Developing Effective Leadership in Organizations: A Competency-Based Approach Focused on Keys to Performance (Competency Based Books for Structured Learning)

Winner - 2022 Global Book Awards: SILVER MEDAL / Business Leadership

The most dangerous leadership myth is that leaders are born -- that there is a genetic factor to leadership. This myth asserts that people simply either have certain charismatic qualities or not. That's nonsense; in fact, the opposite is true. Leaders are made rather than born. —Warren G. Bennis

Do you aspire to move forward in your career? Do you own your own business? Do you want to be a leader in your organization? Are you responsible for helping others to develop their leadership competencies and reach their potential?

If the answer is "yes" to any of these questions, then this book is for you!

This book is intended for individuals who want to develop their leadership competencies and those responsible for developing talent in their organizations. It follows a structured competency-based method to building knowledge and skills by following a systematic and proven approach.

Although the book is directed at individuals, faculty teaching in university and college leadership programs as well as trainers in organizations will find it useful as a text or guide to bridge theory and practice.
People in organizations who just want to learn and study more about leadership can use the book as a self-paced guide for workshops and seminars or learn-at-lunch programs.

As you proceed through the content and associated learning activities, it is helpful to apply what you learn to an organization that you are familiar with. This will help you better understand the concepts, as well indicate areas for potential organizational improvement.

This book utilizes the U.S. Department of Commerce - National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Malcolm Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence as its basis for design. All the major chapters of this book are aligned with Baldrige’s seven primary criteria areas:

• Building Leadership Competence
• Facilitating Strategic Planning
• Finding and Retaining Customers
• Leadership Tools: Data and Measurement
• How to Attract and Develop Employees
• Managing Operations and Quality
• Leading for Innovation and Results

If the areas look familiar, you are probably thinking that these same areas are typically associated with an MBA program. You are right. Some have referred to studying the content of this book as pursuing a Mini-MBA.

Structured Learning

All our books and workbooks align with the Centrestar research-based Competency Model. The model, which is rooted in work by the U.S. Department of Labor and others, gives you a framework for structured learning by helping you identify and develop specific competencies.

Competencies are sets of skills, knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors that are observable and measurable. Our model has 35 competency dimensions associated with successful performance in leadership and professional roles. Competencies are clustered into five domains that may overlap.

This Developing Effective Leadership in Organizations guidebook focuses on all the competency areas associated with the Organizational Leadership competency cluster or domain. For more information or visit: www.centrestar.com

Wesley E. Donahue, Ph.D., MBA, PE, PLS, PMP®, 6σ Blackbelt
Dr. Donahue is in the business of helping people succeed. A professor at Penn State University, he leads an online graduate program in organization development and change. He is the president of Centrestar, Inc., a firm that offers a unique and straightforward approach for professionals to assess their skills and competencies, develop personalized strategies for success, and access on-demand courses and workbooks that get results.