How to Be a Changemaker...

The leadership skills that worked in the past are quickly becoming irrelevant in today's fast-paced, change-is-the-name-of-the-game world. To be effective, you need to know how to adapt to and drive change. Here are the six core skills that can turn you into a changemaker:

• Bring people together who aren't connected.
• Design new business models by combining players and resources in new ways.
• Persevere with an idea until you see success.
• Don't rely on credentials, but on the power of your ideas.
• Persuade others to see the possibility of your ideas and join you in the pursuit.
• Empower others to also make change.
(Source: Harvard Business Review)
(Image source: Stevelutz.files.wordpress.com)

Five Rules for Mastering Leadership

There are countless opinions on how to be an effective leader, but it's important to not forget the basics. Here are five rules for mastering the fundamentals of leadership:

Shape the future - Articulate where your company or division is going and be sure everyone around you understands the direction.
Make things happen - Once you know where you're headed, focus on the how. Again, be sure all of your people know what it takes to execute.
Engage today's talent - Make the most of your people; engage and inspire them to do their best.
Build tomorrow's talent - Find and build the talent you need for future success.
Invest in yourself - You can never be a perfect leader; find ways to continually build your skills and become better.
(Source: Harvard Business Review)
(Image source: Oberlin.edu)

Leadership

What Makes a Leader?
(By Daniel Goleman)
When asked to define the ideal leader, many would emphasize traits such as intelligence, toughness, determination, and vision — the qualities traditionally associated with leadership. Often left off the list are softer, more personal qualities — but they are also essential. Although a certain degree of analytical and technical skill is a minimum requirement for success, studies indicate that emotional intelligence may be the key attribute that distinguishes outstanding performers from those who are merely adequate.

What Leaders Really Do?
(By John P. Kotter)
Most corporations today are overmanaged and underled. They need to develop their capacity to exercise leadership. Successful corporations don't wait for leaders to come along. They actively seek out people with leadership potential and expose them to career experiences designed to develop that potential.

The Work of Leadership
(By Ronald A. Heifetz and Donald K. Laurie)
More and more companies today are facing adaptive challenges: Changes in societies, markets, and technologies around the globe constantly force businesses to clarify their values, develop new strategies, and learn new ways to operate. The most important task for leaders in the face of such challenges is mobilizing people throughout their organizations to do adaptive work.

Why Should Anyone Be Led by You?
(By Rob Goffee and Gareth Jones)
We all know that leaders need vision and energy, but after an exhaustive review of the most influential theories on leadership — as well as workshops with thousands of leaders and aspiring leaders — it is learned that great leaders also share some unexpected qualities.

Crucibles of Leadership
(By Warren G. Bennis and Robert J. Thomas)
What makes a great leader? Why do some people appear to know instinctively how to inspire employees — bringing out their confidence, loyalty, and dedication — whereas others flounder again and again? No simple formula can explain how great leaders come to be, but Bennis and Thomas believe it has something to do with the ways people handle adversity. Research suggests that one of the most reliable indicators and predictors of true leadership is the ability to learn from even the most negative experiences.