LEADERSHIP CHALLENGE BY KOUZES AND POSNER

Kouzes and Posner’s book titled ‘Leadership Challenge’ is based on the premise that practice is what leadership is all about. <br><br>Their model, the five practices of effective leadership is offered as a guide for all modern-day leaders in all aspects of administration. According to them, these five practices are common among exemplary leaders. The book also has the ten commitments of leadership. These are offered as time-tested strategies through which leaders attain their goals. The five practices of effective leadership are: <br><br>First, model the way, by modeling desired behavior, leaders get more commitment and higher work standards from their employees. An exemplary leader must be able to articulate his beliefs and make sure that his action fits his words. A leader’s value must fit in with his behaviors and expectations of others, behavior must be made clear through voice. Kouzes and Posner write “values constitute our bottom line, inform our decisions as to what to do and what not to do.”<br><br>Second, inspire a shared vision, a leader must have a vision and be able to impart it to others this can be done when he has passion about it, speak about it with a sense of urgency and passion to enable others to feel the same.<br><br>Third, challenge the process, exemplary leaders are always looking for ways to challenge themselves and others in order to foster growth and change. Training for workers is a crucial factor in change being successful. Leaders have to motivate their employees to do things for essential reasons.<br><br>Forth, enabling others to act, according to their research, they discover that most extraordinary achievement were not done by one sole person but by a team of people. Collaboration is a necessary part of any organization. A leader must build an atmosphere of trust. The authors also report that psychologist have found that “people who are trusting are more likely to be happy and psychologically adjusted than those who view the world with suspicion and disrespect.” Kouzes and Posner go further to say that “trusting leaders nurture openness, involvement, personal satisfaction and high levels of commitment.”<br><br>Firth, encouraging the heart, the authors suggest that motivation increases productivity only when a challenging goal is put forward and feedback is given on their performance. This encourages self-reflection and self-correction, thereby allowing for the individuals growth. The leaders must expect a high standard of performance in order to get it. Leaders must listen to their employees, recognize and reward them for their progress. This encourages the heart immensely. People appreciate when their work is noticed and appreciated in turn. This shows them that they are valued and that they are an integral part of the organization. <br><br>Kouzes and Posner also talk about leaders enlisting others. They observe that in order for others to buy into a leader’s vision, the leader must develop a sense of shared destiny. According to them, there are three essentials needed to enlist others. These are: listening deeply to others, discover and appeal to a common purpose and communicating expressively to other people.<br><br>They further observe that there are certain crucial values that are needed in leaders which most followers look for and admire. These are honesty, forward looking, competent and inspiring. People want to have leaders that have integrity and are credible. They also explain that, staying in love is a secret to every successful leader. In order to develop, ignite others and get things done through others depends on the love one has in his profession and the people he is leading.<br><br>Kouzes and Posner, provide strategies to help a leader reach their goals through the ten commitments of leadership. These are; clarifying your personal values, set the example by aligning actions with shared values, envision the future by imagining the exciting and ennobling possibilities, enlist others in a common vision by appealing to share inspirations, search for opportunities by seeking innovative ways to change, grow and improve, experiment and take risks by constantly generating small wins and learning from mistakes, foster collaboration by promoting cooperative goals and building trust, strengthen others by sharing power and discretion, recognize contributions by showing appreciation for individual excellence and Celebrate the values and victories by creating a spirit of community.<br>