Leading Effectively e-Newsletter - February 2006 Issue

Five Keys to Effective Leadership

Research by the Center for Creative Leadership and feedback from our clients shows that managers and executives are concerned not only with developing talented individual leaders but also in expanding the leadership capacity of teams and organizations. In this issue of Leading Effectively, we've rounded up five of our most widely read newsletter articles from the past two years, and, not surprisingly, the articles explore leadership best practices for both individuals and organizations. Join us for a refresher on developing character as a leader and addressing the stress that individual leaders face. Learn, too, about building effective teams and cultivating strategic leadership in your organization. And share in the leadership wisdom of Rudy Giuliani. We hope you'll enjoy this recap of some of the Leading Effectively articles that have meant the most to you.

Articles

The Five E's of Character Development
Most of us think that "character" is established by the time we reach adulthood -- either you have it or you don't. But leaders can develop character in themselves and encourage it in others through example, education, environment, experience and evaluation.  (more...)

Strategic Leadership: Beyond Setting Direction
Much is made of the importance of strategy in today's organizations. Even so, managers and executives often struggle to move strategy beyond setting direction or goals and toward an on-going process of transforming and sustaining the organization. The missing piece is strategic leadership say CCL's Kate Beatty and Rich Hughes.  (more...)

Start it Right: Set Course for Empowerment
A team that works well knows it is greater than the sum of its parts. But while the power of a team may lie in the whole, be sure to take a careful look at the individuals, functions and roles that make up the team.  (more...)

Leaders Suffer: Stress Takes A Toll
The lives of corporate executives are busy and stressful. Over time, the demands of being a leader can result in lack of regular exercise, unhealthy eating habits and poor physical fitness. The good news is that leaders can take action to counter the negative effects of stress related to their jobs.  (more...)

Giuliani's Six Principles of Leadership
Giuliani, now the chairman and CEO of the consulting firm Giuliani Partners, captured his approach in his No. 1 best-seller Leadership. Speaking last month at CCL's Friends of the Center Leadership Conference, he explored six principles of leadership that are critically important for success:  (more...)

Changing Nature of Leadership Poll Results
In our January 2006 Leading Effectively e-Newsletter, readers were polled on how their organizations are responding to the changing nature of leadership. More than 275 readers completed the poll. CCL expert André Martin responds to the findings.  (more...)

Interested in republishing articles or excerpts from a CCL newsletter or CCL Press publication? Fill out our "Request to Republish" form, found at www.ccl.org/republish.

Further Your Development

Monitor Your Personal Development Through CCL's 360-degree Feedback Tools
As a manager, assessing the leadership strengths and development needs of you and your team member's is critical to maintaining performance. 360-degree feedback is a method of systematically collecting opinions about a manager's leadership style and performance from a wide range of coworkers. This could include peers, direct reports, the boss, the boss's peers, and people outside the organization, such as customers. The benefits of collecting this kind of data is that the person gets to see a range of perceptions beyond their own, which helps to identify critical areas for development as well as highlighting strengths.

The CCL Assessment Suite brings together four research-based 360-degree instruments that address the leadership needs of all levels of personnel within an organization. The instruments include:

• Executive Dimensions -- Assesses top-level leadership behaviors
• Benchmarks -- Measures the skills learned through development and potential flaws that can derail a career
• Prospector -- Provides feedback on the ability and willingness to learn from experience
• 360 BY DESIGN -- Assesses competencies important to an organization by selecting from CCL's library of 99 research-based competencies

View a 3-minute presentation on the power and versatility of CCL's 360 tools and services by visiting www.ccl.org/adr.

Recent Topics

• Complex Challenges and the New Leadership, January 2006
• Too Much of a Good Thing: Beware of Your Strengths, December 2005
• From Giuliani to Gergen: Expert Lessons in Leadership, November 2005
• Leading in Times of Transition , October 2005
• Strategic Leadership Part II: How To Contribute to Your Organization's Success, September 2005