The 10 "Leadership" Committments

Shortly after the first class, I indicated I would initiate a blog discussion on the 10 commitments of leadership that Kouzes and Posner attribute 10 individual chapters to in the book “The Leadership Challenge”. You’ve already read Chapter 1, which is for the most part a teaser chapter, and were hopefully intrigued by their coverage of what they refer to as the five practices of exemplary leadership. Under each practice, they elaborate on two critical commitments.

Exemplary Practice: Model the Way
The two commitments that form the foundation for this practice the authors term: 1) “ Find your voice by clarifying your personal values”; and, 2) “Set the example by aligning actions with shared values.” I would paraphrase these respectively by stating that people will not follow if they don’t understand what drives you, and they will not be lead by someone who doesn’t adhere to these values. You must define who you are and lead by example.

Exemplary Practice: Inspire a Shared Vision
The two commitments that form the foundation for this practice the authors term: 3) “Envision the future by imagining exciting and ennobling possibilities”; and, 4) “Enlist others in a common vision by appealing to shared aspirations”. I would paraphrase the third commitment by stating that leaders think big. Think of the world’s famous leaders and your personal mentors – did they not have a grand idea of what they wanted the world, themselves, their organization, or even you to become? Of course they did. Grand leaders think grand – they don’t think small. But, a vision without a corps of believers to implement strategies to make it a reality will forever remain fiction. To make a vision become reality, a leader must be able to enlist believers, hence the fourth commitment.

Exemplary Practice: Challenge the Process
The two commitments that form the foundation for this practice the authors term: 5) “Search for opportunities by seeking innovative ways to change, grow, and improve”; and, 6) “Experiment and take risks by constantly generating small wins and learning from mistakes.” This is my favorite practice and set of commitments. More accurately, I should state that it is the one I score the highest on (more on that later). Remember the Einstein quote that goes something like “insanity is the act of doing something over and over again expecting a different result”. The statement is a no brainer, but the reality is that many companies, organizations, and individuals get stuck in a rut. Leaders don’t allow ruts to happen (there’s another great leadership text that argues the biggest enemy of great is good – if you become comfortable with good you’ll never be great). They are always challenging the process to make things better. This involves risks – sometimes political, sometimes personal, sometimes financial, etc. But, if you stay inside your comfortable box your whole life, you’ll never really grow.

Exemplary Practice: Enable Others to Act
The two commitments that form the foundation for this practice the authors term: 7) “Foster collaboration by promoting cooperative goals and building trust”; and, 8) “Strengthen others by sharing power and discretion”. Based on my comments during the first session and the great example that Harry Radix talked about regarding how First State has moved to relationship management, these should be very apparent commitments. Simply, unless people trust you they will not follow, and, in fact, the act of leadership is more often not to lead followers “explicitly” at all, but to lead by “sharing power and discretion” – by giving power away.

Exemplary Practice: Encourage the Heart
The two commitments that form the foundation for this practice the authors term: 1) “Recognize contributions by showing appreciation for individual excellence”; and, 2) “Celebrate the values and victories by creating a spirit of community”. These commitments are personal weaknesses for me. This should give you a clue as to what my personality style is in case you haven’t already made a guess on the last blog. This year’s class is full of participants that have a temperament that should be consistent with a high skill set in this area (SP). But, we also have a fair number that don’t think we should celebrate at all because “it’s our job to succeed”.

By now you can tell I’m a big fan of this text. In fact, if I could only buy 3 leadership books, this would be one of them. The book is good, but the workbook that goes along with it is even better because it allows you to assess your skills in these commitments and make an action plan to improve. If you are interested in purchasing the book and/or workbook, I can provide you with the full reference.

What are your thoughts regarding the practices and commitments? Are they consistent with your leadership philosophy? Would you add some or maybe even subtract some? I’m extremely interested in all of your insight.