© James M. Kouzes & Barry Z. Posner. All Rights reserved.
“. . . the trait we
commonly call
talent is highly
overrated.”
Stephen J. Dubner & Steven K. Levitt New York Times Magazine, 5/7/06
© James M. Kouzes & Barry Z. Posner. All Rights reserved.
Objectives Challenge our own thinking about
developing leadership expertise.
Provoke a lively dialogue about
development of expertise.
Initiate a conversation about the
implications for the work we do.
© James M. Kouzes & Barry Z. Posner. All Rights reserved.
Activity Think of something
at which you are expert. How did you get to be that way?
© James M. Kouzes & Barry Z. Posner. All Rights reserved.
Qu ic k Tim e™ and aTIFF (Unc om p res s ed ) de c om pre s s o r
are ne ede d to s e e th is p ic tu re.
© James M. Kouzes & Barry Z. Posner. All Rights reserved.
“The first major conclusion is that nobody is great without work. It’s nice to believe that
if you find the field where you’re naturally gifted, you’ll be great one day, but it doesn’t
happen.”
Goeffrey Colvin, FORTUNE, 10/19/2006
© James M. Kouzes & Barry Z. Posner. All Rights reserved.
“Experts are
always made,
not born.”
Source: K. Anders Ericsson, Michael J. Prietula, and Edward T.Cokely,
“The Making of an Expert,” Harvard Business Review, July-August 2007.
© James M. Kouzes & Barry Z. Posner. All Rights reserved.
“Living in a cave doesn’t make you
a geologist.”
Source: K. Anders Ericsson, Michael J. Prietula, and Edward T.Cokely, “The
Making of an Expert,” Harvard Business Review, July-August 2007.
© James M. Kouzes & Barry Z. Posner. All Rights reserved.
2 It takes practice,
and practice takes time.
© James M. Kouzes & Barry Z. Posner. All Rights reserved.
“The more engaged you are in learning the more successful you are at leading.”
Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner
The Leadership Challenge
© James M. Kouzes & Barry Z. Posner. All Rights reserved.
“Significant differences in leadership behaviors were found
between seniors who had participated in the leadership
development program with a control group of students who had not
participated.
Barry Posner, “A Longitudinal Study Examining
Changes in Students’ Leadership Behavior”
© James M. Kouzes & Barry Z. Posner. All Rights reserved.
“Until most individuals recognize that sustained training and effort is a
prerequisite for reaching expert levels of performance…
K. Anders Ericsson,
Cambridge Handbook of Expertise and Expert Performance
© James M. Kouzes & Barry Z. Posner. All Rights reserved.
“… they will continue to misattribute lesser
achievement to the lack of natural gifts, and will thus
fail to reach their own potential.”
K. Anders Ericsson,
Cambridge Handbook of Expertise and Expert Performance
© James M. Kouzes & Barry Z. Posner. All Rights reserved.
“…you will need to
invest that time wisely,
by engaging in
“deliberate” practice...”
Source: K. Anders Ericsson, Michael J. Prietula, and Edward T.Cokely, “The
Making of an Expert,” Harvard Business Review, July-August 2007.
© James M. Kouzes & Barry Z. Posner. All Rights reserved.
Deliberate Practice:
The Path to Expertise
1. Setting specific goals.
2. Engaging in designed activities.
3. Getting immediate feedback.
4. Concentrating as much on technique as outcome.
Source: K. Anders Ericsson et al, The Cambridge Handbook of Expertise and
Expert Performance, 2006
© James M. Kouzes & Barry Z. Posner. All Rights reserved.
“Two hours per day if you want to stay the same. More if you want to get better.”
Glenn Michibata, head coach, Men's tennis
Princeton University
© James M. Kouzes & Barry Z. Posner. All Rights reserved.
“‘How long does it take to master aikido?’ a
prospective student asks. ‘How long do you expect
to live?’ is the only acceptable response.”
George Leonard, Mastery
© James M. Kouzes & Barry Z. Posner. All Rights reserved.
Benjamin Bloom’s
Superior Performers 1. Practiced intensively.
2. Studied with devoted teachers.
3. Supported enthusiastically by their families.
4. Quantity and quality of practice mattered.
Source: K. Anders Ericsson, Michael J. Prietula, and Edward T.Cokely, “The
Making of an Expert,” Harvard Business Review, July-August 2007.
© James M. Kouzes & Barry Z. Posner. All Rights reserved.
ROLE MODELS Business leader
Community leader
Entertainer
Family members
Political leader
Professional athlete
Teacher or coach
None/Other/Not sure
© James M. Kouzes & Barry Z. Posner. All Rights reserved.
ROLE MODELS Family members …………… 40%
Teacher or coach ………….. 26%
Community leader …………. 11%
Business leader …………….. 7%
Political leader ………………. 4%
Professional athlete …….….. 3%
Entertainer …………………… 2%
None/Other/Not sure ……….. 7% Source: Public Allies Survey
© James M. Kouzes & Barry Z. Posner. All Rights reserved.
“The development of expertise requires
coaches who are capable of giving constructive,
even painful, feedback.”
Source: K. Anders Ericsson, Michael J. Prietula, and Edward T.Cokely, “The Making of an Expert,” Harvard Business Review, July-August 2007.
© James M. Kouzes & Barry Z. Posner. All Rights reserved.
“… it is only by working at what you can’t do that you turn
into the expert you want to become.”
Source: K. Anders Ericsson, Michael J. Prietula, and Edward T.Cokely, “The Making of an Expert,” Harvard Business Review, July-August 2007.
© James M. Kouzes & Barry Z. Posner. All Rights reserved.
“…people who repeatedly focus on
attaining goals are less likely to be happy.”
Michael Wiederman Scientific American MIND, February/March 2007
Oh No!
© James M. Kouzes & Barry Z. Posner. All Rights reserved.
LEADERS ARE LEARNERS, BUT…
#16 I ask for feedback on how
my actions affect other
people’s performance.
Of the 30 items the 1 item on which
leaders score the lowest is:
© James M. Kouzes & Barry Z. Posner. All Rights reserved.
“Leadership opportunities
are presented to everyone.
What makes the difference
between being a leader or
not is how you respond in
the moment.”
Michele Goins, CIO, HP
© James M. Kouzes & Barry Z. Posner. All Rights reserved.
In the Moment
00:03:05
According to Gloria Mark, UC Irvine
© James M. Kouzes & Barry Z. Posner. All Rights reserved.
“Where do I start
becoming a better leader?
…. I found that every day
I had an opportunity to
make a small difference.”
Sergey Nikiforov, Stack3, Inc.
© James M. Kouzes & Barry Z. Posner. All Rights reserved.
“I could have coached someone
better, I could have listened
better, I could have been more
positive toward people, I could
have said ‘thank you’ more
often, I could have…the list just
went on.”
Sergey Nikiforov, Stack3, Inc.
© James M. Kouzes & Barry Z. Posner. All Rights reserved.
“When it comes to choosing a
life path, you should do what
you love — because if you
don’t love it, you are unlikely
to work hard enough to get
very good.”
K. Anders Ericsson Quoted in New York Times Magazine, 5/7/06
© James M. Kouzes & Barry Z. Posner. All Rights reserved.
“You must love those you lead
before you can be an effective
leader. You can certainly
command without that sense of
commitment, but you cannot
lead without it…”
General Eric K.Shinseki, retired
34th Chief of Staff of the Army