Strengthsfinder 2.0 Tom Rath New Hampshire.pdf: The Revised and Updated Edition of the Groundbreakin

Another, and a somewhat unusual, way to think about leadership is as a relationship. Fromthis perspective, leadership is centered on the communication between leaders and followersrather than on the unique qualities of the leader. Thought of as a relationship, leadershipbecomes a process of collaboration that occurs between leaders and followers (Rost, 1991).A leader affects and is affected by followers, and both leader and followers are affected inturn by the situation that surrounds them. This approach emphasizes that leadership is nota linear one-way event, but rather an interactive event. In traditional leadership, authority isoften top down; in the interactive type of leadership, authority and influence are shared.When leadership is defined in this manner, it becomes available to everyone. It is notrestricted to the formally designated leader in a group.

Defining leadership as an influence process means that it is not a trait or an ability thatresides in the leader, but rather an interactive event that occurs between the leader and thefollowers. Influence is central to the process of leadership because leaders affect followers.Leaders direct their energies toward influencing individuals to achieve something together.Stressing common goals gives leadership an ethical dimension because it lessens thepossibility that leaders might act toward followers in ways that use coercion or areunethical.

Strengthsfinder 2.0 Tom Rath New Hampshire.pdf

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At the same time the StrengthsFinder profile was gaining prominence, researchers at theValues in Action (VIA) Institute, led by Martin Seligman and Christopher Peterson, wereengaged in a project to develop a framework for the field of positive psychology thatdefined and conceptualized character strengths. This classification focused on what is bestin people rather than their weaknesses and problems. To develop the classification, theyreviewed philosophical and spiritual literature in Confucianism, Buddhism, Hinduism,Judeo-Christianity, Ancient Greece, and Islam to determine whether there werecommonalities that consistently emerged across cultures regarding virtues (Peterson &Park, 2009; Peterson & Seligman, 2004). From the review, they identified six universalcore virtues: courage, justice, humanity, temperance, transcendence, and wisdom. These sixvirtues represent the basic structure around which Seligman and Peterson developed theValues in Action Classification of Character Strengths (see Table 3.3). The VIAClassification includes 24 strengths organized under these six basic virtues.

Discovering your strengths requires you to concentrate on your positive attributes andthose times when you feel inspirited. To do so, you need to pay attention to your successesrather than focusing on your weaknesses or failures. For example, when are you at the topof your game? What is it about you or your interactions with others that contributes to thatfeeling? What accounts for your best performance? When things are going really well foryou, what attributes are behind this success? Answering these questions will help youdiscover your strengths. They are the first and most important step in practicing strengths-

For example, two university students working in the main stacks section of the library wererequired to complete a checklist whenever they worked to be sure that they correctly carriedout various sorting and shelving activities. The checklist was long, cumbersome, andrepetitious, however. Frustrated by the checklist, the students took it upon themselves todesign an entirely new, streamlined checklist. The new checklist for sorting and shelvingwas very clear and concise, and was playful in appearance. After reviewing the checklist andgiving it a short trial period, management at the library adopted the new checklist andrequired that it be implemented throughout the entire library. In this example, librarymanagement provided an environment where students felt comfortable suggesting a rathermajor change in how their work was to be completed. In addition, management was willingto accept and adopt a student-initiated work change. It is not unrealistic to imagine thatthese students will be more confident initiating ideas or taking on new challenges in otherwork settings in the future.

In many ways, the authoritarian leadership style is very similar to Theory X. For example,authoritarian leaders perceive followers as needing direction. The authoritarian leader needsto control followers and what they do. Authoritarian leaders emphasize that they are incharge, exerting influence and control over group members. They determine tasks andprocedures for group members but may remain aloof from participating in groupdiscussions. Authoritarian leaders do not encourage communication among groupmembers; instead, they prefer that communication be directed to them. In evaluatingothers, authoritarian leaders give praise and criticism freely, but it is given based on theirown personal standards rather than based on objective criticism.

Relationship-oriented people differ from task-oriented people because they are not as goaldirected. The relationship-oriented person finds meaning in being rather than in doing.Instead of seeking out tasks, relationship-oriented people want to connect with people.They like to celebrate relationships and the pleasures relationships bring.

Even though skills play an essential role in the leadership process, they have received littleattention by researchers (Lord & Hall, 2005; T. Mumford, Campion, & Morgeson, 2007).Leadership traits rather than leadership skills have been the focus of research for more than100 years. However, in the past 10 years a shift has occurred, and leadership skills are nowreceiving far more attention by researchers and practitioners alike (M. Mumford, Zaccaro,Connelly, & Marks, 2000; Yammarino, 2000).

NewDevices was a small company with limited resources, so management was well aware ofthe importance of strategic planning. Any single mistake could threaten the survival of thecompany. Because everyone at NewDevices, including the sales staff, owned stock in thecompany, everyone was strongly motivated to work to make the company succeed. Salesstaff members were willing to share effective sales approaches with each other because,rather than being in competition, they had a common goal.

Implementing a vision also requires a leader to set high performance expectations forothers. Setting challenging goals motivates people to accomplish a mission. An example ofsetting high expectations and worthwhile goals is illustrated in the story of the Marathon ofHope (see Box 7.1). Terry Fox was a cancer survivor and amputee who attempted to runacross Canada to raise awareness and money for cancer research. Fox had a vision andestablished an extremely challenging goal for himself and others. He was courageous anddetermined. Unfortunately, he died before completing his journey, but his vision lives on.Today, the Terry Fox Foundation continues to thrive.

Leadership requires skill, a clear vision, and a strong commitment to establishing aconstructive organizational climate. It also requires that leaders understand diversity andinclusion, and the essential role these play in organizational outcomes. While many of theleadership concepts discussed in this text so far (e.g., task behavior, goal setting, andstrengths) involve rather straightforward leadership efforts, addressing diversity andinclusion is a multilayered process that requires a wider range of leadership practices.Although the terms diversity and inclusion seem to represent distinctly different concepts,they are actually interrelated processes, and while not usually discussed as core leadershipconcepts, diversity and inclusion play a seminal role in effective leadership.

Having privilege blinds individuals to the experience of the underprivileged. Without theability to understand, without judgment, individuals and their unique situations, leadersend up excluding rather than including them.

Unfortunately, out-groups prevent groups from becoming synergistic. Out-groups takeenergy away from the group rather than adding energy to the group. If out-group membersare upset and demanding, they take even more energy from the group. This energy is notdirected toward the goals of the group and so has a negative impact on productivity. Ratherthan working together to accomplish a common goal, out-group members stand alone andseek to do their own thing. This is harmful for the group because the unique contributionsof out-group members are not expressed, discussed, or utilized for the common good. Everyperson in a group brings singular talents and abilities that can benefit the group. When out-groups form, the individual contributions of some group members are not utilized, andgroup synergy is compromised.

3. Imagine for a moment that you are doing a class project with six other students. The group hasdecided by taking a vote to do a fund-raising campaign for the local Big Brothers Big Sistersprogram. Two people in the group have said they are not enthused about the project and wouldrather do something for an organization like Habitat for Humanity. While the group is movingforward with the agreed-upon project, the two people who did not like the idea have started missingmeetings, and when they do attend, they are very negative. As a leader, list five specific actions youcould take to assist and engage this out-group.

One of the most recognized approaches of conflict negotiation in the world was developedby Roger Fisher and William Ury. Derived from studies conducted by the HarvardNegotiation Project, Fisher and Ury (1981) provide a straightforward, step-by-step methodfor negotiating conflicts. This method, called principled negotiation, emphasizes decidingissues on their merits rather than through competitive haggling or through excessiveaccommodation. Principled negotiation shows you how to obtain your fair share decentlyand without having others take advantage of you (Fisher & Ury, 1981). 2ff7e9595c