Comments on: Good leaders are made (not born) http://propeople.diseco.com/2008/10/good-leaders-are-made-not-born/ Human Resource Blog Thu, 28 Jul 2011 17:03:05 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 By: Barbara Oney http://propeople.diseco.com/2008/10/good-leaders-are-made-not-born/comment-page-1/#comment-11 Barbara Oney Wed, 08 Oct 2008 13:09:29 +0000 http://propeople.diseco.com/?p=13#comment-11 Ralph, terrific blog. I would like to take your third point a bit farther. Certainly being open to ideas and needs is critical. And as Kathy Shen mentions above, providing articulation of a vision that creates purpose for the team is also important. But this speaks more to the here and now than to the future. Truly great leaders need to also be visionaries in their own rights - Bill Gates, Winston Churchill, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King. They need to keep a keen questioning eye on the horizon while providing a solid managing focus on the present. Forward thinking leadership could well prove to be the most important skill a leader holds. In this age where “change” is the norm, truly great leaders will be those people who stay informed, have honed their instincts for the future trends and can provide the guidance and vision to their organization to chart its course through the sea of ever shifting change. This also means they will need to have the courage to voice possibly unpopular ideas or concepts that are not immediately understood by their team, board or stockholders. And they will need the talent to mobilize their organization behind these concepts. What if we had automotive leaders who five-ten years ago took the bold move to support energy efficient cars? I lived in California when the electric car was introduced. The state of California forced the electric car into existence by state legislation mandating there be a certain number of cars that reach specific emission standards. The electric car was then killed through aggressive automotive lobbying that revised the state mandates and ultimately enabled the automakers to demolish the cars. What if we had leaders in the banking business who five years ago took the hard stance to not trade in subprime loans? These would have been very unpopular decisions. But it would have been good leadership. In our city and region we need leaders who will find ways to build bridges to collaborative economic development - sharing costs, building wealth through collaborative initiatives. This is an odd and uncomfortable concept for our community. We need leaders who have the courage and ability to articulate the vision and to inspire our community to try new (and because they are new – somewhat scary) ideas of collaborative development. Ralph, terrific blog. I would like to take your third point a bit farther. Certainly being open to ideas and needs is critical. And as Kathy Shen mentions above, providing articulation of a vision that creates purpose for the team is also important. But this speaks more to the here and now than to the future.

Truly great leaders need to also be visionaries in their own rights – Bill Gates, Winston Churchill, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King. They need to keep a keen questioning eye on the horizon while providing a solid managing focus on the present. Forward thinking leadership could well prove to be the most important skill a leader holds. In this age where “change” is the norm, truly great leaders will be those people who stay informed, have honed their instincts for the future trends and can provide the guidance and vision to their organization to chart its course through the sea of ever shifting change.

This also means they will need to have the courage to voice possibly unpopular ideas or concepts that are not immediately understood by their team, board or stockholders. And they will need the talent to mobilize their organization behind these concepts.

What if we had automotive leaders who five-ten years ago took the bold move to support energy efficient cars? I lived in California when the electric car was introduced. The state of California forced the electric car into existence by state legislation mandating there be a certain number of cars that reach specific emission standards. The electric car was then killed through aggressive automotive lobbying that revised the state mandates and ultimately enabled the automakers to demolish the cars. What if we had leaders in the banking business who five years ago took the hard stance to not trade in subprime loans? These would have been very unpopular decisions. But it would have been good leadership.

In our city and region we need leaders who will find ways to build bridges to collaborative economic development – sharing costs, building wealth through collaborative initiatives. This is an odd and uncomfortable concept for our community. We need leaders who have the courage and ability to articulate the vision and to inspire our community to try new (and because they are new – somewhat scary) ideas of collaborative development.

]]> By: Kathy Shen http://propeople.diseco.com/2008/10/good-leaders-are-made-not-born/comment-page-1/#comment-10 Kathy Shen Wed, 08 Oct 2008 03:49:16 +0000 http://propeople.diseco.com/?p=13#comment-10 Hi Ralph, great blog! A leader does indeed set the tone for her organization, positive or negative. To be open to ideas and to the needs of others requires focus on making the organizational vision real. The role of a leader is to articulate a vision that creates a sense of purpose for members of the team. So go ahead, be inspirational and future-focused. Make sure your team has a cohesive set of values and a well thought-out strategic plan, one that you communicate at every opportunity. You'll be so busy that bad habit of micro-managing will get lost in the shuffle. Hi Ralph, great blog! A leader does indeed set the tone for her organization, positive or negative. To be open to ideas and to the needs of others requires focus on making the organizational vision real. The role of a leader is to articulate a vision that creates a sense of purpose for members of the team. So go ahead, be inspirational and future-focused. Make sure your team has a cohesive set of values and a well thought-out strategic plan, one that you communicate at every opportunity. You’ll be so busy that bad habit of micro-managing will get lost in the shuffle.

]]> By: Adrian http://propeople.diseco.com/2008/10/good-leaders-are-made-not-born/comment-page-1/#comment-9 Adrian Tue, 07 Oct 2008 21:29:20 +0000 http://propeople.diseco.com/?p=13#comment-9 Ralph, I really liked this article. I couldn't agree more with your thoughts. Congratulations for this space. Ralph, I really liked this article. I couldn’t agree more with your thoughts.

Congratulations for this space.

]]> By: Frank Di Lalla http://propeople.diseco.com/2008/10/good-leaders-are-made-not-born/comment-page-1/#comment-8 Frank Di Lalla Tue, 07 Oct 2008 20:25:37 +0000 http://propeople.diseco.com/?p=13#comment-8 Well said Ralph. Much of what you discuss in this article specifically points to executive level management. However, as a mid-level manager I find these tips just as relevant for leading cross functional project teams toward a common goal. Well said Ralph. Much of what you discuss in this article specifically points to executive level management. However, as a mid-level manager I find these tips just as relevant for leading cross functional project teams toward a common goal.

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