Page 32 - The extraordinary leader

Demystifying Leadership • 9

leadership is and how to more effectively develop it. Given our
current condition, leadership is still nearly impossible to define or
describe in detail or specificity. However, as Professor Karl Weick has
suggested, any idea can be “simple, general or accurate, but never all
three.” We will strive to be general and accurate, but not specific.
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That appears to be the best way to improve our understanding of this
most important topic.

Research-based Book

Our hope is to present a way for people to think about leadership in a highly
practical and yet simple way. We will not review the past literature on lead-
ership. Others have done that. Nor will we dwell on the theoretical. Nor will
we attempt to describe all of the tasks or activities of leaders. Others have done
that also. Instead, we want to present a way for you personally to think about
your own leadership abilities and how you might go about increasing those,
if you choose. And for those who have subordinates, we provide suggestions
about what they and their organizations can do to develop leadership in the
people who report to them.
We believe this is best done by examining a huge body of data collected
about leaders from their peers, subordinates, bosses, and themselves. Rather
than describe our personal beliefs and prejudices about leadership, we will
turn to more objective data. We think it enables us to discover some profound
insights into the real nature of leadership. Where mysteries still remain, we
call that to your attention and pass on our beliefs.
To answer intelligently the question “Are leaders born or made?” and the
sequel “If they are made, then how do you do that?” we begin by providing the
reader with a model of leadership that becomes our operational definition of
a leader. That model then provides a workable vehicle with which to describe
a practical way to make good managers into great leaders. Later in the book,
we present an example of an organization that has excelled at taking what some
would describe as average people and transforming them into highly effective
leaders. That organization is the U.S. Marine Corps. We also present a case
study of a corporation that successfully develops its leaders and the compelling
support this gives to developing strengths rather than weaknesses.
This book examines the leader as seen through the eyes of those being led
(subordinates) and influenced (peers), of those who manage the leaders (the
bosses), and of the leaders themselves. This process has become known