Leadership Toolkit & Personal Leadership

Summary

The video introduces a six-part leadership toolkit: a set of actions and attitudes that leaders should understand and practice.

1. Personal leadership — Developing an authentic leadership style grounded in one’s values, beliefs, and individuality.
2. Relational leadership — Recognizing that leadership depends on relationships with other people.
3. Situational leadership — Adapting to circumstances and choosing an appropriate approach for each situation.
4. Inspirational leadership — Motivating people and encouraging them to move forward.
5. Supportive leadership — Bringing people together and helping mobilize their efforts.
6. Responsible leadership — Accepting responsibility and acting with integrity and a commitment to doing what is right.

Personal leadership

The discussion focuses mainly on personal leadership. It involves clarifying one’s beliefs about human behavior, developing a vision and strategic perspective, and bringing courage and passion to one’s actions. Because this work begins with the individual, people can start developing it without waiting for an organization or other people to guide them.

Clarifying personal values

• Observe your reactions to leaders. Notice which leaders you instinctively resist or find discouraging, and reflect on what about their behavior troubles you.
• Look for positive examples. Pay attention to leaders who inspire or motivate you and encourage you to take the next step.
• Reflect and record. Keep a small journal of your reactions and the qualities behind them.
• Seek examples broadly. Look to leaders in your community and elsewhere, including people you can learn about through online videos.
• Identify what matters to you. Use positive and negative examples to work out what motivates you, what you dislike, and what kind of leader you want to be.
• Clarify the values you want to express. Organize your observations into a clearer sense of your values and the personality you want to project.
• Experiment in daily life. Try expressing a few of your chosen values in small, practical ways.

The video connects self-definition with trust. It cites the idea that leadership involves defining oneself to others in a way that clarifies and expands a vision of the future. Clarifying one’s values, style, vision, passion, and courage helps others understand the leader and can build trust.

Speakers and sources

• Two presenters or interlocutors — One introduces the toolkit and asks questions; the other discusses personal leadership and developing values. Their names are not clearly identifiable from the subtitles.
• Sim Sitkin and Alan Lind — Credited in the subtitles with developing the six leadership-toolkit elements and associated with Duke University.
• Edwin Friedman — Quoted on leadership as the ability to define oneself to others while clarifying and expanding a vision for the future.