The Simple Truths About Leadership (eBook)

Larry Peters is Professor Emeritus of Management & Leadership Development in the Neeley School of Business at Texas Christian University, USA. He is an award-winning instructor, scholar, and consultant. He has received four all-campus teaching awards and been honored for his career contributions to research by two professional associations. He was senior editor of the Blackwell Encyclopedic Dictionary of Human Resources Management. Professionally, Dr. Peters has provided consulting, presentation, coaching, custom training design, training, meeting design, facilitation, and applied research services to business, non-profit and government organizations. He has worked extensively in the organizational development, change, leadership development, and interpersonal communications areas.

Preface 5
Why This Book? Why Now? 6
Purpose 6
A Final Note 8
Acknowledgments 9
Contents 14
List of Figures 16
1: Setting the Stage 17
Application Activities 22
Application Activity 1.1: Your Baseline 23
References 23
2: Times Are a Changing – And So Is Everything Else 24
The Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men… 27
Application Activities 32
Application Activity 2.1: Your Business Environment 33
Application Activity 2.2: Your Organizational Model 34
Application Activity 2.3: Organization–Environment Fit 35
Application Activity 2.4: Is My Mindset the Problem or the Solution? 36
3: Our Mindsets: The Answer Has Been Hiding in Plain Sight 37
Application Activities 43
Application Activity 3.1: Whispers in the Dark 44
Application Activity 3.2: What Have I Done? What Will I Do? 45
Application Activity 3.3: Conditions for Empowerment 46
4: What Does It Mean to Be a Partner? 48
Followers, Partners, and White Water 51
Partnership and Unexpected Leadership 52
Partnership, Unexpected Leadership, and Culture 53
Application Activities 54
Application Activity 4.1: Partners in My Work Setting 55
Application Activity 4.2: Organizational Models and Their Impact 56
Application Activity 4.3: Unexpected Leadership 57
Reference 57
5: Balance Matters 58
Focus, Focus, Focus 59
Application Activities 70
Application Activity 5.1: Balanced Stakeholder Perspective 71
What’s Real? 71
Application Activity 5.2: Being Intentional in Our Decision-Making Processes 72
Reflection 72
Application Activity 5.3: Circle of Growth® (Fig. 5.2) 73
Reference 74
6: Corporate Culture: It Takes More Than Donuts! 75
Culture and the Simple Truths 78
Change Is Everything in a White Water World 80
Application Activities 82
Application Activity 6.1: What’s Missing in Your Culture? 83
Application Activity 6.2: What Would a People-Centric Culture Look Like in Your Organization? 84
7: Leading Culture Change: Moving from Here to There 85
Why So Difficult? 86
Change Leadership 101 88
My Top Ten High Leverage Change Leadership Thoughts (Drum Roll Please) 88
Application Activities 103
Application Activity 7.1: Critical Values 104
Application Activity 7.2: Your Force Field 106
Application Activity 7.3: One Team—One Process 108
Reference 108
8: Leading Self and Others to a More People-Centric Being 109
Leading Self: Becoming a More People-Centric Leader 109
The R-E-S-P-E-C-T Model of Leadership 111
_ _ _ _ _ C _ 111
R _ _ _ _ C_ 114
R E _ _ _ C _ 115
R E S _ _ C _ 115
R E S _ E C _ 116
R E S P E C _ 117
R E S P E C T 118
Summary 119
Leading Others: Earning the Right to Lead 119
So, How Full Is Your Container? 120
Application Activities 121
Application Activity 8.1: The R-E-S-P-E-C-T Model Acid Test 122
So, How Full Is Your Container? 123
Application Activity 8.2: People-Centric Model Feedback Form 124
Application Activity 8.3: People-Centric Leadership Feedback Form—Interpretation 125
Application Activity 8.4: Have You Earned the Right to Lead? 126
What Do You Think? 126
Application 8.5: Does Your Behavior Earn You the Right to Lead? 127
What Do You Do That Stands Out in Support of a People-Centric Culture? 127
References 128
9: Growing the Next Generation of People-Centric Leaders 129
What Can I Do to Develop People-Centric Leaders? 130
Capability Development 132
Moving Forward 137
Application Activities 138
Application Activity 9.1: Using Questions to Support Reflection 139
Application Activity 9.2: Coach? 140
References 141
10: Leading a Culture Change Revolution: Your Leadership Challenge 142
New Mindsets and Leadership 143
Application Activities 147
Application Activity 10.1: Turning Around “Can’t Do” Mindsets 148
Don’t Do This to Yourself! 148
Reference 149
11: Corporate Culture and People-Centric Leadership at Beryl: An Interview with Paul Spiegelman 150
Interview 152
Final Thoughts 159
Postscript 162
References 162
References 163
Index 166