Leadership and Change

Reflection on chapter 13 – Leadership Is Everyone’s Business Chapter 13, Leadership Is Everyone’s Business, of Kouzes & Posner is the only chapter in the Leadership For Everyone section of the book. This chapter is the summary of the whole book. The authors emphasize their leadership theory in this chapter, just as in the word of Kouzes & Posner, “…leadership is not about position or title…leadership is not about organizational power or authority…leadership is about relationship, about credibility, and about what you do.” The authors explained why one can be a good leader and how to use the Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership to acquire accomplishments, and to be a leader and successful leader. It consists eight parts, and can be divided into two sections.

The first section includes three parts: you are the most important leader in your organization; leadership is learned; leaders make a different. The authors try to tell readers that one can be a good leader and explain why. The second section includes five parts: first lead yourself; moral leadership calls us to higher purposes; humility is the antidote to hubris; leadership is in the moment; the secret to success in life. The authors gave readers specific ways to practice, and try to introduce how one can become a good leader.

The point I took away from this chapter was realizing my potential of leadership and how to put them into practice of leadership. The quotes that struck me the most in this chapter were: "You have to challenge the myth that leadership is about position and power. And, once challenged, people can come to see leadership in a whole new light."(338) "Now, I see leaders leading a group of people of any size and leading at any level. You are a leader if you employ these five leadership practices because people around you want to follow." (339) "The more you engage in the practices of exemplary leaders, the more likely it is that you’ll have a positive influence on others in the organization. "(343) "The instrument of leadership is the self, and mastery of the art of leadership comes from mastery of the self."(344) "The best-kept secret of successful leaders is love: staying in love with leading, with the people who do the work, with what their organizations produce, and with those who honor the organization by using its products and services. "(343)

I appreciated this chapter because I think it totally changed my prejudice of leadership theory. At first, I always think that leadership is about position or title, especially in the public sector. People who work for the private sector are not related to leader or leadership. I think it may be caused by my culture. As Chinese saying goes, “all other callings now rank first, the study of books is first and best.” Why, because people can become civil servants--traditional concept of leader through diligent study. Another famous saying from Confucius is that “A good scholar can become an official.” This still affect Chinese society today. After you know about it, you will not amaze at thousands of graduate student to compete in one official position two years ago.

What’s more I don’t think I have to pay more attention to some affairs that didn’t relate to my field. Just as one Chinese saying goes, “he who is not in any particular office, has nothing to do with plans for the administration of its duties.” After read this book and this chapter, I learnt a lot. As Kouzes & Posner noted, “leadership is about relationship, about credibility, and about what you do (338).”

Last but not the least, I ask myself many times, how I can put the leadership theories into practice when I read the book and articles. Suddenly, I found the answers in chapter 13. The answers include my question are: “The fact that leaders can learn to be leaders through self-awareness and effort opens the possibility that individuals have a choice about pursuing or ignoring the calling of leadership.(340)” “leadership opportunities are presented to everyone… what makes the difference between being a leader or not is how you respond in the moment.” “each day provides countless chance to make a difference. The chance might come in a private conversation with a direct report or in a meeting with colleague.”

When I read the sentence from chapter 13—“the Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership were a good start for understanding that leadership was everyone’s business…” it impacted me very well. I never connected small things to leadership field till I finished this reading. I tried to use the Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership to explain things happened around me. For example, I worked for a Chinese Buffet for a few days. I suddenly found that the boss’s behavior is “Model The Way” when we cleaned the store together on weekend. The manager’s behavior violates the credibility because of eating the banned food. After that moment, I tried to explain more things happened to me. I believe that the more I use the Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership, the more I can make progress in my leadership skills.

But, in my point of view, the authors’ work generalized the concept of leadership theory. Sometime I ask myself, is it leadership book or a book of public relation or the truth of life.