Posts

Showing posts from June, 2011

Special Edition: Understanding leadership and evidence-based practices

When discussing leader behavior, it is essential to understand the importance of evidence-based practices in daily lives of the leader. Evidence-based practice means engaging in behaviors that have been tested, analyzed and supported by research. Whether the research looks to study theoretical depths or applications that are associated with current leadership issues, any evidence-based practices is better than engaging in behaviors that have not been through a similar rigorous process. There are several aspects of evidence-based practices that one can examine; however evidence-based educational methods and evidence-based management are the two types that can be associated with leadership development. When discussing leadership development, human resource development is quintessential to the growth of the leader as well as the organization. A link to a survey is included in this post to assist in the development of the leader’s effectiveness through evidence-based practices and hum

Everything in leadership is an opportunity

Everything in life is an opportunity. If we learn to ignore them, then we could ignore opportunities that are very significant in our life. Is it possible to accept every opportunity given to us? No, but it is possible to respond to them. Exploring opportunities that you have or want to have is very important in succeeding. Many do not want to see or take the chance on an opportunity. Many may think that an opportunity is a guarantee ‘shoe in’ for success. However, opportunities can turn out to be bad for the person. What are the different types of opportunities? Some types of opportunities can be seen as good, bad, risky, guaranteed, safe, dangerous, important, non-important, believable and non-believable. There are probably more categories of opportunities than these, but this seems to be a solid foundation for further probing. These opportunities suggest that they come in pairs. This model can be accepted based on the premise that are different type of opportunities, meaning that

Leadership: Money, poverty, or wealth

Can one be poor and be a great leader? Many may assume that the general definition of leadership could apply to anyone regardless of their financial status. However, let’s take this question a further. Would you follow someone who is poor? Many may respond, undoubtedly yes from a moral standpoint. However, how many individuals actually follow individuals who are not as successful or financially well-known such as Donald Trump, Oprah, and Tiger Woods? To get a better understanding of wealth and leadership, it is essential to probe the relationship between follower’s perception of wealth as well as each person’s operational definition of wealth. The definition of wealth can include time, spirituality, health, intellect, or profession. An individual’s perception of wealth is important when discussing its relationship with leadership because of follower’s potential behavior. For example, if one perceives a person to be poor and they are not, but decides to not follow that person because

Leadership and technology: Can’t have one without the other - Frank Sinatra 1955

In present day society, it is becoming extremely difficult to be an effective leader and have little to no technological skills. These skills go far beyond the Microsoft Office student/ professional edition or Windows 7. As hacking within companies’ databases increases, it is important that individuals in leadership roles understand the integration of leadership behavior and an organization’s technological structure. Beginning with WikiLeaks and others, it is easier to see that without technology, it is hard to lead and vice versa. There are several ways that leadership is integrated with technology: information technology department within organizations; senior level executives; technology within crisis situations; and technology within a country’s military leadership. Using these components, one can increase their productivity and protect their company from technological attacks. With a well knowledgeable team in the technology field, organizations can survive more environmental