Leading Effectively e-Newsletter - December 2006 Issue

Building Character: Strengthening the Heart of Good Leadership

To succeed over the long-term, organizations need leaders with strong character. Building character, says CCL's Gene Klann, is both a smart move and the right move for leaders and organizations.

This issue of Leading Effectively is based on the just-released book Building Character: Strengthening the Heart of Good Leadership by Gene Klann.

Don't miss CCL's February 8 Webinar:
Building Character: Strengthening the Heart of Good Leadership

Articles

Don't Give Up on Leadership Character
If you've been wondering where all the good leaders have gone, you're not alone. Seventy percent of people in the United States believe there is a leadership crisis in our country, according to a new study by the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government and U.S. News & World Report. "When people have profound disappointment in or mistrust of their leaders, they are making a statement about leadership character," says CCL's Gene Klann.  (more...)

Choices, Consequences and Dilemmas
Every day as a leader you face choices, alternatives and options. In every situation you can choose how to respond and what to do or not do. Leadership character is all about choosing a behavior — words or deeds — and then accepting the consequences.  (more...)

Leadership Character: Five Influential Attributes
Developing leadership character, like any other goal, requires a clear picture of what it takes to get there. By focusing on five key attributes — courage, caring, optimism, self-control and communication — leaders can begin to understand, practice and internalize the behaviors that build character.  (more...)

Character, Leadership, and (yes) Politics: A Conversation with Gene Klann
CCL's Gene Klann wants to get people talking about character. "Leaders shouldn't shy away from talking about and demonstrating good character," says the author of Building Character: Strengthening the Heart of Good Leadership. (more...)

A Checklist of Good Leader Behaviors
Building leadership character requires a focus on behaviors. Learn what effective leaders do to demonstrate courage, caring, self-control, optimism and effective communication. Plus, find out how you can begin to strengthen your own leadership character. (more...)

Results of the CCL Poll: Gen. Honoré's Leadership Principles
In our November 2006 Leading Effectively e-newsletter, General Russel Honoré, who led the U.S. Department of Defense's response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005, presented his key principles of effective leadership. We asked our readers: How well are you and your organization acting on them?  (more...)

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Further Your Development with CCL Leading Effectively Webinars

Advancing Global Leadership
January 30, 1-2 p.m. ET
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In the complex environment of virtual communication, boundary spanning responsibilities and cultural differences, the context in which leadership takes place has changed. Effective global leaders must manage the tensions of competing global and local issues while learning to become more agile in their approach to business challenges. Further, global leaders must develop skills that allow them to successfully lead in cultures other than their own.

Recent Topics

• Lessons of Leadership, November 2006
• The Innovation Leader, October 2006
• Everyday Leaders, September 2006
• A Team Approach: A Leader's Guide to Today's Teams, August 2006
• A Deeper Look at Coaching: Meeting Your Challenges, July 2006
• Learn, Grow, Lead ... Without Changing Your Job, June 2006
• In the Pipeline: Prepping Tomorrow's Leaders Today, May 2006