Knowledge Resource Centre

The Leadership Challenge

James M. Kouzes, Barry Z. Posner

The Leadership Challenge is a careful balance of research theory and meaningful instruction. It recognises the need for across the board industry examples demonstrating how real and everyday leaders are successfully building vision, challenging the system and inspiring others.

Kouzes and Posner have reviewed data from thousands of respondents as well as surveys from every level of management in all sectors to find what does and doesn't work. In this fourth edition, 90% of the examples and case studies are new and truly relevant to today's challenges such as the advent of new media and shrinking workforces. However, what hasn't changed are the fundamentals of good leadership. The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership®, developed by the authors, detail the competencies needed for successful leaders to achieve results. These are:
 

• Model the way: Establishing and demonstrating best practices to colleagues, customers and stakeholders
• Inspire a shared vision: Enlisting others to your dreams
• Challenge the process: Innovating to promote learning opportunities
• Enable others to act: Building individual and team motivation by empowerment and mutual respect
• Encourage the heart: Recognise and celebrate individual accomplishment

These five practices remain at the heart of this landmark piece of ongoing research and they are brought into the current economic climate with relevance and practical emphasis. They will be appreciated by leaders from the top to bottom of any organisation wishing to learn the skills and practice them with commitment to success. The logical and thorough way The Leadership Challenge guides, coupled with a central theme of hope and optimism, shows why it continues to be considered by many as the best research based book on the subject.

The Leadership Challenge has sold over 1.5 million copies.