Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Reflecting on leadership models . . .

Dan McCarthy on a post at Great Leadership shared what he sees as 10 Essential Leadership models.  His post provides links to the models.  Being a student of leadership I was interested in what he chose.  Here are his ten.
  • ·         Situation Leadership – Ken Blanchard and Paul Hersey
  • ·         Servant Leadership – Robert Greenleaf
  • ·         Blake and Moute’s Leadership Grid
  • ·         Emotional Leadership- Daniel Goleman
  • ·         Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership – Kouzes and Posner
  • ·         Level Five Leadership – Jim Collins
  • ·         The Diamond Model of Leadership – Jim Clawson
  • ·         Six Leadership Passages – Charon, Drotter, And Noel
  • ·         Authentic Leadership – Bill George
  • ·         The GROW Model – Sir John Whitmore 

Of these I have read books about all but the Leadership Grid and The GROW Model.  Situational Leadership is an older model that I first learned about in graduate school and is one that has had an influence on my leadership beliefs and behavior.  It is on my bookcase today.  Servant Leadership was introduced to me through the work of Sergiovanni and it too continues to be an influence on my work.  The same is true for Goleman and Collins work; both continue to provide me with reflection and learning opportunities.  One of my professional goals is to achieve Level 5 status as defined by Collins.

There are others that have influenced who I am, how I think, and how I behave.  One of those is Peter Senge’s Fifth Discipline and his system work.  It is at the foundation of my beliefs on barriers to communication and the need for shared vision if one wants to create change that sustains over time.  Another model from industry is Tichy’s, The Cyclof Leadership and still another is Heifetz’s, The Practice of AdaptiveLeadership.  Other models come from those working in the education field such as Fullan, Wagner, Reeves, and Dufour.

I’ll leave you with the same ending question that McCarthy shared in his post.  What leadership model has served you the best?

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