Discovering Your Own
Leadership Style
Bart Bolton
Lifetime Learning
August 9, 2011

Leadership is the principal factor between ordinary and extraordinary performance.
 Best practice research
 Current focus of IT leaders
 Recent leadership authors
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A Leader is...
 One who has followers.
 Different from a manager.
 Found at all levels of an organization.
 Also a follower.
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A Real Leader
A real leader is one you WANT to follow and not one you HAVE to follow.
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Leadership Myths
 Leaders are born not created.
 You need charisma to be a leader.
 You have to be an extrovert to be a leader.
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Lao Tzu’s
“The Art of War”
“A leader is best when people barely know he exists, Not so good when people obey and acclaim him, Worse when they despise him,
But of a good leader, who talks little, When his work is done, his aim fulfilled, They will say: We did it ourselves.”
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Max DePree’s
“Leadership is an Art”
“The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between the two, the leader must become a servant and a debtor…Leaders don’t inflict pain; they bear pain.”
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Warren Bennis’s
“On Becoming a Leader”
“…followers need from their leaders three basic qualities:
– They want direction
– They want trust
– They want hope.”
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NE RLF 1995
“ A manager uses a map to determine the direction in which to go and a leader uses a compass.”
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John Kotter’s
“A Force for Change”
 Leadership
– Establishing Direction
– Aligning People
– Motivating & Inspiring
 Management
– Planning & Budgeting
– Organizing & Staffing
– Controlling & Problem
Solving
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Leadership Style
 Varies by individual
 Consists of over 60 components

Has no universal or “right way”
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Leadership Fundamentals
 Self awareness
 Personal values
 Integrity & character
 Genuine care of people
 Personal credibility
 Holistic viewpoint
 Continuous learning
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Leadership Characteristics
 Passion
 Initiative
 Intelligence
 Innovation
 Flexibility
 Enthusiasm
 Trustworthy
 Decisiveness
 Sense of urgency
 Persistence
 Consistency
 Conciseness
 Incisiveness
 Energy
 Hopeful
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Leadership Practices
 Life balance
 Creativity
 Ambiguity
 Diversity
 Use of humor
 Business orientation
 Risk taking
 Ethics
 Cultures
 Empowerment
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Leadership Practices continued
 Use of power
 Motivation
 Spirituality
 Globalization
 Leadership
Development
 Systems thinking
 Results oriented
 Follower-ship
 Entrepreneur-ship
 Relaxation
 Loyalty
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Leadership Skills
 Teambuilding
 Listening
 Facilitating
 Managing projects
 Managing change
 Resolving conflicts
 Consulting
 Selling/marketing
 Presenting
 Creating visions & missions
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Leadership Skills continued
 Relationship building
 Negotiating
 Mentoring/coaching
 Story-telling
 Interviewing
 Communicating
 Learning the business
 Setting a direction
 Strategizing
 Giving feedback
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Your Leadership Style:
A Lego Model
 7 Fundamentals
 15 Characteristics
 21 Practices
 20 Skills
63 Components
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Welcome to Leading with Style
I challenge you to:
 Develop your own leadership style
 Build your personal model
 Enjoy your journey!
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Questions & Clarifications
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