Authored by James. M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner | Reviewed by Rick Okinda
The two finest teachers of business are named trial and error. These are attributes that summarizes the person and attitude of a leader in the workplace. These leaders according to Kouzes and Posner are always out and about to get extraordinary things done. They shake up organizations that they lead periodically to infuse fresh ideas in them.
Kouzes and Posner came up with ten commitments that leaders must live to. First, a leader searches for opportunities, secondly he/she experiments and takes risks. These first two commandment require that a leader must challenge the process. Thirdly, a leader must envision the future and fourth he/she must enlist others. This way, the leader will be inspiring a vision. Leaders also need to enable others to act by fifthly, foster collaboration and sixth, strengthen others. The seventh commandment requires a leader to set the example and eighth, to plan small wins as a strategy of modeling the way. Ninth, leaders need to recognize individual contribution and tenth, to celebrate accomplishments. These last two commandments summarizes a leader as one who encourages the heart.
It takes superior leaders to get extraordinary things done. These leaders according to Kouzes and Posner must possess the following twenty characteristics; honesty, competence, forward looking, inspiring, intelligent, fair-minded, broadminded, straight forward,. Imaginative, dependable, supportive, courageous, caring, cooperative, mature, ambitious, determined, self-controlled, loyal and independent. This book not only helps you learn to be a good leader but also to observe good leadership in others and to enjoy following leaders that get you to do extraordinary things. Kouzes and Posner have used this book to uniquely remind us how much we need leaders with enthusiasm, with a bounce in their step and with a can-do attitude.
Rick Okinda | IGBR Editor
rickokinda@gmail.com
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