Chapter 9: Successful or Not??

Numerous studies have been conducted to determine whether leadership is considered successful or not. Before researchers can reach a conclusion, they must determine the criteria. Because success and leadership are so complex, researchers must first narrow down what is being studied.

Chapter 9 looked at how success is defined, what is considered important, and the situation in which the leader is being evaluated.

People studying these results need to know that what might be considered successful for one leader may not work for another. The role of the leader should be taken into consideration as well. Criteria for low to middle managers won't always be the same as high level executives.

According to Leslie & Fleenor, equated successful leadership with high performance ratings from subordinates. The book said that another way of defining a successful leader is one to whom the organization is willing to give increasingly broader leadership responsibility. McCall, Lombardo, and Morrison thought successful executives are defined as those who were identified as having and living up to their potential. Success was also defined in terms of the outcomes achieved by the group/organization. The final approach was the leader's ability to bring about change in the group.

The book states that there is no best way to determine the success of a leader.

Chapter 9 outlined key themes for distinguishing between successful and unsuccessful leadership:

• Balance concern for task efficiency, human relations, and adaptive change
• Develop intrapersonal and interpersonal competence
• Engage in transformational and charismatic behaviors
• Think and act in more complex ways
• Overcome deficiencies that limit success
• Seek a wide variety of leadership experiences

Do you gauge success more by the end result or by the impact you have with those you are working with? How will you determine whether our leadership project is a success or not?

At this point in my life I define my success as a leader by the group/team's success and failures. From an athletic viewpoint, winning correlates with success and losing is failing. The reactions I get from parents of teammates reaffirms my ability to lead. I think of their complements and kind words as a bonus. I think our success with the project will be realized with the follow-up visit with the kids. We will not be able to determine the impact we make on the kids until we see them for the second time.