UPA International Conference 2012 June 4, 2012 Opening keynote by Professor Ron Riggio

1. Myths and Truths
About Leadership and Your
Leadership Development
Ron Riggio, Ph.D.
Kravis Leadership Institute
Claremont McKenna College

2. 1. Are Leaders
Born or Made?

3. Thank You.
Have a Great Conference!

4. Made
Studies of
identical twins
suggest that
leadership is
about 2/3 “made”
and about 1/3
“born”
If not, then we are wasting our
time on leadership development.

5. …But, what about?
Taller candidates winning the
election?
Extroverts are more likely to be
chosen as leaders?
Males are more likely to be
chosen as leaders?
Charisma? Don’t some people
have a “gift” for leadership?

6. 2. True or False?
Leadership and Management
Are Fundamentally Different.

7. False
“Managers do things right,
leaders do the right things”
Managers have supervisory
responsibilities that demand Effective leadership is about
leadership and effective both managing and leading.
leaders need to manage.

8. 3. True or False?
Leaders Lead and Followers Follow

9. False
Exemplary
Both leaders The best followers share
AND followers leaders are in creating
together create also the best leadership– the
leadership followers co-production
of leadership

10. 4. Who Leads Better:
Men or Women?

11. Women Women tend to have:
More
“transformational” Greater
More concern for
qualities participation in
ethical leadership
(esp. relationship- higher education
building skills)

12. 5: True or False?
Most Leadership Development
Programs Don’t Really Work.

13. False
A recent analysis of 100 years of
leadership development programs
shows that they work
Some approaches are better than
others, but improvement typically
occurs
The key is motivation to develop and
time invested

14. Developing Your Leadership
3 Steps to Making You a Better Leader

15. Developing Your Leadership
Step 1: Motivation to Lead and to Develop
– Many elements apply to both leaders and
exemplary followers
– Commitment: Realize that leadership
development is hard work

16. Step 2: A Model to Guide Your Leadership
Development: Transformational Leadership
What is Transformational Leadership?
Transformational leadership occurs when one or
more persons engage with others in such a way
that leaders and followers raise one another to
higher levels of motivation and morality.
-James MacGregor Burns
Two meanings:
Includes an element of ethics/morality
1. Transforming organizations / groups
2. Transforming followers (into leaders)

17. Components of Transformational
Leadership
Components
1. Inspire
2. Be a Positive
Role Model
3. Connect &
Communicate
4. Challenge

18. Components of Transformational
Leadership
1. Inspire
(Inspirational Motivation)
The best leaders are inspirational.
KEY: The Power of Positive Expectations &
the Pygmalion Effect
KEY: Inspire Commitment to the Shared
Mission

19. Components of Transformational
Leadership
2. Be a Positive Role Model
(Idealized Influence)
KEY: “Walk the Talk”

20. Components of Transformational
Leadership
3. Connect & Communicate
(Individualized Consideration)
KEY: Determine Feelings & Needs
KEY: Check-in Regularly

21. Components of Transformational
Leadership
4. Challenge
(Intellectual Stimulation)
KEY: Challenge Assumptions
KEY: Encourage Innovation

22. RECAP: Transformational
Leadership
Inspire
1. Inspire
2. Be a Positive Role
Role Model C&C Model
3. Connect &
Communicate Challenge
4. Challenge
Transformational
Leadership

23. Step 3: How to Develop Your
Personal Leadership
Self-Awareness is CRITICAL
– Self-Analysis: What do you want to develop?
• Get Feedback (either formal or informal)
• Build in Self-Reflection Time Throughout the Process
– Set Clear and Measurable Self-Development Goals
• Assess Goal Attainment; Celebrate “Small Wins”
– Choose Methods That Fit YOU!
• (e.g., Formal Courses; Mentoring/Coaching, etc.)
• Consider Finding a Learning Partner

24. KEY POINT:
Personal vs. Team
Leadership Development
• Developing yourself as a leader is different
from developing your team’s leadership
capacity
• Realize that leadership – at the team level –
involves the co-production of leadership
• Realize the strength of the transformational
leadership model (developing your personal
leadership and your followers/colleagues)

25. Leadership & Ethics:
“Effective” Leadership vs.
“Good” Leadership

26. Good Leaders…
(as opposed to effective leaders)
• do the right things vs. simply getting
things done
• are “responsible leaders”
• limit “collateral damage”
• develop followers
• leave the team and the organization
better off than they found it

27. How to think about “good” or
“ethical” leadership?
Virtue ethics: 4 Cardinal Virtues:
Aristotle
PRUDENCE FORTITUDE
• Or WISDOM • Or COURAGE
TEMPERANCE JUSTICE
• Or MODERATION • Or FAIRNESS

28. Prudence
• Good Leaders Possess Wisdom:
– They consider different sides or viewpoints
– They solicit advice and counsel
– They deliberate and use good judgment

29. Fortitude
• Good Leaders (and Followers) are
Courageous
– They have passion
– They persevere and persist
– They have a strong sense of right and wrong
– They aren’t afraid to stand up for or to their
leaders

30. Temperance
• Good Leaders are Temperate and
Practice Moderation:
– They have emotional intelligence (they rein
in their emotions, and express appropriately
– They possess HUMILITY
– They know their deficiencies and limitations
(important for leader development)

31. Justice
• Good leaders are Fair and Just:
– They give credit when credit is due
– They don’t take credit for others’ ideas or
efforts
– They are unselfish
– They treat others well

32. Summary & Conclusions
• Leadership is complex, but critical to
effective organizations (and careers)
• Both leaders and followers need
leadership (co-production)
• Leadership CAN be developed

33. “Leadership is a journey…
Conclusion
…not a destination”
“Leadership is a journey…
…not a destination”
Your journey begins today
Your journey begins TODAY.

34. Thank You.
Have a Great Conference!