Joel Kurtzman stresses that the heart and soul of leadership is the creation of common purpose. Leaders are judged both on who they are and what they do.
Mr. Kurtzman points out repeatedly that leadership has to exist at all levels of an organization. Unsurprisingly, the author does not believe in a world divided into leaders and followers. Furthermore, Mr. Kurtzman emphasizes that true leaders have to be part of the groups they lead, build a sense of inclusiveness, and empower their teams. This kind of leadership builds trust and positivity within teams and makes it possible for leaders to have teams that are more productive and responsive to changes in their environment. Mr. Kurtzman reminds his audience that many individuals working within a firm tend to mimic their leaders' best traits and worst characteristics. For this reason, leaders have to be mindful of the types of behavior that they do not want to see replicated.
Furthermore, people often lose sight of the fact that individuals working in an organization are the ones who accomplish goals. Creating a learning organization is an important building block in a common purpose organization. Therefore, removing obstacles is a leader's full-time job. Unsurprisingly, Mr. Kurtzman stresses that when an organization is winning, everybody has to be rewarded in some ways to further foster an "esprit de corps" that is conducive to superior performance. Unfortunately, too many organizations do not practice it.
Mr. Kurtzman notes repeatedly that leaders have to be comfortable with people who disagree with their ideas. Developing independent, trustworthy sources of information, judgment, and advice is key to fostering great leadership. This mindset is also an antidote to insularity and can save an organization from a calamitous fate. The author correctly observes in this regard that the ongoing economic downturn is symptomatic of bad, or even, abysmal leadership within a wide variety of private and public, for profit and non-profit organizations. In contrast, Mr. Kurtzman emphasizes on several occasions that leaders have to be ruthless in dealing with team members who seek to undermine their position, authority, or level in the organization. With this exception in mind, leaders do not have to be ruthless to lead. Mr. Kurtzman reminds his audience that kindness, caring, and empathy are powerful factors for success.
Mr. Kurtzman also recommends that organizations celebrate their leaders in order to retain them. The author suggests, for instance, that leaders be given access to the team at the top, be rewarded with new challenges, not just with more money, and be notified quickly with a counteroffer if they plan to leave. When good people - leaders - leave an organization, they create gaps that can be difficult and expensive to fill.
To his credit, Mr. Kurtzman pillories the exaggerated importance given to "The Art of War" by Sun Tzu in the field of leadership. Great leadership is about making organizations more responsive, flatter, better, and faster at achieving their goals. Great leadership is not about keeping the competitors in one's sight and relentlessly pushing them back.
Mr. Kurtzman notes briefly that great leaders are also mindful of the differences that leaders of different generations exhibit. For this reason, it is important for organizations to stand for more than the bottom line to appeal to Gen X and Y leaders.
Finally, Mr. Kurtzman rightly emphasizes that real leaders need to take in enormous amounts of information and knowledge and to process what they take in from the vantage point of view of their team and from the point of view of their organization and its mission. Thought leadership is not a luxury, but a necessity in a fast-changing world.
In summary, Mr. Kurtzman does a great job in bringing to light the importance of building a superior organization that serves a common purpose.
Get more detail about Common Purpose: How Great Leaders Get Organizations to Achieve the Extraordinary.
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