I recently looked through some books that I had not read in quite a while and came across The Leadership Challenge, written by James Kouzes and Barry Posner. Though I am not particularly into reading books on leadership, this is one of the better ones that I have come across and would recommend reading to those that are interested in the subject. The authors posit that leadership is both a skill to be learned as well as a relationship between leader and constituent to be nurtured.

In addition, the authors discuss the idea that great leaders do not necessarily come from one mold but rather can be either introverts or extroverts, as both possess valuable qualities. For example, extroverts tend to be better at sharing their vision and energy with larger groups. In contrast, introverts tend to be better at communicating in a more intimate, one-on-one setting. Both of which have immense value. The book also discusses how a great leader is not only a catalyst for accomplishing specific tasks but also inspires those that he or she leads by being honest, competent, and having a shared vision with their followers.

The material for the book was based on surveys the authors began conducting in 1983 by asking leaders what they did when they were performing at their best. By conducting thousands of interviews over several decades, Kouzes and Posner came up with five basic concepts which were quite comprehensive in describing the foundation for good leadership practices. Those five concepts were: Model the Way, Inspire a Shared Vision, Challenge the Process, Enable Others to Act and Encourage the Heart.

Modeling the Way teaches us to know ourselves, then to know our constituents. Once we know who we are and who we are leading, we can then be “authentic” leaders. We can be true to ourselves and act in ways that are honest to our true nature. Ultimately, Modeling the Way is about leading by example, but to achieve this, we must be honest about who we are and what we stand for.

Inspiring a Shared Vision is about making ourselves vulnerable to our constituents. We do this to gain their trust and to communicate to them that we are all in this together, that we will either succeed together or fail together. Without a shared vision, the team members will lack direction and purpose, and any work that is performed will be inefficient. It is the leader’s responsibility to get all of the team members “rowing in the same direction.”

Challenging the Process is about all of the team members asking, “Is this the best way to go about things?”. It is about asking hard questions and removing the fear of failure. To truly succeed, a team must take calculated risks and push boundaries. This sometimes ends in failure, but the reward is worth the risk. When challenging the process, all team members, including the leader, must be held accountable and must be open to constructive criticism. This is sometimes hard, but through honest, authentic communication, real progress can be made toward being the best team possible.

Enabling Others to Act is about empowerment. It is about a leader giving their constituents the physical, intellectual, and emotional tools to succeed. Leaders who are good at this promote continuing education and recognize not only who to choose as team members but also where to place them. Just as a football coach would not move an offensive lineman to quarterback, a good leader would not place a person in a position where they were ill-suited and likely to fail. A leader good at enabling action builds on the strengths of their constituents and helps them succeed.

Last, Encouraging the Heart is the foundation for motivating and strengthening constituents. It is almost never about money. Encouraging the Heart is building people up and helping them reach their potential. Leaders that are good at this motivate their constituents with words of encouragement and praise. These leaders find out what is important to their constituents. It might be something as simple as remembering their birthday or asking how they are doing from time to time.

The most important messages in the book for me personally were to know myself and to act and live authentically. Whether you run a Fortune 500 company, coach a youth soccer team, or are a parent; everyone is a leader in some fashion. As I have been reading a wider variety of books lately and working on writing articles and other projects, I have been thinking a lot about my strengths and weaknesses. I have also given a lot of thought to approaching work and home life in ways that are genuine to whom I am. This has not always been easy and is certainly an ongoing process, but I am finding that life is far less exhausting if I only have to “wear one hat.”