The latest edition of the gold-standard guide for leadership development
In the new seventh edition of The Leadership Challenge: How to Make Extraordinary Things Happen in Organizations, best-selling leadership authors and business scholars James Kouzes and Barry Posner deliver an essential strategic playbook for effective leadership. The book's actionable advice is grounded in robust research and deep insights into the complex interpersonal dynamics of the workplace.
Premier authorities in the field, the authors frame leadership as both a skill to be learned and as a relationship to be nurtured. They demonstrate how to achieve extraordinary results in the face of contemporary business challenges with engaging stories, current case studies, and straightforward frameworks for those who seek continuous, incremental improvement.
The book also offers:
Incisive commentary on the shift toward team-oriented and hybrid work relationships
Key insights into how to break through a new and pervasive level of cynicism amongst the modern workforce
Strategies for leveraging the electronic global village to deliver better results within your team, in your department, and across your organization
Perfect for every practicing and aspiring leader who wants to stay current, relevant, and effective in a rapidly evolving business environment, The Leadership Challenge will help you remain impactful and capable of inspiring and motivating your constituents at every level.
Introduction xv
1 When Leaders Are at Their Best 1
The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership
The Five Practices Make a Difference
Leadership Is a Relationship
Putting It All Together: Credibility Is the Foundation
Practice 1 Model The Way 29
2 Clarify Values 31
Find Your Voice
Affirm Shared Values
3 Set the Example 59
Live the Shared Values
Teach Others to Model the Values
Practice 2 Inspire A Shared Vision 85
4 Envision the Future 87
Imagine the Possibilities
Identify a Common Purpose
5 Enlist Others 111
Appeal to Common Ideals
Animate the Vision
Practice 3 Challenge The Process 137
6 Search for Opportunities 139
Seize the Initiative
Exercise Outsight
7 Experiment and Take Risks 165
Generate Small Wins
Learn from Experience
Practice 4 Enable Others To Act 191
8 Foster Collaboration 193
Create a Climate of Trust
Facilitate Relationships
9 Strengthen Others219
Enhance Self-Determination
Develop Competence and Confidence
Practice 5 Encourage The Heart247
10 Recognize Contributions249
Expect the Best
Personalize Recognition
11 Celebrate the Values and Victories275
Create a Spirit of Community
Be Personally Involved
12 Treat Challenge as an Opportunity 303
Your Leadership Matters
Liberate the Leader Within Everyone
Everyone Can Learn to Lead
Become Your Best Self
You Won't Always Get It Right
Make Becoming a Better Leader a Daily Habit
Remember the Secret to Success in Life
Endnotes 325
Acknowledgments367
About the Authors 371
Index375
