9 Leadership

The leaders who work most effectively, it seems to me, never say “I.”
And that’s not because they have trained themselves not to say “I.”
They don’t think “I.” They think “we”; they think “team.”
They understand their job to be to make the team function.
They accept responsibility and don’t sidestep it, but “we” gets the credit.
This is what creates trust, what enables you to get the task done.
Peter Drucker

Chapter Case Study: Wendy Kopp, Teach for America: 10 Questions for Wendy Kopp, at the Time Magazine page, is a good place to start for background information on the chapter case.

General Resources

  • HHMI Lab Management:  Suggestions for leading a science-oriented lab or research group
  • The Bathsheba Syndrome: An analysis of the corruptive effects of too much power, base on the case of the corruption at Penn State University (Sandusky).
  • Leadership in Higher Education: an interview with Dr. Drew Gilpin Faust, president of Harvard, conducted by Adam Bryant.
  • The Decline of Leadership. A news article claiming that leadership in the U.S. military is in decline.
  • A few online assessments for exploring leadership
    • Do you have what it takes to be a leader?:This test, although only 20 questions, asks about 7 types of strengths “assumed” to be linked to leadership potential. The feedback, if you scroll down through it, is fairly good (although business focused), in terms of practical advice. (Note: Once the page opens, click on “self-assessments” and find the leadership test.)
    • Leadership motivation: This self-assessment asks you to consider your motivation to lead others. Short, and very much to the point.
    • Your Leadership Legacy: This self-assessment is based on a book on leadership by a business consultant who believes that there are 6 basic types of leaders (Ambassador, Advocate, People mover, truth-seeker, creative builder, and experienced guide), and several of the questions are hard to answer if you aren’t a business leader. But the results are interesting, nonetheless.
  • Leadership Training is a popular topic on the web. A search of the web will likely find a number of interesting pages with articles, resources, and activities.