Your Recommendations on Leadership Guidelines
I am planning to teach a free online high school course on leadership.
I have a problem. There are hundreds of books on leadership, but there is no agreement among the authors on the essential characteristics of leadership.
This problem should be obvious, but is never mentioned. Leadership varies, depending on the structure of the organization. Leadership in the military is not the same as leadership in a profit-seeking corporation. Political leadership is not the same as charitable agency leadership. Why is this the case? Because the institutional sanctions are different. Losing a military campaign is not the same as losing money in a marketing campaign. They are both called campaigns, but they are not the same. Spilled blood is not the same as red ink.
I will be teaching teenagers. My primary goal for the course is to encourage them to begin taking leadership in their circle of friends. I want to give encouragement to shy people. I want to give guidance to self-confident people.
My goal is not to teach them how to become political leaders. Most important, I want them to become self-disciplined, which is where all leadership should begin. All government begins with self-government.
I am aware of the book by Douglas Hyde, Dedication and Leadership. I will be using some of its materials. I will also be referring to Max De Pree’s Leadership Is an Art. I am looking for books like these.
If you have read a book on leadership that influenced you, I would like to hear about it. I would also like to hear your story on how the book changed your life.
Maybe you have read an article that affected you. Send me the link.
Maybe you know of a blog that presents the basics of leadership. Send me a link to it.
Maybe you joined an organization as a teenager that offered opportunities to display leadership. What was it?
Send me an email: garynorth@garynorth.com. Put this in the message box: Leadership Guidelines.