Articles—Issue 10, May 2006 Back to Article Index Has Good Leadership Changed? Leadership is not an easy skill to develop, but there are time honored concepts that help. Some things really do not need to be reinvented frequently, but rather practiced. I am rarely enamored with the newest management fad or new definitions of time honored concepts, however, I recently read a good definition of leadership by Jack Hamm in the Harvard Business Review. "…the real job of leadership is to inspire the organization to take responsibility for creating a better future." Though I like this definition, there are many others. Is this because the concept of leadership has changed? I don't think so. Most of what we read turns out to be repackaged material; some good, some not. Beware of the hottest new thing in managment. Someone gave me a book a few years ago that touted a great, new business model. Turned out to be Enron. (Financial leverage, by the way, has also been around for a long time.) There are a few articles and books that have stuck with me for years. One in particular that I read at a USC executive program in the 1980s is perhaps my favorite. Warren Bennis wrote an essay in 1984 entitled, "The Four Competencies of Leadership" that is just as relevant today as it was then. In it, he described—based upon his study of successful leaders—the things that successful leaders must manage. They are: 1. Management of Attention (Sometimes you need to be loud!) 2. Management of Meaning (Content really is important.) 3. Management of Trust (Predictability and consistency.) 4. Management of Self (How would you rate Andy Fastow on this one?) Bennis does a far better job of explaining the concepts than I will. It is worth reading; unless you have found a great new model. Google the title and you’ll find a copy. (Google...now there is a tool that really did not exist years ago.) (c)2006 by Tood Ordal. You are welcome to share this informational article with others. Todd Ordal is a business consultant helping executives struggling with execution. Prior to founding the consulting firm Applied Strategy LLC, Todd spent over 25 years in management and executive roles such as President and CEO. You can contact Todd at todd@appliedstrategy.info