadership in the Information Age: Thinking through developing leaders in a new context ; 
• (3) An important reminder about the the positive and negative aspects of the big five personality traits, and their relation to developing leaders ;
• Book: Leadership Isn't For Cowards: How to Drive Performance by Challenging People and Confronting Problems ; 
• Webinars ; and
• Conferences

 Lessons from history about developing the leaders we need
From history, we know that in any crisis of large magnitude, a vision that does not convince, captivate, and align citizen support will fall flat. And leadership without vision is ineffective. It's a hard message for leaders to grasp, and a harder one to build within your leadership development programs. But one needs to ensure that conversation continues to happen, to help develop the leaders we need in our organizations. IESE Dean Jordi Canals wrote in the Financial Times about Konrad Adenauer, West Germany's first chancellor, highlighting his ability to communicate and act on his vision, and the lessons today's leaders could learn from his example. According to Canals, "In today's politically divided European Union, it is time to remember that good leadership makes a difference — leadership that uses a long-term perspective to address problems, that lucidly presents options to citizens, that puts national interests on a level with Europe's, and that has the courage to follow through on decisions." Courageous vision, knowing how to make difficult choices and having the ability to persuade are among the qualities that a strong leader must possess. In addition to character, there are many tools that help forge great leaders. Being aware of what these are, and how to develop and use them, are also key to helping a potential leader blossom. According to Leggett and IESE colleague Conor Neill, the most vital tools for executive leadership — managerial or political — can be understood as the magnet and hammer. The magnet encompasses leadership actions that create a pull toward a destination, including vision, storytelling, charismatic speaking, and role modeling. These actions create the magnetic effect that helps to draw in support. But after drawing in support, you need a hammer, or a set of leadership actions to drive change directly. Such leadership actions include direct orders, control systems, hiring and promotions, job definition and financial incentives. Read the IESE Insight magazine article, "The Leaders Europe Needs"

 Leadership in the Information Age: Thinking through developing leaders in a new context 
As we move into the Information Age, we see the changing face of leadership from what it was like in the Industrial Age to what it looks like now. The old model has turned 180 degrees to reflect one that provides more parity between the leader and the follower. While the leader of a global organization today needs a variety of skills to succeed, it is not possible that every single leader possesses all of these skills and talents simultaneously. Leaders are faced with an endless list of challenges in multiple areas, including finances, marketing, legal, interpersonal communication, and human resources, well as those relating to rapidly changing technology. Good leaders need to have an innate understanding of their specific skills sets as well as limitations — the type of personal mastery, which helps them become aware of the fact that they cannot possibly deal with every single issue or challenge. A good executive coach can help the executive or leader achieve personal mastery and help them cope with the challenges in a much more effective manner. As the business world evolves into one that boasts of parity, it is creating a culture its own. In order to be successful in this type of culture, leaders need to listen and accept feedback from their followers. They also need support from their followers in order to reach their goals. The participative and democratic style of leadership is gaining prominence in today's Information Age, in which decisions are frequently reached jointly, as leaders and followers brainstorm ideas in an open and communicative environment. Mutual trust and respect form the crux of this relationship. Read the article "Leadership in Today's Information Age"

 An important reminder about the the positive and negative aspects of the big five personality traits, and their relation to developing leaders
In MIT Sloan Management Review’s Spring 2012 issue "How to Become a Better Leader", IMD professors Ginka Toegel and Jean-Louis Barsoux explore the ways that leaders can recognize and manage their psychological inclinations. Toegel and Barsoux lay out five personality dimensions, each combining a cluster of traits, that distinguish one person from another. The five factors are:

1. Need for stability; 
2. Extraversion; 
3. Openness; 
4. Agreeableness; and 
5. Conscientiousness. 

Each of these factors has both positive parts and negative parts, as the chart "The Curse of Your Qualities" shows.

Read the MIT Sloan Review article "The Curse of Your Qualities"

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 The Business of Learning: New Major Products, Mergers, Acquisitions, and Partnerships

No major news in mergers, acquisitions, or product releases.

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 Books To Read

In the book Leadership Isn't For Cowards: How to Drive Performance by Challenging People and Confronting Problems, Mike Staver offers straightforward steps to leading courageously and practical tips for driving performance. Courageous leadership means toughening your approach by being rigorous in the application of your values through the company culture. It means confronting and challenging people, and not letting them get away with being less than you know they can be. The path to courageous leadership has six components: Accept Your Current Circumstances, Take Responsibility, Take Action, Acknowledge Progress, Commit to Lifelong Learning, and Kindle Relationships. These manageable steps include: 1) Identify the area in your business or life where a gap exists between your current reality and your desired reality; 2) Align yourself with a person or a group of people who can commit to holding you accountable for closing the gap; and 3) Make a specific commitment to the outcome(s) you want and assign dates to them. With courageous leadership, you'll create a culture and a mindset that encourages and demands excellence! An inspirational book from an inspirational speaker, meant to help you bring out the best in your employees and lead your company to significant success. Buy now

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 Webinars 

Social Learning: Develop Your Strategy
Date: Jun 19, 2012 - 10:00am PT / 1:00pm ET
Presenter: Taleo Register now

The New Era of Talent Acquisition: Outsourcing for Contingent and Direct Hire Recruiting – Where Vendor Managed Services Meets Recruitment Process Outsourcing
Date: Tuesday, June 19, 2012 - 1:00pm ET
Presenter: Jack Van Tiem, Gonzalez, and Tom Tisdale, Peoplefluent Register now

How to Produce Big Webcasts with Small Crews
Date: Tuesday, June 26, 2012 1:00PM, CT
Presenter: Scott MacGougan Register now

Moving Beyond eLearning to Performance Support
Date: Tuesday, June 27, 2012 10:00AM, PT
Presenter: Bob Moshe Register now

Empowering future language learners: Formal and informal language learning through social media
Date: Jun 28, 2012, 11:00-12:00 Central European Time / 5:00 - 6:00am ET
Presenter: P.A.U. Education Register now

Gamify Your Training: Use Gamification to Increase Employee Engagement and Improve Feedback
Date: Thursday, August 2, 2012, 1pm ET
Presenter: Greg Greunke, President, Tuzooni & Greunke Register now

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 Conferences

Gamification Summit
Date: June 19-21, 2012
Location: San Francisco, CA, USA Register now

2012 ICOI The International Conference of Organizational Innovation
Date: July 10-12, 2012
Location: Indonesia Register now

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