Dilemmas of Executive Leadership

Lecture 1

Special Leadership Something

• “Soul”• “Spirit”• “It’s inside yourself”• “Managers do things right, leaders to the right

thing”• “Ethics”• “Value System”

Five Dilemmas

• Clear and Precise vs General and Flexible

• Top-Down vs Bottom-Up

• Substance vs Process

• Confrontation vs Compromise

• Tangibles vs Intangibles

What It Means to Manage and Lead

Myth Reality

Operating Principles Authority Interdependency

Source of Power Formal Authority “Everything but”

Key Players Subordinates Include those outside of authority

Desired Outcomes Control, Compliance Commitment, Empowerment

Key Competencies Technical Technical,Human, Conceptual

Styles of Leadership

• Franklin D. Roosevelt

• John F. Kennedy

• Lyndon B. Johnson

Lessons from PresidentsDoris Kearns Goodwin

• Timing is (almost) everthing

• Anything is possible if you share the glory

• Trust, once broken, is seldom restored

• Leadership is about building connections

• Leaders learn from mistakes

Lessons from Presidents

• Confidence-not just in oneself-counts

• Effective partnerships require devotion to one’s partners

• Renewal comes from many sources

• Leaders must be talent brokers

• Language is one of the most powerful tools