Preparing for Leadership

Preparing for Leadership

by Donna J. Dennis, Deborah Meola
Released July 2009
Publisher(s): AMACOM
ISBN: 9780814414538

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Book description

What makes a great leader? Confidence? Trust? Vision? The ability to inspire? The answer is complex yet understandable. The good news is that most great leaders are made, not born, and many of the characteristics associated with effective leadership can be assessed, trained, and developed. Based on the best-selling seminar by the American Management Association, this book gives readers practical advice on how they can: • get noticed by learning how to look and talk like a leader • become expert teambuilders, coaches, and communicators • gain and use power and influence positively • guard against the pitfalls of intraorganizational politics • identify and build strategic alliances • elicit support • motivate others Containing practical tools including assessments, tips, and checklists, this book shows readers how to take their organizations into the future, inspire those around them...and achieve beyond what is expected.

Table of contents

  1. Cover Page
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright Page
  4. Contents
  5. Acknowledgments
  6. Introduction
  7. 1 - What is Leadership?
    1. A Brief Review of History
    2. Transformational Leadership
    3. Trust
    4. Transformational Leadership Model Components
      1. Communicating Direction
      2. Inspirational Motivation
      3. Problem Resolution
      4. Building the Team
    5. Context of Leadership
    6. Leadership Self-Assessment
    7. Career Enhancement Tool: Mentors
  8. 2 - Leadership Style: Fit your Style to your Group
    1. How Leaders Lead in Each Stage of Group Development
      1. Stage One Leaders
      2. Stage Two Leaders
      3. Stage Three Leaders
      4. Stage Four Leaders
    2. Leaders as Members of a Group or Team
    3. Managing Up
    4. Effective Member Checklist
    5. How Leaders Talk
      1. Effective Communication
      2. Challenges and Threats
      3. Change
      4. Vision
      5. Mission
      6. Values
      7. Goals
    6. Using Vision, Mission, and Values to Lead Others
    7. Your Vision, Mission, and Values
    8. Career Enhancement Tool: Scenario Planning
  9. 3 - What is your Leadership Brand?
    1. Perception is Reality
    2. How to Change Negative Perceptions
    3. Developing Trust
    4. A Trust Check-Up
    5. Building Trust: Virtual Teams
    6. Working on Your Image over Time
    7. Career Enhancement Tool: Feedback
  10. 4 - How can you Build Influence and Power?
    1. Inspiring
    2. Negotiating
      1. Establish Goals and what you have of Value to the Other Person
      2. Ask Questions to Understand what the Other Person's Interests Are
      3. Present your Ideas Persuasively
      4. Get Commitment for what you Want
    3. Leveraging Relationships
    4. Using Authority and Information
    5. Practicing the Four Styles
    6. Sources of Power and Influence
    7. Increasing Influence through Communication
    8. Career Enhancement Tool: Intentional Storytelling
  11. 5 - How to Handle Organizational Politics
    1. The Positives of Politics
    2. Political Self-Assessment
    3. How do you Learn Political Skills?
    4. How to Win at Politics
    5. Career Enhancement Tool: Avoiding Political Blunders
  12. 6 - How to Motivate People
    1. Generations at Work
    2. Know your People
    3. Motivation Analysis
    4. Provide Positive Feedback
      1. Use Inspirational, Motivational Language when Communicating
    5. Use Behaviors that Motivate
    6. People who Resist your Authority
    7. Other Difficult Situations
    8. Handling Difficult People
      1. The Staller
      2. The Emotional Hothead
      3. The Complainer
      4. The Backstabber
      5. Mr. Perfect
    9. Changing your Reactions to Difficult People
    10. Career Enhancement Tool: Coaching through the Generations
  13. 7 - Personality and Leadership
    1. Coaching Tips for Introverts
    2. “Derailers”—When Good Turns Bad
    3. Assimilation Process
    4. Career Enhancement Tool: Resiliency
  14. Conclusion
  15. Notes
  16. Bibliography
  17. Recommended Reading/Resources
  18. Index
  19. About the Author

Product information

  • Title: Preparing for Leadership
  • Author(s): Donna J. Dennis, Deborah Meola
  • Release date: July 2009
  • Publisher(s): AMACOM
  • ISBN: 9780814414538