“This is not one of those leadership books to be scanned and tossed aside. Instead, it is a special book that deserves to be closely read and then kept nearby so that you can draw upon it again and again as you seek to lead effectively.”

–David Gergen, Professor, Harvard’s Kennedy School, Director, Center for Public Leadership

“Drea, Susan, and Dick are three of the nation’s most innovative, perceptive, and gifted management thinkers. Their book, Achieve Leadership Genius, is an exceptional tour de force against which all books brave enough to tackle the critical issue of leadership must be judged.”

–Sheldon Bowles, Best-selling Co-author, Raving Fans, Gung Ho!, and High Five

“A gem! One of the first books I’d recommend to a novice or champion if they want to learn about improving the lives they lead and make the journey to leadership mastery.”

–Warren Bennis, Distinguished Professor of Management, University of Southern California, author of On Becoming a Leader

LEADERSHIP IS NOT A “ONE SIZE FITS ALL” PURSUIT... DIFFERENT SCENARIOS REQUIRE DIFFERENT TECHNIQUES...

How to lead individuals, teams, organizations, alliances, and above all, yourself
The five crucial leadership practices that work no matter who you’re leading
How to handle the unique issues that arise in every leadership context and situation

What does it really take to become a great leader? Commitment, hard work...and a framework for leading that gives you clarity when there’s chaos all around you.

That framework exists. It’s called Contextual Leadership®. This book will help you master it, and put it to work. You’ll discover high-level and “micro”-level techniques you need to achieve breakthrough effectiveness. You’ll practice them, internalize them, make them yours.

This book draws on more than forty years of research, and the extraordinary personal experience of three renowned leadership consultants.

Its techniques are tested. Proven. They’re not a quick fix. But, as thousands of leaders can tell you, they work.

Hundreds and hundreds of leadership books have been published over the years. Almost all of them treat leadership as if “one size fits all”: as if leadership skills were “one trick pony” skills that can be applied across any circumstance. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Leadership genius depends on your ability to recognize the setting you are leading in. Are you leading a team? Leading one person? Leading yourself? Leading an entire organization? Leading an alliance? Who, what, when, and where you lead determines how you should lead.

This book presents a detailed, practical, and skill-based framework any leader can use to become dramatically more effective.

Another aspect of leadership genius is realizing that within each setting, or context, a leader must also be able to adapt to a wide variety of scenarios. The authors show you how to bring your best to bear in any circumstance, and in every facet of the leadership process: envisioning, initiation, and implementation.

From start to finish, this book addresses both the high level and ‘micro’ skills that define leadership genius–guiding readers systematically through assessing their current behaviors and moving toward excellence.

DEVELOP THE ATTRIBUTES OF LEADERSHIP GENIUS
Skillfully respond to what the context and circumstances demand of you as a leader
MOVE BEYOND THE LEADERSHIP “QUICK FIX”
Discover a solid, proven framework for becoming a contextual leader
MASTER THE FIVE CONTEXTS OF LEADERSHIP
Lead yourself... lead one-to-one... lead teams, organizations, and alliances
MASTER THE SKILLS OF ALL FIVE LEADERSHIP PRACTICES
Prepare, envision, initiate, assess, and respond
LEVERAGE YOUR LEADERSHIP SUCCESS; MOVE FROM INDIVIDUAL TO ORGANIZATIONAL EXCELLENCE
A new view of leadership and its imperatives

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Dr. Drea Zigarmi is Founding Associate of The Ken Blanchard Companies®, and co-creator of Situational Leadership® II, today’s best-of-class developmental leadership model. He co-authored the two-million-copy best-seller Leadership and the One Minute Manager, and most recently, The Leader Within. He has trained 50,000 managers from organizations ranging from American Honda to IBM, Nissan to Siemens, McDonnell-Douglas to The San Diego Padres.

Susan Fowler is one of the world’s foremost experts on personal empowerment. She is creator and lead developer of The Ken Blanchard Companies Situational Self Leadership, today’s best-of-class self-leadership and personal empowerment program. Fowler’s publications include The Team Leader’s Idea-a-Day Guide (with Drea Zigarmi), Empowerment (with Ken Blanchard), and Self Leadership and The One Minute Manager (with Ken Blanchard and Laurence Hawkins).

Dr. Dick Lyles is President and CEO of Leadership Legacies, a company that focuses on developing a new generation of leaders. He co-founded Maric College in San Diego, is past President of the Ken Blanchard Companies, and currently sits on the Board of Directors for a number of firms. His best-selling books include Winning Ways: Four Secrets for Getting Great Results by Working Well with People.

CONTENTS

Foreword by Georgette Mosbacher xiii

About the Authors xv

Acknowledgments xviii

Introduction 1

PART ONE THE FIVE CONTEXTS 9

CHAPTER 1 THE SELF CONTEXT: YOUR ROLE IN CREATING MEANINGFUL WORK 14

CHAPTER 2 THE ONE-TO-ONE CONTEXT: YOUR ROLE IN DEVELOPING INDIVIDUAL EXCELLENCE 22

CHAPTER 3 THE TEAM CONTEXT: YOUR ROLE IN FACILITATING HIGH-IMPACT TEAMS 31

CHAPTER 4 THE ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT: YOUR ROLE IN GENERATING THE ORGANIZATION’S VITALITY 42

CHAPTER 5 THE ALLIANCE CONTEXT: YOUR ROLE IN FOSTERING STRATEGIC RELATIONSHIPS 51

PART TWO THE FIVE PRACTICES OF CONTEXTUAL LEADERSHIP 58

CHAPTER 6 PREPARE: THE FIRST LEADERSHIP PRACTICE 63

CHAPTER 7 PREPARE: WHAT’S DRIVING YOUR LEADERSHIP BEHAVIOR? 69

CHAPTER 8 PREPARE: LEADING WITH DEVELOPED VALUES 81

CHAPTER 9 PREPARE: INVESTIGATING YOUR PERSONA 97

CHAPTER 10 PREPARE: THE CHALLENGE OF CHANGE 107

CHAPTER 11 ENVISION: THE SECOND LEADERSHIP PRACTICE 115

CHAPTER 12 ENVISION IN THE SELF CONTEXT 120

CHAPTER 13 ENVISION IN THE ONE-TO-ONE CONTEXT 135

CHAPTER 14 ENVISION IN THE TEAM CONTEXT 142

CHAPTER 15 ENVISION IN THE ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT 150

CHAPTER 16 ENVISION IN THE ALLIANCE CONTEXT 157

CHAPTER 17 INITIATE: THE THIRD LEADERSHIP PRACTICE 162

CHAPTER 18 INITIATE IN THE SELF CONTEXT 165

CHAPTER 19 INITIATE IN THE ONE-TO-ONE CONTEXT 174

CHAPTER 20 INITIATE IN THE TEAM CONTEXT 187

CHAPTER 21 INITIATE IN THE ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT 201

CHAPTER 22 INITIATE IN THE ALLIANCE CONTEXT 207

CHAPTER 23 ASSESS: THE FOURTH LEADERSHIP PRACTICE 211

CHAPTER 24 ASSESS IN THE SELF CONTEXT 217

CHAPTER 25 ASSESS IN THE ONE-TO-ONE CONTEXT 225

CHAPTER 26 ASSESS IN THE TEAM CONTEXT 233

CHAPTER 27 ASSESS IN THE ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT 240

CHAPTER 28 ASSESS IN THE ALLIANCE CONTEXT 244

CHAPTER 29 RESPOND: THE FIFTH LEADERSHIP PRACTICE 248

PART THREE THE PROMISE AND CHALLENGE OF CONTEXTUAL LEADERSHIP 258

CHAPTER 30 A NEW VIEW OF LEADERSHIP 260

CHAPTER 31 LEADERSHIP IMPERATIVES 268

BIBLIOGRAPHY 275

INDEX 305

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