James M. Kouzes & Barry Z. Posner 
Learning Leadership 
The Five Fundamentals of Becoming an Exemplary Leader

A practical framework for developing emerging leaders

Learning Leadership answers the fundamental question, ‘Are leaders born or made?’ The bestselling authors of The Leadership Challenge have again collaborated to show you how to build extraordinary leadership behaviors in yourself and anyone on your team. Based on more than 30 years of research with data from more than 70 countries, this book provides a concrete framework for identifying and developing the leadership potential in everyone, through a series of actions that inspire, motivate, and train. You’ll discover five fundamentals of becoming an exemplary leader. You’ll see how you can develop a learning mindset and how you can create a context that will foster positive beliefs in others. Whether your and others’ leadership abilities are already apparent or nothing more than a glimmer of a spark, this insightful guide gives you evidence-based strategies to ignite the habit of continuous improvement and enable you and others to become betters leaders than you are now.

Great leadership is the critical component to great performance. A leader must possess many qualities, but one of the most important is the ability to learn. Learning is the master skill. This guide provides an actionable framework to help you give structure to the process of becoming the best leader you can be.
* Elevate and enable your and your team’s aspirations
* Initiate challenges to both test and build new skills
* Engage support and create a context for learning
* Set goals, ask for feedback, and make learning a daily habit

The research is clear. You are already leading, just not frequently enough. It’s not about raw talent. It’s about using more of the abilities you already have. Leadership is a skill like any other–some may have more talent than others, but anyone can learn to become better with deliberate practice, designed learning experiences, and the right guidance. All leaders, regardless of innate or learned abilities, require a supportive and challenging environment in which to develop their skills and truly step into the leadership mindset. Learning Leadership is a practical guide for building leadership in anyone.

Tabella dei contenuti

Introduction The World Needs Exemplary Leaders xv

Part I Learning Leadership Fundamentals 1

Chapter 1 Leaders are Born and So Are You 3

Chapter 2 Leadership Makes a Difference 13

Chapter 3 You Are Already Leading–Just Not Frequently Enough 23

Part II Fundamental One: Believe You Can 33

Chapter 4 You Have to Believe in Yourself 35

Chapter 5 Learning Is the Master Skill 45

Chapter 6 Leadership Emerges from Within 55

Part III Fundamental Two: Aspire to Excel 65

Chapter 7 You Have to Know What’s Important to You 67

Chapter 8 Who You Are Isn’t Who You Will Be 77

Chapter 9 It’s Not Just About You 87

Part IV Fundamental Three: Challenge Yourself 97

Chapter 10 Challenge Is Your Leadership Training Ground 99

Chapter 11 Get Curious and Go Kick the Ball Around 109

Chapter 12 Get Gritty and Stay Hardy 119

Chapter 13 Courage Gives You the Strength to Grow 129

Part V Fundamental Four: Engage Support 139

Chapter 14 I Couldn’t Have Done It without You 141

Chapter 15 Get Connected 151

Chapter 16 Without Feedback You Cannot Grow 159

Part VI Fundamental Five: Practice Deliberately 169

Chapter 17 Leadership Takes Practice, and Practice Takes Time 171

Chapter 18 Context Matters 181

Chapter 19 Learning Leadership Must Be a Daily Habit 191

Part VII Commit to Becoming the Best 201

Chapter 20 It’s Not How You Start; It’s How You Finish 203

Notes 213

Acknowledgments 236

About the Authors 239

Index 244

Circa l’autore

JAMES M. KOUZES is the Dean’s Executive Fellow of Leadership at the Leavey School of Business, Santa Clara University, and lectures on leadership around the world to corporations, governments, and nonprofits.

BARRY Z. POSNER is the Accolti Endowed Professor of Leadership at the Leavey School of Business. An accomplished scholar, he also provides leadership workshops and seminars around the world.