A Systems Thinking Approach to Leadership Innovation

The tools of leadership can be used by anyone and yet to come across as a sincere leader the values of the team, individual, company, and the leader must be aligned. Dissonance between any of these can create friction, disillusionment, and impact morale. Using a leadership model that is designed and structured to fit both the situation and the task (i.e. situational leadership, servant leadership, transformational leadership, etc.) is crucial.

The tools of leadership can be used by anyone and yet to come across as a sincere leader the values of the team, individual, company, and the leader must be aligned. Dissonance between any of these can create friction, disillusionment, and impact morale. Using a leadership model that is designed and structured to fit both the situation and the task (i.e. situational leadership, servant leadership, transformational leadership, etc.) is crucial.

The challenge of true leadership is to identify tools appropriate to the situation and to identify what types of support (see the situational leadership model) are suggested to help employees and teams perform at the next level.

Despite the structure of the tools and models discussed in this book there is no 'one size fits all' approach to leadership. Different company environments warrant the use of different leadership models. Similarly, each company environment will be more receptive to different leadership models than others.

Leadership is not defined in a vacuum. It requires the ability to engage, motivate, and inspire others to higher levels of performance. Performance becomes a vision that is shared, aligned with the company's values, vision, and customer needs.

Where will you begin?

Author: Travis Barker, MPA GCPM

Note: 2nd Edition (published 2017) includes additional content to include:* Introduction to the Situational Leadership Scorecard* Access to the online Interactive Tools: Strategic Plan Generator