Chapter 10
Achieving Personal Mastery

The traditional view of the leader—unemotional, supremely rational, and essentially mechanistic—is based on the vertically integrated, hierarchical Industrial Age organization. In a less structured, more dynamic global organization, however, the leader can no longer act as supreme puppeteer, simply pulling the strings to make things happen. That is, good leadership, and consequently organization sustainability, will be less about what the leader does and more about who the leader is—and in particular, about two key traits: personal mastery and flexibility (which is discussed in Chapter 13, "Leading Change").

Self-Awareness: The Mark of a Great Leader

Leaders have always worked to understand others, but in the future, they must devote the same kind of effort to understanding themselves—that is, to personal mastery. Personal mastery essentially means having a heightened self-awareness—a deep understanding of one's own behavior, motivators, and competencies—and having "emotional intelligence" that allows one to monitor and manage—rather than control or suppress—one's emotional state.

Leaders need to balance their emotions. They should not overreact to situations, but they should not be totally cold, either. Positive emotions can have a positive impact to drive others.^[1]

As well as demonstrating effective emotional responses in a variety of situations, he or she will demonstrate self-confidence and integrity as a leader, thus inspiring and influencing others to follow his or her vision. For instance, during a media interview, Bob Nardelli, CEO of Home Depot, was confronted about a very negative article written and published by a dissatisfied female customer.^[2] In the article, the woman described her bad experience getting help at Home Depot and told how the competition had been much more helpful. Home Depot, which had found its niche in providing great customer service and assistance, had failed this customer. Bob Nardelli, rather than taking offense to what was written in the article, told the interviewer that he apologized to the public for the service breakdown and that Home Depot was doing and would continue to do everything possible to rectify the situation. Most importantly, Bob explained that companies, especially large companies like Home Depot, are going to have hiccups. He explained that Home Depot has used the situation as a learning experience to create new opportunities and to grow. Through his even-tempered, positive approach, Bob inspired and influenced others to take responsibility and to learn from mistakes.

Global leaders must take it upon themselves to be deeply aware of their personal values and match them to the stakeholders of their organizations. In other words, global leaders' personal values must be reflected in the stakeholders of the organization and their communities. The senior executive team of a global food corporation, focused on company strategy and leadership alignment, acknowledged a connection between the alignment of individual values and principles and company performance. With the help of a consulting firm, the team developed a model whereby the values and principles of individuals were factored in as part of their recruitment practice. The team found that individuals who prospered through training and education would find great opportunities to develop careers at the company; however, individuals who went through training and were unable to grasp the company's philosophy, although given time to work at it, most often weren't successful. The team quickly realized that if there was a mismatch between the values and principles of an individual and the organization, it didn't matter how much training or experience the individual was given, the individual would not be successful at the company.

The leader of the future will willingly admit to personal shortcomings and strive to improve by making a significant investment in ongoing personal development. The CEO of a large mid-Atlantic financial organization realized that he had a lack of understanding for different perspectives, cultures, and lifestyles. As a white male and an economist, he had always been surrounded with people like himself. He decided to make an effort to improve this shortcoming. First, he communicated his challenge to others within the company. Next, he diversified his leadership team to include, as the head of HR, an innovative African American woman. She started a mentoring program that partnered people with very different perspectives together. In fact, she (a gay, female artist-type as she describes herself) paired herself with the CEO. Through this relationship, he discovered that his personal shortcomings around understanding cultural diversity and differing viewpoints was having a real impact on the bottom line of the company, especially given that 70 percent of his core corporate administration and support were African American women. From his partner, he learned that people evaluate information and emotions, and make decisions in a manner different from his. He learned to consider others' values, principles, and decision-making criteria. The mentoring partnership helped him integrate and understand the different value sets and principles of those with whom he worked, so that in the long run he turned his "personal shortcoming" into an admired leadership attribute.

He or she will endeavor to deeply understand his or her own strengths and weaknesses, and will not only have a good consulting team to help bridge the information gap,^[3] but will involve others who have strengths that the leader does not possess. These leaders will appreciate others being able to do what they are not able to do.^[4] There are many reasons that a leader may not be able to complete a specific task or accomplish a certain goal. For instance, perhaps he or she does not have the expertise to solve a problem or does not have the time to focus on it. However, unlike micromanagers, successful leaders will recognize that the outcome will be much greater if they put in place a team of people who have the skills and capabilities needed to handle these challenges more effectively and with deeper focus.

Successful CEOs will know how to divest themselves of the day-to-day solutions and problem-solving activities of the company in order to maximize strategic and relationship building efforts, which contribute to the overall forward momentum of the company. They will recognize the difference between what they need to do versus what they should pass along to their teams. A CEO or chairman should be involved in the minutia of a solution only if everybody else has been unsuccessful or if it's a regulatory or personal relationship that requires a CEO-to-CEO conversation. However, this doesn't always work. For instance, the CEO of a large, global insurance company has become a bottleneck at her company, because nearly every problem and decision goes through her. A people pleaser, the CEO retains power through her relationships, which has become a serious hindrance to the success of the company. The CEO involves herself in nearly every problem that comes through the operations area, because of her personal relationships with the individuals and companies involved. This has slowed the progress of the company down to nearly a standstill.

Leaders' commitment to personal mastery is integral to the financial success and sustainability of an organization. Leaders who find a balance between self mastery, relationship building and the bottom line of the company will be more successful and will avoid "bottlenecking" due to people-pleasing and "cooking the books" to improve stock prices, as in the cases of Enron and Worldcom.

Inside-out Leadership

Traditionally, leadership development programs have sought to instill particular capabilities in their subjects. This is considered "outside-in" leadership, because it asks the leader to look at his or her own personal profile and motivations first and then adapt accordingly. A new school of thought is emerging, however, which claims that leaders must first understand themselves: their motivations, preferences, and risk tolerances. Leadership development must always begin with the careful recognition of core individual values. Through this "inside-out" approach, leaders will be able to respond to or modify their environment to align with their unique, personal leadership capabilities.

There is not a singular model that describes an effective leader for all companies in all industries at all times. Leaders must understand what is required and evaluate their own capabilities and respond accordingly, either by focusing on their strengths, developing new skills, or teaming with others who have the skills that they lack. The leaders of Electronik Inc., COO Johanna Hambrose and CEO Harold Hambrose, separate responsibilities, because they realize that each person has strengths that the other does not. Johanna is more adept at developing marketing strategies, whereas Harold is more capable at design. As such, they lead different teams. Johanna leads the organization's sales force and business development group, and Harold leads the design team.

According to Manfred Kets de Vries, executives have a notoriously underdeveloped capacity for self-reflection, in part because the myopic, action-oriented environment in which many executives operate does not encourage this kind of self-examination.^[7] Despite this inherent difficulty, the changing work environment is making self-awareness all the more important.

In order to influence others, it is vital that the leader first understand his or her strengths and limitations. As in many facets of leadership, understanding oneself is the first step toward developing an effective style for influencing others.

Changing the Leadership Tradition

As part of this personal mastery and self-awareness, effective leaders will be proficient at what John O'Neil calls "ego management"—at listening to other viewpoints rather than simply defending their own—and at not having to "win" whenever there is a difference of opinion. They will also cultivate the quality of empathy, which is the ability to read emotions in others and to see oneself through the eyes of others.

Empathy will be important in communicating across cultures; in understanding and motivating knowledge workers who tend to respond to mutual respect and open communication; and in being able to tap into the ideas and abilities of other people and foster collaboration.

This can be a difficult challenge for global leaders, as people around the world express and communicate feelings differently. For instance, a global financial institution hired a Chinese American male, who had been raised in China by his Chinese mother, as SVP of International Banking. According to his coworkers in the United States, he did not show his emotions. In fact, they complained that because he had no affect, they could not read his responses, and so he was very difficult to work with. As a result of these difficulties in communicating, a consulting firm was brought in to help the international team work together. During an interview, the SVP revealed the difference he had found between how people from the two cultures express emotions. When communicating with people from the United States, he looked at their eyes and facial expression to garner their responses. However, in China, it is inappropriate to show such facial expressions—for instance, a wide smile—after a certain age, so he would read the mouth and chin. He would notice if the mouth were inverted or pursed, or the chin puckered. In doing so, he would know if a person was happy, sad, upset, or tense. This was second nature to him, but before it was explained, it was very confusing to his coworkers.

Open communication regarding body language, empathy, motivational style, and so on is crucial across cultures if we are to understand each other and work together. Certain gestures, such as maintaining eye contact and not showing facial expressions, appreciated in one culture, may be a sign of disrespect in another. As such, to foster collaboration and engender cultural empathy, global leaders must put cultural biases aside and directly communicate with each other in order to learn how to relate to different people in different ways.

It is important to talk openly when going through a conflict. We should talk about emotion, because that will build a solid team. I believe it's the only way you really get to the core of having a solid team that is working together with great trust in one another. There must be some vulnerability and we must get to know the whole person, not just how bright [the person is] or how well [he or she] thinks through things. We need to know what [he or she] feels and how it impacts us. Also, we need to know ourselves well and allow people to be open with us.^[8]

This focus on the emotional side is a far cry from the traditional leadership ideal and so strikes some executives as "not real." However, there are solid business reasons for the leader to develop self-awareness. With strong self-awareness, the leader

• Has a clear sense of his or her capacity for and comfort with risk, stress, and change.
• Has a solid "center" that helps in dealing with multiple cultures, ambiguity, change, and uncertainty.
• Is better able to collaborate as opposed to control.
• Is better able to understand and relate to diverse groups of business partners, employees, and customers.
• Knows his or her strengths and weaknesses, and the areas where the complementary skills and strengths of others can be best brought to bear.
• Can find balance in his or her life, know when and how to recharge physically, mentally, and emotionally, and be more resilient in the face of pressure and stress.

I am a lot less hot-headed, now, than I used to be. You learn to see it coming. You learn to not do damage.^[9]

Ultimately, self-awareness will be central to effective leadership because it can have a powerful impact on the perceptions of those in the organization and their willingness to follow the leader—and help build the sense of trust needed to hold distributed, networked organizations together. Effective leaders must understand the impact they have on others, and then they can more effectively manage their emotional responses and reactions.

The Power of Congruency

The global leaders of the future must continually practice personal mastery; that is, they need a high degree of self-awareness to monitor their own behavior and leverage their personal strengths, as well as to fill gaps in competencies. In building a holistic leadership team, a leader, such as CEO of Home Depot Bob Nardelli, whose background and expertise is engineering, should not hire just like-minded people to be on his leadership team. In some industries—especially those that have engineering at their core, such as utilities and telecommunications—leaders have typically surrounded themselves with people who have the same competencies that they do. For this reason, the leadership teams and thus the company become mired in too much analysis and detail. They do not focus on the market or research design, and as a result there are shortcomings in the distribution and/or execution of the product or service.

At a utilities company, the HR team investigated why it seemed that everyone in the company was analytical and driven by data. After inventorying the cultural profile of the entire company, including the HR team itself, the team found a highly disproportionate number of people with the same cultural profile. Nearly everyone tested out as an ISTJ (introverted, sensing, thinking, judger). This meant that the company had a huge gap in its competencies and would likely not do well at growth or extending its opportunity base.

Leaders must be trustworthy and driven by core personal and often spiritual values, possessing in high degree a good balance of emotional, intellectual, and business intelligence. During an interview, Michael Eskew, chairman and CEO of UPS, was asked about his work ethic as compared to a person who works at a 24/7 pace. He revealed that while he has a strong work ethic, work-life balance is a crucial, core, personal value to him. Thus, he finds ways to balance his work time with other areas of focus, such as himself and his family.^[10]

The ability of leaders to create a shared vision and inspire others to achieve that vision will be greatly enhanced if their personal values and goals are congruent with what they are being asked to do to lead the business. When these two aspects are working together, the leader will be energetic, passionate, inspirational, and enthusiastic. The following diagram illustrates the importance of congruency between the leader's goals, values, and motivations and the vision and environment of the organization. (See Figure 10.1.)

Figure 10.1. Personal and organizational congruency exercise.

The circle at the top of the diamond represents the business context within which the leader operates. It is important for the leader to understand what the business context is or is becoming so that the environment within which he or she is required to lead is clear from a business perspective.

Ask yourself these questions:

What is the business context within which you are currently working?

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What is it becoming?

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What is the environment within which you are required to lead?

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The circle at the bottom left of the diamond represents the leader's personal goals and life journey—what he or she wants from life, how he or she attains balance, how he or she defines success, and what he or she wants to accomplish.

Ask yourself these questions:

What are your personal goals?

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What is your life journey?

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What do you want from life?

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How do you define success?

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What do you want to accomplish?

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The last circle represents the motivation of the individual: his or her passion, motivators, desires, triggers, what causes him or her to behave in certain ways in order to have an impact on whatever it is he or she want to change.

Ask yourself these questions:

What are you passionate about?

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What motivates you?

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What makes you want to impact changes?

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How do you accomplish change?

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Where the three circles are congruent, the situation will exist that psychologists call "flow"; in other words, the organization's goals, the individual's personal goals, and the individual's motivation set are all in synch. In such a situation, high performance, high productivity, and personal satisfaction are all likely to result.

When the three circles are largely or completely separate, it is equally likely that the individual will underperform as a leader in the given business context and will probably be unhappy at the same time. In this instance, the individual would be well advised to seek an alternative business context within which to lead.

The other relevant point to note about this construct is that in moving from one business context to another, any individual needs to reassess the "fit" with personal goals and motivation. Leading successfully in context A does not necessarily guarantee similar success in context B, which is why, in our view, it is not possible to have an "always true" list of what defines the perfect leader in any context.

Conclusion

Global leaders who continually strive to achieve personal mastery are essential to business growth and survival. Many leadership traits can be taught, coached, developed, and internalized, and corporations are constantly searching for new ways to develop them, whether through challenging job assignments, classroom learning, or personal coaching and mentoring. However, the most valuable leadership quality is self-awareness, so that the strengths, weaknesses, and preferences of the organization and its leaders can be understood and counterbalanced. Combining that knowledge with the business strategy creates the best environment for delivering business results.

Developing leaders in the organization requires identifying the individuals with competencies that make them influential and who are capable of navigating through a network of relationships. Thus, self-assessment is needed at both the personal and corporate levels. Executives need to determine their strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes, risk tolerances, and developmental needs. They must do the same for the human capital of the whole organization. Comparing the results with the attributes needed to realize the company vision will reveal the gaps between where the leadership is and where it needs to be.

Shifting values to suit the business of the future can be accomplished if future leaders are aware of the current mismatch and their own strengths and weaknesses. In practice, few current and future leaders are properly prepared in terms of balance, alertness, self-knowledge, resilience, respect for others, and collaboration, not domination. Shifting values requires work that must begin with a consistently applied set of initiatives with wholehearted participation by the leaders. There are no easy methods or shortcuts.

Value changes are embedded in deep personal change. Many leaders need to increase their emotional maturity: their ability to make creative connections and to empathize deeply with others. They also need to manage ego and pride, and to have an insatiable appetite for new learning.

Many current and future leaders are unprepared for these changing values. Often, little attention is paid to mismatches among cultures, generations, and professions. Yet, awareness of cultural differences, etiquette, relationship management, self-awareness, and awareness of others are skills that a global leader must have in order to manage networked alliances.^[11]

Present leaders must either change, share, or even relinquish their leadership role. For those near retirement, this may not be an issue. For middle-aged leaders who lack the new skills, this may be difficult. They will have to understand what they need to learn and be shown how they can practice it, and the organization's performance measurement and reward system will need to be changed to promote the desired personal mastery competencies.

Resource Section: Achieving Personal Mastery

ITEM 39: Deeply Understands Her or His Own Strengths and Weaknesses

WHAT TO DO

• Constantly monitor your own performance, and make notes on those areas you excel in, you need improvement in, and processes you might help streamline or improve. Communicate these experiences to your team to help improve their effectiveness.
• Think and act positively when mistakes occur.
• Realize that failures and mistakes are just one step on the road to success.
• Recognize that being aware of the impact that your behavior has on other people is a critical managerial skill.
• The capacity to encourage and stay open to feedback is essential to the improvement of your managerial skills.
• The feedback you ask for is generally of a higher quality and easier to receive than if unsolicited—so ask often!
• When criticism is difficult to accept, there is probably some truth to it.
• Recognize that providing feedback is difficult for both the giver and the receiver.
• Don't take criticism personally; it is an opportunity for growth.

HOW TO DO IT

• Learn to give yourself and others credit for improving.
• Adopt a "can-do" attitude, take a break from the problem, and come back later with a fresh perspective.
• Don't hesitate to ask for help or advice.
• Ask coworkers for feedback about how you are doing in this area.
• Ask for small amounts of feedback on a regular basis, so that it doesn't pile up.
• When there is a problem you need to address, use active listening skills to check your understanding and let the person know that you heard him or her accurately.
• Thank the person who has given you feedback or bad news.
• Be aware of defensiveness, and avoid arguing, defending, or rationalizing your behavior.

HOW TO DO IT

• Ask an effective leader to role-play interactive situations with you. Ask him or her to provide you with specific behavioral feedback and to suggest alternative behavior that might enhance your ability to lead.
• Solicit feedback on your personal leadership as part of your subordinates' performance appraisal and coaching sessions by asking questions such as, "What am I doing to hinder your goal accomplishment?" and "What would you suggest I do differently?"

HOW TO USE THIS SKILL FURTHER

• Read self-help books written to help you understand yourself.
• Practice this skill with your family and close friends.

RESULTS YOU CAN EXPECT

• You may better understand yourself, your actions, and those around you.
• You may be involved in fewer conflicts as a result of your deeper understanding.
• People may comment on or express appreciation for the way you share your experiences and knowledge with others.

READINGS

• Buy, Lie, and Sell High: How Investors Lost Out on Enron and the Internet Bubble. D. Quinn Mills. 2002. Financial Times Prentice Hall: New York. ISBN: 0130091138.
• Do What You Are: Discover the Perfect Career for You Through the Secrets of Personality Type. Paul D. Tieger & Barbara Barron-Tieger. 2001. Little, Brown & Company: New York, ISBN 0316880655.
• Life Launch: A Passionate Guide to the Rest of Your Life. Frederic M. Hudson, Pamela D. McLean. 2000. Hudson Press: Santa Barbara, CA, ISBN 1884433847.
• Maximum Achievement: Strategies and Skills That Will Unlock Your Hidden Powers to Succeed. Brian Tracy. 1995. Fireside: Columbus, OH, ISBN 684803313.
• The Art of Living Consciously: The Power of Awareness to Transform Everyday Life. Nathaniel Branden. 1999. Fireside: Columbus, OH, ISBN 684838494.
• The Leader of the Future: New Visions, Strategies, and Practices for the Next Era. Frances Hesselbein, Marshall Goldsmith, Richard Beckhard, & Peter Ferdinand Drucker. 1997. Jossey-Bass: San Francisco, ISBN 787909351.
• The Other 90%: How to Unlock Your Vast Untapped Potential for Leadership and Life. Robert K. Cooper. 2001. Crown: Victoria, BC, ISBN 812932870.
• Understanding the Enneagram: The Practical Guide to Personality Types. Don Richard Riso & Russ Hudson. 2000. Houghton Mifflin: Boston, ISBN 0618004157.
• What Color Is Your Parachute? 2001. Richard Nelson Bolles. 2000. Ten Speed Press: Berkeley, CA, ISBN 1580082424.
• Why We Do What We Do: Understanding Self-Motivation. Edward L. Deci & Richard Flaste. 1996. Penguin USA: New York, ISBN 0140255265.
• Working With Emotional Intelligence. Daniel P. Goleman. 2000. Bantam Doubleday Dell: New York, ISBN 553378589.

ITEM 40: Invests in Ongoing Personal Development

WHAT TO DO

• Decide on clear, long-term goals for yourself, then establish what you need to do and what attitudes you need in order to achieve them.
• Keep a list of the knowledge and skills that you want to learn in the next 5, 10, and 20 years.
• Commit to being a lifelong learner. Approach every situation by asking yourself, What can I learn from this?
• View mistakes as a necessary learning tool.
• Request project assignments in other areas of the company.
• Develop additional skills as a hobby, and keep your manager informed of your progress.

HOW TO DO IT

• Spend five minutes daily to visualize yourself attaining your goals.
• Identify what skills are required for success, and ask your manager to give you assignments in those areas.
• Perform other tasks or contribute ideas even if not requested, then show your work to your manager and others. Even if not used, they will see that you are capable of doing other jobs.
• Make public speeches and presentations in your area of expertise.
• Attend seminars and training sessions on management and leadership skills.
• Request an assignment that requires management skills rather than technical skills.
• Take classes at local colleges and universities. Attend inhouse and outside training seminars and workshops.
• Observe and learn from managers who are skilled or savvy in the areas you are attempting to develop. Ask them how they developed a particular skill.
• Discuss techniques with managers who excel at continuous self-improvement.
• Get involved in a task force to develop your crossfunctional knowledge.
• Volunteer for tasks that require you to learn new information and skills.
• Ask for feedback from your peers, managers, and workgroup.

HOW TO USE THIS SKILL FURTHER

• Take on more assignments, particularly challenging ones.
• Assist others who are experiencing leadership problems.
• Make your learning style more visible so you can serve as a model for others.

RESULTS YOU CAN EXPECT

• You may be recognized for your efforts to improve your leadership skills.
• Others may ask you for advice on personal development.

READINGS

• Be Your Own Mentor: Strategies from Top Women on the Secrets of Success. Sheila W. Wellington & Betty Spence. 2001. Random House: New York, ISBN 037550060X.
• Business 2010: Positioning Your Company and Yourself in a Rapidly Changing World. Frederick G. Harmon. 2001. Kiplinger Books: Washington, DC, ISBN 938721844.
• Control Your Destiny or Someone Else Will: Lessons in Mastering Change-From the Principles Jack Welch Is Using to Revolutionize GE. Noel M. Tichy & Stratford Sherman. 1999. HarperBusiness: New York, ISBN 887306705.
• Creating You & Co: Learn to Think Like the CEO of Your Own Career. William Bridges. 1998. Perseus: Reading, MA, ISBN 738200328.
• Leadership and Self-Deception: Getting Out of the Box: Doing Versus Saying the Right Thing. The Arbinger Institute. 2000. Berrett-Koehler: San Francisco, CA, ISBN 1576750949.
• Leadership from the Inside Out. Kevin Cashman. 1999. Executive Excellence: Provo, UT, ISBN 1890009318.
• Learning Journeys: Top Management Experts Share Hard-Earned Lessons on Becoming Great Mentors and Leaders. Marshall Goldsmith, Beverly L. Kaye, & Ken Shelton. 2000. Davies-Black Publishing: Palo Alto, CA, ISBN 891061479.
• The Other 90%: How to Unlock Your Vast Untapped Potential for Leadership and Life. Robert K. Cooper. 2001. Crown: Victoria, BC, ISBN 812932870.
• The Power of Purpose: Creating Meaning in Your Life and Work. Richard J. Leider. 1997. Berrett-Koehler: San Francisco, ISBN 1576750213.
• Who's Running Your Career?: Creating Stable Work in Unstable Times. Caela Farren. 1997. Bard Press: Marietta, GA, ISBN 1885167172.

ITEM 41: Involves People Who Have Strengths that He or She Does Not Possess

WHAT TO DO

• Understand your own strengths and weaknesses.
• Determine how your strengths benefit the organization.
• Surround yourself with those whose strengths not only are different from your own, but that complement your weaker areas.
• Recognize that every organization is a "human" organization. Get to know people and establish a rapport with them.
• Consider those who possess different strengths and talents than you as potential collaborators.
• Develop a team made up of people with complementary strengths. Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of other people in your organization can help you build a high performing, competitive team.
• Get individuals on your team to see how their jobs or tasks and responsibilities are interdependent.
• Identify the advantages that come from teaming with diverse talents in the organization
• Meet with each of your team members to identify what you can do to help them develop to their full potential.

HOW TO DO IT

• List your strengths and weaknesses.
• Ask others for feedback on your areas of strength and weakness.
• Analyze the individuals on your team. Identify possible missing skills, expertise, or perspectives.
• Develop and train your staff to meet those needs that are not being met by either you or your team.
• Hire people who will add to the whole team or organization, not just people who can do a specific job.
• Push yourself to spend the time and effort to actively seek people with different skills, opinions, and expertise.
• Define each individual on your team in terms of his or her strengths and weaknesses. List knowledge, skills, and capabilities, and identify gaps that may need to be filled.
• Comprise a strategic plan that includes future challenges for your team or organization.
• List the necessary requirements for each job and role on your team in terms of both specific skills and overall perspectives.
• Hire employees who possess skills sets, experience, and work styles that differ from yours.

HOW TO USE THIS SKILL FURTHER

• Make your work style more visible to the members of your team so that you serve as a role model.
• Practice team-building techniques with a group outside of work.
• Ask your family and friends what they believe are your strengths and weaknesses. Add these descriptions to your own list.

RESULTS YOU CAN EXPECT

• You may discover other talents in your employees to further increase the productivity of your work unit.
• The productivity of your organization may increase.
• People may comment on or express appreciation for the way you value people's strengths and effectively utilize them.

READINGS

• Dance Lessons: Six Steps to Great Partnerships in Business & Life. Chip R. Bell & Heather Shea. 1998. Berrett-Koehler: San Francisco, ISBN 1576750434.
• Encouraging the Heart: A Leader's Guide to Rewarding and Recognizing Others. James M. Kouzes & Barry Z. Posner. 1999. Jossey-Bass: San Francisco, ISBN 787941840.
• High Five! The Magic of Working Together. Ken Blanchard, Sheldon M. Bowles, Don Carew, & E. Parisi-Carew. 2000. William Morrow & Co: New York, ISBN 688170366.
• The Intelligent Organization: Engaging the Talent & Initiative of Everyone in the Workplace. Gifford Pinchot & Elizabeth Pinchot. 1996. Berrett-Koehler: San Francisco, ISBN 1881052982.
• Love 'Em or Lose 'Em: Getting Good People to Stay. Beverly L. Kaye & Sharon Jordan-Evans. 1999. Berrett-Koehler: San Francisco, ISBN 1576750736.
• Management 21C: Someday We'll All Manage This Way. Subir Chowdhury. 1999. Financial Times-Prentice Hall: Upper Saddle River, NJ, ISBN 273639633.
• Organizing Genius: The Secrets of Creative Collaboration. Patricia Ward Biederman & Warren G. Bennis. 1998. Perseus: Reading, MA, ISBN 201339897.
• The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork: Embrace Them and Empower Your Team. John C. Maxwell. 2001. Thomas Nelson: New York, ISBN 0785274340.
• The Boundaryless Organization: Breaking the Chains of Organizational Structure. Ron Ashkenas, Dave Ulrich, Todd Jick, & Steve Kerr. 1998. Jossey-Bass: San Francisco, ISBN 787940003.

ITEM 42: Demonstrates Effective Emotional Responses in a Variety of Situations

WHAT TO DO

• When under stressful situations, don't overreact. Calmly think about how to handle the situation and then proceed to do so.
• Evaluate your reactions to negative situations; formulate plans on how to handle them more effectively if they should recur.
• Handle sensitive matters with discretion.
• Take responsibilities for your actions.
• Use objective, performance-based data in managing others' performance or administering discipline.

HOW TO DO IT

• Use calm, clear, objective language when communicating your ideas or position.
• Openly admit your mistakes and take responsibility for your actions when things don't go as planned.
• Stand up for what you believe is important. Be gracious whether your ideas are accepted or rejected.
• Treat personal matters in confidence.
• Resolve interpersonal difficulties directly with the other person.
• Exercise discretion in communicating information of a sensitive nature (e.g., choose the right time, setting, audience).

HOW TO USE THIS SKILL FURTHER

• Ask trusted colleagues, family, and friends to tell you when they observe you doing anything that might appear to show a lack of emotional maturity.

RESULTS YOU CAN EXPECT

• People may tell you they have noticed a positive change in how you handle yourself.
• Employees may seek your advice in dealing with problem issues.
• Fewer complaints may be made regarding your attitudes or behaviors.

READINGS

• Credibility: How Leaders Gain and Lose It, Why People Demand It. James S. Kouzes, Barry Z. Posner, & Tom Peters. 1995. Jossey-Bass: San Francisco, ISBN 787900567.
• Control Yourself! M. K. Gupta & Linda Scura. 1997. Indus Publishing: New Delhi, India ISBN 1890838012.
• Emotional Intelligence at Work. Hendrie Weisinger. 2000. Jossey-Bass: San Francisco, ISBN 0787951986.
• Love 'Em or Lose 'Em: Getting Good People to Stay. Beverly L. Kaye & Sharon Jordan-Evans. 1999. Berrett-Koehler: San Francisco, ISBN 1576750736.
• The Power of Ethical Management. Ken Blanchard & Norman Vincent Peale. 1996. Ballantine Books: New York, ISBN 0449919757.
• Working With Emotional Intelligence. Daniel P. Goleman. 2000. Bantam Doubleday Dell: New York, ISBN 553378589.

ITEM 43: Demonstrates Self-Confidence as a Leader

WHAT TO DO

• Identify your most deeply held values and principles, and use them to guide your leadership.
• Have the courage to say no.
• Take calculated risks.
• Realize that being a leader is not a popularity contest.
• Show the courage to let your people learn from their mistakes.
• Believe that you can make a difference.
• Admit your mistakes and take responsibilities for the consequences.
• Take the initiative to correct problems before being asked.
• Give recognition to people for their achievements.
• Keep your manager and coworkers informed of your progress on their requests or suggestions.
• Demonstrate shared leadership. Include others in decision making.
• Remain open to alternatives and new ideas.

HOW TO DO IT

• Be willing to say no clearly and explain why.
• Use simple, clear, objective language when communicating your ideas or position.
• Acknowledge both your successes and your failures with equal candor.
• Stand up for what you believe is important. Be gracious whether your ideas are accepted or rejected.
• Prepare plans in advance for handling possible emergencies and crises.
• Encourage and reward people who help solve problems and make effective decisions.
• Schedule your actions and write plans if necessary. Respond quickly and in the style most preferred by your manager, peers, and work group.
• Listen to all alternatives before deciding on one alternative.
• Observe and learn from managers who demonstrate self-confidence.
• Get your coworkers' feedback on how you are doing in this area.

HOW TO USE THIS SKILL FURTHER

• Ask for expanded responsibilities.
• Develop new skills and set challenging goals for yourself.

RESULTS YOU CAN EXPECT

• You may be respected and viewed by others in the organization as a confident, strong leader.
• Your manager may delegate more responsibilities to you.

READINGS

• Emotional Intelligence. Daniel Goleman. 1997. Bantam Books: New York, ISBN 0553375067.
• In Praise of Good Business: How Optimizing Risk Rewards Both Your Bottom Line and Your People. Judith M. Bardwick. 1998. John Wiley & Sons: New York, ISBN 047125407X.
• Intrapreneuring in Action: A Handbook for Business Innovation. Gifford Pinchot & Ron Pellman. 1999. Berrett-Koehler: San Francisco, ISBN 1576750612.
• Leading Change. John P. Kotter. 1996. Harvard Business School Press: Boston, ISBN 875847471.
• Leading People: The 8 Proven Principles for Success in Business. Robert H. Rosen & Paul B. Brown. 1997. Penguin USA: New York, ISBN 140242724.
• The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader: Becoming the Person that People Want to Follow. John C. Maxwell. 1999. Thomas Nelson: New York, ISBN 785274405.
• The Hungry Spirit: Beyond Capitalism: A Quest for Purpose in the Modern World. Charles Handy. 1999. Broadway Books: New York, ISBN 767901886.
• The Leadership Moment: Nine True Stories of Triumph and Disaster and Their Lessons for Us All. Michael Useem & Warren G. Bennis. 1999. Times Books: New York, ISBN 812932307.
• The Power of Purpose: Creating Meaning in Your Life and Work. Richard J. Leider. 1997. Berrett-Koehler: San Francisco, ISBN 1576750213.

Endnotes

1. Pharmaceuticals, United Kingdom, 30.

2. PBS CEO Exchange Series. Hosted by Jeff Greenfield, October 2002.

3. Research and development, United States, 47.

4. Technology, United States, 34,

5. J. Heskett & J. Kotter. Corporate Culture and Performance. Free Press: ISBN 0029184673., April 1992.

6. E. S. Harter & M. Sashkin. "The Relationship Between Leadership and Organizational Sustainability." This report is based on the doctoral dissertation research of Eric Harter, conducted at Case Western Reserve University.

7. Kets De Vries. M. F. R. Leaders, Fools, and Impostors: Essays on the Psychology of Management. Jossey-Bass: San Francisco, 1993.

8. Products and services, United States, 42.

9. Pharmaceutical, United States, 41.

10. PBS CEO Exchange Series. Hosted by Jeff Greenfield, October 2002.

11. Technology, United States, 32.

12. Information and quotes from interview with Constantine Papadakis conducted by Cathy Greenberg. February 2002.

13. Taken from Drexel University: A University with a Difference: The Unique Vision of Anthony J. Drexel, 2001. Newcomem Publication Number 1565.