Читать книгу Optimize Your Strengths - Brook James - Страница 6

There are myriad different leadership models and approaches, many of which are highly prescriptive about the type of personality and qualities you need in order to be an effective leader. For example, qualities like charisma, persuasiveness, emotional intelligence and courage are often highlighted as essential qualities for leadership effectiveness and success.

However, recent research shows that successful leaders have very different personalities and qualities that they draw on in achieving their results. What they do have in common though is a true understanding of and ability to leverage their “leadership edge” (their unique strengths, abilities and skills) to influence and inspire others to achieve extraordinary results.

Effective leadership is also about positive stretch – stretching yourself and your team to push the boundaries and achieve in the upper range of your collective strengths. This is particularly relevant in today's competitive and evolving environment, where organizations (private, public and voluntary) are being challenged to do more with less, to work more efficiently by optimizing the discretionary effort, innovation and engagement of their workforce.

Our experience and research show that effective leaders master the art and science of “stretch”. They adapt to environmental changes whilst adhering to the four Stretch Leadership™ Habits. They establish a clear “picture of success” for their own development and progression and that of their teams and the wider organization by Sharing Vision (the first Stretch Leadership Habit). They simplify this shared vision into manageable stretch goals ensuring buy-in from all stakeholders through the habit of Sparking Engagement. They Skilfully Execute (the third Stretch Leadership Habit) the road map to achieve their vision, celebrating success and Sustaining Progress (the final Stretch Leadership Habit) and positive energy throughout. In short, they push the boundaries of thinking and possibility, looking for new and innovative ways of doing things to achieve the organization's goals, while advancing their own career.

Style of the Book

This book is intended to be a practical and accessible work of fiction, rather than an academic text. It follows the journey of a leader with a deficit (or weakness-oriented) mindset gaining insight and experience about how to lead more effectively through stretching and optimizing his own strengths, as well as the strengths of his team, to achieve outstanding results.

The objective of this book is to highlight powerful concepts, principles and techniques of the strengths-based approach to achieving peak performance. We hope that our story brings these concepts to life in a relevant and engaging way. Whilst the narrative does not delve into the finer details of such models, we have included them as part of a resource and learning toolbox in the appendix of the book.

Although based on actual research and experiences from our own work and coaching, the characters and organization described in this book are fictional and do not reflect any specific person or organization. Whilst the story centres on a “for-profit” organization, the principles and concepts can be applied to any organization irrespective of the nature, purpose or size of the institution, as we have experienced over the past 20 years through extensive research and leadership development experience.

“The leader's role is to free people, not control them – to free their strengths, ideas, energy and value, rather than straightjacketing them with bureaucracy.”

Tony Hsieh, Managing Director, Zappos