The Leadership Challenge: How to Make Extraordinary Things Happen in Organizations
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-09-25 09:56:09
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：James M. Kouzes
- ISBN：1119278961
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
The most trusted source of leadership wisdom， updated to address today's realities The Leadership Challenge is the gold-standard manual for effective leadership， grounded in research and written by the premier authorities in the field。 With deep insight into the complex interpersonal dynamics of the workplace， this book positions leadership both as a skill to be learned， and as a relationship that must be nurtured to reach its full potential。 This new sixth edition has been revised to address current challenges， and includes more international examples and a laser focus on business issues; you'll learn how extraordinary leaders accomplish extraordinary things， and how to develop your leadership skills and style to deliver quality results every time。 Engaging stories delve into the fundamental roles that great leaders fulfill， and simple frameworks provide a primer for those who seek continuous improvement; by internalizing key insights and putting concepts into action， you'll become a more effective， more impactful leader。
A good leader gets things done; a great leader aspires， inspires， and achieves more。 This book highlights the differences between good and great， and shows you how to bridge the chasm between getting things done and making things happen。
Gain deep insight into leadership's critical role in organizational health Navigate the shift toward team-oriented work relationships Motivate and inspire to break through the pervasive new cynicism Leverage the electronic global village to deliver better results Business is evolving at an increasingly rapid rate， and leaders must keep pace with the changes or risk stagnation。 People work differently， are motivated differently， and have different expectations today--business as usual is quickly losing its effectiveness。 The Leadership Challenge helps you stay current， relevant， and effective in the modern workplace。
A good leader gets things done; a great leader aspires， inspires， and achieves more。 This book highlights the differences between good and great， and shows you how to bridge the chasm between getting things done and making things happen。
Gain deep insight into leadership's critical role in organizational health Navigate the shift toward team-oriented work relationships Motivate and inspire to break through the pervasive new cynicism Leverage the electronic global village to deliver better results Business is evolving at an increasingly rapid rate， and leaders must keep pace with the changes or risk stagnation。 People work differently， are motivated differently， and have different expectations today--business as usual is quickly losing its effectiveness。 The Leadership Challenge helps you stay current， relevant， and effective in the modern workplace。
Reviews
Hannamari
，
In summary， this book presented findings from 30 years of leadership surveys and interviews， summarising five practices of good leadership: "Model the Way"， "Inspire a Shared Vision"， "Challenge the Process"， "Enable Others to Act" and "Encourage the Heart"。 So basically a great leader is sincere， visionary， forward-looking and innovative， practices what they preach and encourage and celebrate others。 Though I agree with most of the pointers in the book， this was mostly abour evergreen leadershi In summary， this book presented findings from 30 years of leadership surveys and interviews， summarising five practices of good leadership: "Model the Way"， "Inspire a Shared Vision"， "Challenge the Process"， "Enable Others to Act" and "Encourage the Heart"。 So basically a great leader is sincere， visionary， forward-looking and innovative， practices what they preach and encourage and celebrate others。 Though I agree with most of the pointers in the book， this was mostly abour evergreen leadership principles and presented very few new ideas for me。 。。。more
Don
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Loaned to Ryan 7-25-21？
Jim Ward
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Although this was my first read of the Sixth Edition， I had read at least two previous editions dating back to 1987。 Each time I read through an edition， I realize how much of this material pre-dated a large number of later popular books and seminars from other authors。 The Leadership Challenge serves as an excellent encyclopedia of leadership that functions as a comprehensive text and reference book on leadership that transcends industries， cultures， and generations。
Matt McLain
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A shotgun approach leadership book which gave me a lot of “I need to be doing that” moments。 Some of those moments: 1） owning a clear vision。 2）Showing my credibility to lead。 （I have a tendency to downplay myself， and I think that can be a negative in leadership）。 3）Celebrate the wins and tell stories。 Leadership books motivate me to do and be more， but for some reason this comes with a negative side of me seeing how I haven’t been doing or been enough。 That’s why I avoid them。 But， I believe I A shotgun approach leadership book which gave me a lot of “I need to be doing that” moments。 Some of those moments: 1） owning a clear vision。 2）Showing my credibility to lead。 （I have a tendency to downplay myself， and I think that can be a negative in leadership）。 3）Celebrate the wins and tell stories。 Leadership books motivate me to do and be more， but for some reason this comes with a negative side of me seeing how I haven’t been doing or been enough。 That’s why I avoid them。 But， I believe I can remind myself that leadership is learned and something you practice， and as long as I am growing and moving forward that is good enough。 While I enjoyed the book， it was a lot to take in and had more stories than practical steps。 。。。more
Alyssa Graham
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Had to read for school。 Wouldn’t say I recommend。
April Kersey
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Yes！ I found this book to be so easy to grasp yet gave strategies that you could apply quickly， as well as， over time to see change in yourself， your team， and the organization。 The big takeaways from this book include modeling a good moral standing and work ethic for your team， aligning shared values， fostering collaboration by creating a positive work environment， seizing new opportunities both out of the organization as well as in the organization， and taking risks with your team。
Luigino Bottega
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To become a transformative leader， i。e。 one who allows others to grow by guiding them in awareness， we need to constantly practice developing the personal characteristics that generate strong attractiveness and influence。Inspiring book！
Sara Beth Lyon
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I read this one for work … and while not entirely inspiring， there was good nuggets of information and ideas to help oneself become a better leader。 It was primarily focused more on the corporate world， which is not where I work， but there were similarities to be drawn。 The endless amount of anecdotes and stories from companies all of the world had a purpose， but were exasperatingly overused。Encourage the Heart was my favorite section。Challenge the Process was the section that I struggle with th I read this one for work … and while not entirely inspiring， there was good nuggets of information and ideas to help oneself become a better leader。 It was primarily focused more on the corporate world， which is not where I work， but there were similarities to be drawn。 The endless amount of anecdotes and stories from companies all of the world had a purpose， but were exasperatingly overused。Encourage the Heart was my favorite section。Challenge the Process was the section that I struggle with the most。Overall， a decent book and can lead to better leaders！ 。。。more
Abdulfattah Popoola
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Lots of filler material， I like the sections on challenging and pushing boundaries， taking one step at a time， truly investing in people。 Reward and recognition etc。
Alvin Soh
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This is definitely a five-star leadership book for me。 The sharing is concise， encouraging and inspiring。 And I definitely agree with the last point in the last chapter that it is love that fuels the motivation of being a leader。The points are very well organised， that exemplary leaders usually practice the following:1。 Model the way - clarify values: find your voice & affirm shared values - set the example: live the shared values and teach others to model the values2。 Inspire a shared vision - This is definitely a five-star leadership book for me。 The sharing is concise， encouraging and inspiring。 And I definitely agree with the last point in the last chapter that it is love that fuels the motivation of being a leader。The points are very well organised， that exemplary leaders usually practice the following:1。 Model the way - clarify values: find your voice & affirm shared values - set the example: live the shared values and teach others to model the values2。 Inspire a shared vision - envision the future: imagine the possibilities and find a common purpose - enlist others- appeal to common ideals and animate the vision 3。 Challenge the process - search for opportunists: seize the initiative and exercise outsight - experiment and take risk: generate small wins and learn from experience4。 Enable others to act - foster collaboration: create a climate of trust and facilitate relationship - strengthen others: enhance self-determination and develop competence & confidence5。 Encourage the heart - recognise contribution: expect the best and personalise recognition - celebrate the values and victories: create a spirit of community and be personally involvedAt the end， leading is doing。 There are many moments that we lead: listen more， share more， saying thank you etc。 。。。more
Julia
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I would say this is a great book where you can be sure the advice is valid。 It may sound slightly cliche but then that's the point I guess。 I think it is a great study that can help leaders figure out where they can correct their behavior。 I also think that it would be useful to make notes as you read this so you can get back to bullet points that will be customized towards your own needs and areas of improvement。 I like that there are plenty of stories in there that go a long way to prove the p I would say this is a great book where you can be sure the advice is valid。 It may sound slightly cliche but then that's the point I guess。 I think it is a great study that can help leaders figure out where they can correct their behavior。 I also think that it would be useful to make notes as you read this so you can get back to bullet points that will be customized towards your own needs and areas of improvement。 I like that there are plenty of stories in there that go a long way to prove the point the authors are trying to make。 In training I noticed the leaders I work with mention some of the same things as the authors of the book and in my opinion that only proves that they are on to something。 It wasn't just abstract material but actually proven with my real life communication。 。。。more
Ariel
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Man， I love their books。 This one just made my mind spin with great ideas for organizational change， and I love the extreme practicality of it; even if my organization is a church and not a Fortune 500 company， the principles are the same。 From beginning to end， this one is inspiring and relatable。 I can't wait to put some of these principles into practice。 Man， I love their books。 This one just made my mind spin with great ideas for organizational change， and I love the extreme practicality of it; even if my organization is a church and not a Fortune 500 company， the principles are the same。 From beginning to end， this one is inspiring and relatable。 I can't wait to put some of these principles into practice。 。。。more
Nancy Messina
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So this was the textbook for my leadership class and at first I felt like this book was just trying to throw examples in my face of great leaders which was a little distracting。 Yet， the further I got into this book， the more the examples felt justifying to the points the authors were trying to make。 I started to realize the situations that I had been in that were similar and how better to handle situations。 It showed that this book had something for everyone。 There still felt like there were ti So this was the textbook for my leadership class and at first I felt like this book was just trying to throw examples in my face of great leaders which was a little distracting。 Yet， the further I got into this book， the more the examples felt justifying to the points the authors were trying to make。 I started to realize the situations that I had been in that were similar and how better to handle situations。 It showed that this book had something for everyone。 There still felt like there were times of too many examples but I understood why。 I also really liked the breakdown pages at the end of every chapter。 They highlighted those pieces that you needed to really know and sum up the information in a very digestible way。 。。。more
Elwin Kline
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Professional Development Read。 3。5 with a round up。 I have gone through quite a few of these now and I can honestly say this is one of the better leadership books I have read。 It really focuses on story telling as it's main delivery vehicle， which is fine and honestly somewhat refreshing。 Some books like this can feel like a technical manual and be quite the bore with the X steps to Y format that just keeps getting regurgitated over and over again。 Took quite a bit of notes going through this， w Professional Development Read。 3。5 with a round up。 I have gone through quite a few of these now and I can honestly say this is one of the better leadership books I have read。 It really focuses on story telling as it's main delivery vehicle， which is fine and honestly somewhat refreshing。 Some books like this can feel like a technical manual and be quite the bore with the X steps to Y format that just keeps getting regurgitated over and over again。 Took quite a bit of notes going through this， which is also normally a good sign as well。 I hope in the future to take some lessons learned within this and apply them in my work environment。 Would definitely recommend to someone who is a leader， wants to be a leader， or someone who wants to actively engage/challenge/encourage their peers instead of just having an "I got me" attitude。 Writing this review from my phone， so please disregard/understand any possible errors or auto-corrects。 。。。more
Leslie
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Great information， but a little dry。
Colin
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A magnum opus for authors who make their point in the first chapter and then write an extra 270 pages because they can。 The frustrating part？ Their main point wasn’t even that profound: Being a good leader means being exceptionally committed to the task at hand and helping others get there too。
Lisa Goodwin
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Great book。 Stimulated lots of ideas and new ways to think about things。
Bailey
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I have lived with insomnia for 16 years。This book gets 1。5 stars from me as it's an exhausting string of monotonous narratives。Rounding up because it literally bored me to sleep on more than one occasion， so。。。 there's that I guess。 I have lived with insomnia for 16 years。This book gets 1。5 stars from me as it's an exhausting string of monotonous narratives。Rounding up because it literally bored me to sleep on more than one occasion， so。。。 there's that I guess。 。。。more
Rick Morse
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Great， simple， and "sticky" model of leadership that should be thought of as a more accessible and actionable model of transformational leadership。 It correlates almost perfectly with Riggio & Bass's framework， but drops the laissez-faire and transactional elements of "full range leadership" and instead focuses on transformational behaviors。 I would give the book itself more stars if it were not so fixated on C-suite leaders in private sector organizations。 The authors talk about leadership bein Great， simple， and "sticky" model of leadership that should be thought of as a more accessible and actionable model of transformational leadership。 It correlates almost perfectly with Riggio & Bass's framework， but drops the laissez-faire and transactional elements of "full range leadership" and instead focuses on transformational behaviors。 I would give the book itself more stars if it were not so fixated on C-suite leaders in private sector organizations。 The authors talk about leadership being everywhere and how leadership is everyone's business， yet fall back on examples of hierarchical （and private sector） leadership only。 If they were to profile a much wider range of leaders from all sectors and all different levels within hierarchies， that would be much better， in my view。 。。。more
Alexis
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Solid readSome new concepts sprinkled in with old ones。 I learned some new things which is always my favorite part of reading。 Sometimes just naming things is important and this gave me the words for concepts。
Saud Nisar
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This book is a great option for university students to prepare themselves mentally for corporate sector。 It's a great book for those who want to lead people， who want that people follow them。 This book also give some really fantastic tips to newbie regarding Corporate culture， how to put themselves on company's fast track and much more。 No doubt Authors （James Kouzes and Barry Posner） had done great research for this book， they conducted interviews of some really great people from different orga This book is a great option for university students to prepare themselves mentally for corporate sector。 It's a great book for those who want to lead people， who want that people follow them。 This book also give some really fantastic tips to newbie regarding Corporate culture， how to put themselves on company's fast track and much more。 No doubt Authors （James Kouzes and Barry Posner） had done great research for this book， they conducted interviews of some really great people from different organizations。 This book is a must read！ 。。。more
Shannon
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Our leadership team read this book together， had small group accountability partners to develop interpersonal relationships， and then whole-team conversations about questions developed from the book。 In general， this book’s content was standard - - nothing new or extraordinary， but traditionally sound leadership principles。 Several of my colleagues pointed out that each chapter was summarized in the “Take Action” chapter conclusions。。。a sort of cliff notes for the book。 If you don’t want to inve Our leadership team read this book together， had small group accountability partners to develop interpersonal relationships， and then whole-team conversations about questions developed from the book。 In general， this book’s content was standard - - nothing new or extraordinary， but traditionally sound leadership principles。 Several of my colleagues pointed out that each chapter was summarized in the “Take Action” chapter conclusions。。。a sort of cliff notes for the book。 If you don’t want to invest in reading the entire book， you can easily learn the principles from these sections。 。。。more
Charles River
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Crystal McDermott Recommendation
Todd
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This is an excellent book on leadership。 The authors have performed exceptional research on the subject resulting in an abundance of data supporting their conclusions。 This book provides a great framework for how to approach growing as a leader in any sphere of influence。
Lisa
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Insightful and concrete advice for leadership。
Heinrich
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In Leadership Challenge （2008） geht es um die grundlegenden Aspekte erfolgreicher Führung: Oft bewirken schon kleine Veränderungen im Verhalten unglaubliche Resultate。 Die Kapitel zeigen Beispiele dazu und erklären， wie jeder zu einer guten Führungskraft werden kann。
Bejohnson
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Good ideas but long read
Jaclyn Leigh
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This book was a good reminder of the key principles that make a leader。 Covered a lot of content but never dove too deeply into a single topic。 Its a good way to analyze where your strengths and weakness are as a leader。 This would allow you to do further investigation/research and personal development in areas you need work。
Ethan Nguyen
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Everybody’s watching you: leaders should be conscious of the influence their behavior has on others。 Researchers from Florida State University found that， in general， the best performance in all fields wasn’t due to extraordinary intelligence or talent alone， but to effort and continuous practice。Leaders should be clear about their own and the team’s shared values。 Leaders are more motivated and productive when they define their own personal values。 Show， don’t tell: exemplary behavior is a more Everybody’s watching you: leaders should be conscious of the influence their behavior has on others。 Researchers from Florida State University found that， in general， the best performance in all fields wasn’t due to extraordinary intelligence or talent alone， but to effort and continuous practice。Leaders should be clear about their own and the team’s shared values。 Leaders are more motivated and productive when they define their own personal values。 Show， don’t tell: exemplary behavior is a more effective leadership style than just giving orders。 If you’re gonna talk the talk， you gotta walk the walk。 Telling stories is one effective method of doing so。Leaders must be forward-thinking。 They need to think like a grand master。 A grand master doesn’t just contemplate his next move but a series of possible next moves and countermoves。 Enthusiasm is also a key factor。 And there are techniques for creating an emotional connection between team members and the collective vision。 One such powerful tool is the use of symbols and figures of speech。Teamwork and supportive team climate should be high。 One way to enhance team trust is to establish more face-to-face communication between team members。 Feedback and recognition of great work are some of the most powerful tools for motivating team members。 。。。more
Mihwa
，