The Complete Idiot's Guide to Leadership

by Dubrin, Andrew J.

• ISBN13: 9780028619460
• ISBN10: 0028619463
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1997-11-01
• Publisher: Macmillan Distribution

Summary

You're no idiot, of course. You handle your work assignments, monitor the progress of your workgroup, and meet your goals. But when it comes to inspiring others and creating change in your organization, you're confused about what to do next. Want some help? The Complete Idiot's Guide to Leadership shows you how to start thinking and acting like a leader who can help people perform well and meet organizational goals for increased productivity, quality, and customer satisfaction. In this complete Idiot's Guide, you get:

Author Biography

Andrew J. Dubrin is a professor of management at the College of Business, Rochester Institute of Technology, and a consultant to organizations and individuals. His books include 10 Minute Guide to Leadership, Personal Magnetism, and Winning Office Politics.

Table of Contents

Think Like a Leader	p. 1
What Is Leadership?	p. 3
What Leadership Really Means	p. 4
So What's So Good About Being a Leader?	p. 5
The Difference Between Leaders and Managers	p. 5
A Leader Is a Manager	p. 7
An Example of a Leader and Manager	p. 7
An Example of a Leader Who Is Not a Manager	p. 7
A Leader Is Involved in a Partnership	p. 8
How Good Are You at Inspiring, Persuading, Influencing, and Motivating?	p. 10
Inspiration	p. 10
Persuasion	p. 10
Influence	p. 11
Motivation	p. 11
Leaders Accomplish Big Changes	p. 12
The Least You Need to Know	p. 12
Build Your Self-Confidence	p. 13
Why Self-Confidence Is Important	p. 14
Use Positive Self-Talk	p. 14
Eliminate Negative Self-Talk	p. 16
You've Got More Going for You Than You Thought	p. 16
Rev Up Your Need for Power	p. 18
How Strong Is Your Need for Power?	p. 19
Visualize a More Powerful You	p. 20
Grab a Few Easy Victories	p. 20
Bounce Back from Setbacks and Embarrassments	p. 21
Get Past the Emotional Turmoil	p. 21
Find a Creative Solution to Your Problem	p. 22
The Least You Need to Know	p. 23
How Do Leaders Think?	p. 25
Trust Your Gut Feelings	p. 26
Start Seeing the Big Picture	p. 27
Strategic Thinking	p. 27
Systems Thinking	p. 28
Big Thinking	p. 29
Why and When to Ask Tough Questions	p. 30
Why Should I Ask a Tough Question?	p. 30
When?	p. 31
Put Some Creative Punch into Your Thinking	p. 32
Develop Your Insight	p. 33
How Do I Develop a leader's Ability to Read People?	p. 34
The Least You Need to Know	p. 36
How About a More Charismatic You?	p. 37
What in the World Is It? And How Can I Get It?	p. 38
Learn to Express Your Feelings	p. 39
Connect Feelings with Facts	p. 41
Where Do You Get Enthusiasm, Optimism, and Energy?	p. 43
Be Candid	p. 43
Use Animated Facial Expressions	p. 45
Do You Look Powerful? Do You Act Powerful?	p. 46
Do You Move and Act Purposefully?	p. 46
The Least You Need to Know	p. 47
Communicate Like a Leader	p. 49
Impress Them with Heavy-Impact Language	p. 50
Dazzle with Analogies and Metaphors	p. 51
Inspire with Story-Telling	p. 52
Does Your Nonverbal Language Project Leadership?	p. 53
Get Your Verbal and Nonverbal Behavior in Synch	p. 53
The Eyes Have It	p. 54
Stand Up Straight!	p. 54
Personal Space	p. 55
Watch Your Hands!	p. 55
How Do You Sound?	p. 55
Your Time Is Important	p. 56
Do You Appear Confident, Friendly, and Approachable?	p. 56
Hit 'Em with Your Power-Oriented Language Style	p. 57
Junk Words and Pauses	p. 58
Hackneyed Cliches and Recycled Anecdotes	p. 58
Does Every Noun Want to Be a Verb?	p. 59
The Least You Need to Know	p. 59
How to Develop Credibility	p. 61
Act Credible in an Incredible World	p. 62
Write Down What You Stand For	p. 65
Jiffy Guide for Making Decisions in the Gray Zone	p. 66
Excuse My Cliche, but Walk the Talk	p. 67
Stop Wearing Your Sunglasses Indoors	p. 69
The Least You Need to Know	p. 70
Act Like a Leader	p. 71
Your Tool Kit of Influence Tactics	p. 73
You Are a Role Model	p. 74
Get the Corporate Culture Across to People	p. 74
Demonstrate What Good Customer Service Means	p. 75
Treat Company Policy with Respect	p. 75
Demonstrate Sparkling Work Habits	p. 75
Do Your Share of Dirty Work	p. 75
Show People What It Means to Act Professionally	p. 76
Be a Paragon of Health, Safety, and Appearance	p. 76
Evangelists Make Good Leaders	p. 77
What Do You Want People to Do or Feel?	p. 77
Appeal to Key Values	p. 78
Formulate an Awesome Vision	p. 78
Use High-Impact Words and Phrases	p. 78
Ask the Right Questions	p. 79
Inspire People with Success Stories	p. 79
Can You See, Feel, Touch, and Taste It?	p. 79
Release Your Emotions at the Right Time	p. 80
"Hey, I'd Like Your Input"	p. 81
Nothing Like Being the Resident Genius	p. 81
Set Up a Favor Bank	p. 82
Manipulate Others and Still Like Yourself in the Morning	p. 82
The Bandwagon Technique	p. 83
Joking and Kidding	p. 83
Hint at an Implied Benefit	p. 84
Do I Use Influence Tactics Alone or in Combination?	p. 84
The Least You Need to Know	p. 85
Grabbing Power	p. 87
The Right Internal and External Networks Can Bring You Power	p. 88
How Your Network Members Can Enhance Your Power	p. 88
How to Assemble a World-Class Network	p. 89
Keep Your Network Alive	p. 91
Grab On to Hot Problems	p. 92
Come Storming Out of the Gate	p. 92
In Union There Is Strength	p. 93
Be Your Group's Publicity Director	p. 94
How Does Increasing the Visibility of Your Group Work in Practice?	p. 94
Here's How You Can Do It, Too	p. 95
"If You Don't Believe Me, Listen to Our Consultant"	p. 95
The Least You Need to Know	p. 96
How to Choose the Right Leadership Style	p. 97
Going North, South, East, and West to Learn About Your Style	p. 98
Who's in Charge Here?	p. 100
Authority Vested in the Leader	p. 101
Authority Vested in the Group Members	p. 101
Authority Vested in the Situation	p. 101
Time Pressures	p. 102
Are You a Member of the Band or a Soloist?	p. 102
"Help Me, Help Me" versus "Please Get Out of My Light"	p. 103
Orientations for Providing Guidance	p. 103
Guidelines Help You Decide How Much Guidance to Provide	p. 103
"I'm Here to Help You"	p. 104
A More Elastic You	p. 105
The Least You Need to Know	p. 106
Become a Multicultural Leader	p. 107
Now I Know Why You Act the Way You Do	p. 108
We're All Different; We're All OK	p. 110
Vive la Difference in Cultural Values	p. 112
Individualism versus Collectivism	p. 112
Acceptance of Authority and Status	p. 112
Risk-Taking Attitude	p. 113
Materialism versus Caring for People	p. 113
Long-Term Thinking versus Short-Term Thinking	p. 113
Formality versus Informality	p. 113
Urgent-Time Orientation versus Casual-Time Orientation	p. 114
High versus Low Emphasis on the Surrounding Situation	p. 114
The U.S. versus the Rest of the World	p. 114
Where Do I Find a Multicultural Carrot?	p. 115
Link Rewards to What People Want	p. 115
Find Out What People Want	p. 116
The Least You Need to Know	p. 117
You Can Become a Visionary and Transformational Leader	p. 119
You Too Can Make Management Gurus Weep with Joy	p. 120
Oh, What a Beautiful Future!	p. 121
Think, Talk, and Act Big	p. 123
Can You Bring About Some Really Big Changes?	p. 124
Changing the Organization Culture	p. 125
Raising People's Awareness About Rewards	p. 125
Helping People Look Beyond Self-Interest	p. 126
Helping People Search for Self-Fulfillment	p. 126
Investing Others with a Sense of Urgency	p. 126
Committing to Greatness	p. 126
Why Not Create a Revolution?	p. 126
Now That You've Created This Monster, What Do You Do Next?	p. 128
Helping People Understand the Need for Change	p. 128
Gain Political Support for Change	p. 128
Point Out the Financial Benefits	p. 129
Place Adaptable People in Key Spots	p. 129
Allow for Discussion and Negotiation	p. 129
Refer Back to Your Inspirational Vision	p. 130
The Least You Need to Know	p. 130
You Can Become a Team Leader	p. 131
You Can Become a Motivational Force	p. 133
Are You WIIFM or Against Them?	p. 134
How to Use WIIFM	p. 135
Why Are You People So Needy?	p. 137
The Need Cycle	p. 137
Let's Get Down to Specifics	p. 138
A Four-Letter Word for Focusing People's Energies	p. 139
What's the Missing Link?	p. 141
Think Big and Set Up a Supercharged Atmosphere	p. 142
The Least You Need to Know	p. 143
The People Side of Team Leadership	p. 145
Begin with a Little Brainwashing	p. 146
"I Love Ya, Babe; You're a Customer"	p. 147
Relax--Everyone Around Here Can Be Trusted	p. 147
Use Team Terms and Bury the First Person Singular	p. 148
Hey, Gang, We're a Bunch of Winners!	p. 149
The Right Type of Job Design	p. 150
Interdependence Among Team Members	p. 152
Group Composition and Size	p. 152
The Right Environment and Resources	p. 153
Activities Within the Group	p. 153
Familiarity with Jobs, Coworkers, and the Work Environment	p. 154
How About a Retreat at Lake Tahoe?	p. 154
The Least You Need to Know	p. 154
Techniques for Enhancing Team Spirit	p. 157
We're Destined for Greatness	p. 158
Don't Be Bashful; Let's Hear What You Have to Say	p. 159
It's Difficult to Ignore Somebody Six Inches Away	p. 160
Do I Have an Idea for You!	p. 160
Have a Nice Reward; You Helped the Group	p. 161
How About Team Coffee Mugs and Matching T-Shirts?	p. 162
No Job Is Too Dirty for Me	p. 163
You Won't Hear Me Go "Oink, Oink!"	p. 163
Sorry, Rest of the World; You're the Outgroup	p. 164
Introduce Humor with Appropriate Frequency	p. 164
The Team Spirit and Teamwork Checklist	p. 165
The Least You Need to Know	p. 166
The Task Side of Team Leadership	p. 167
Let Them Sweat a Little	p. 170
Do What Needs to Be Done If It Doesn't Cost Money	p. 171
Not to Upset You, but Here are Some Facts to Digest	p. 172
If We Play Our Roles Right, We'll Be Successful	p. 173
Now I Have to Kiss Up to Coworkers as Well as the Boss	p. 174
Why Did You Select That Font, and Why Is Your Left Shoelace a Little Loose?	p. 175
The Least You Need to Know	p. 176
Managing Conflict	p. 177
What You Rarely Read About in the Annual Report--Conflict	p. 178
Conflict Consumes Considerable Leadership Time	p. 179
Conflict over Goals Can Result in Extreme Self-Interest	p. 179
Prolonged Conflict Is Detrimental to Your Health	p. 179
Time and Energy Can Be Diverted from Reaching Important Goals	p. 179
Conflict Can Lead to Employee Sabotage	p. 180
Worst of All, Conflict Can Lead to Workplace Violence	p. 180
Let Me Tell You What's Really Bothering Me	p. 180
Let's Make Everybody a Winner	p. 182
Here's What I Think You Think of Me	p. 184
Being Fired Isn't So Bad; It Helps Me Develop Job Search Skills	p. 185
You're Right; I Am Kind of Sloppy and Stupid	p. 186
The Least You Need to Know	p. 187
How to Help Groups Lead Themselves	p. 189
How to Become an Empowering Leader	p. 191
I Hear the Word "Empowerment" Every Day--What Does It Really Mean?	p. 194
The Psychological Dimension of Power	p. 194
Give Away Power to Gain Power	p. 195
As Grand Master of the Universe, I Now Empower Thee	p. 196
Good Morning Ladies and Gentlemen--Your Flight Captain Today Is an Empowered Baggage Handler	p. 197
Don't Overlook Expertise	p. 198
To Empower or Not to Empower	p. 198
Now That You're Empowered, I Don't Have to Work So Hard	p. 199
Sorry, You Can't Decide on the Size of My Bonus	p. 201
The Least You Need to Know	p. 201
Helping Groups Make Decisions	p. 203
Are Six Heads Better Than One, or Is One Head Better Than Six?	p. 204
Ahh, It Feels So Right to Contribute	p. 206
If It Worked for Edison, Einstein, and Salk, Why Not for Us?	p. 207
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, Which Is the Fairest Solution of All?	p. 208
Ladies and Gentlemen, Start Your Pens, Pencils, and Felt-Tip Markers	p. 210
The Least You Need to Know	p. 212
Winning the Support of Group Members	p. 213
You Make Me Feel So Good	p. 214
Hold an Employee Appreciation Day	p. 214
Respect Seniority	p. 215
Give Small Gifts and Send Greeting Cards Throughout the Year	p. 216
You Can Do It; I Know You Can	p. 216
Hi, Son; Hi, Daughter; Hi, Cousin Kim	p. 217
Let Me Tell You About This Wonderful Group of Guys and Gals	p. 218
What Do You Think I Should Do?	p. 219
I Appreciate Your Suggestion; It's a Start	p. 220
Here's the Once-a-Year Event You've Been Anticipating	p. 221
The Least You Need to Know	p. 222
Leading Others Through a Crisis	p. 223
There's Two Seconds Left on the Clock; Throw Me the Ball	p. 224
You Can Reach Me at the Command Center	p. 226
It's Back to Basics	p. 228
Follow Me to the High Ground	p. 229
The Turnaround Manager Approach	p. 229
Bouncing Back from a Fire or Flood	p. 229
Lucky You, You're Becoming an Experienced Crisis Worker	p. 230
Turn Your Burned-Down Business into a Parking Lot	p. 231
Build a Hurricane Shelter Now	p. 232
Engage in Crisis Forecasting	p. 232
Develop Crisis-Management Policies and Procedures	p. 232
Establish a Corporate Crisis-Management Team	p. 233
Build Cash Reserves	p. 233
The Least You Need to Know	p. 233
Turning Around Problem People	p. 235
An Intelligent, Well-Informed Person Would Agree with Me	p. 236
Bandwagon Technique	p. 237
"Always" Technique	p. 237
Door-in-the-Face Technique	p. 237
Threats	p. 237
Biased Reporting	p. 238
Psychological Sabotage	p. 238
I'm Committed to Making Life Miserable for You	p. 238
Okay, So You're Weird; I Still Want You on the Team	p. 239
The Person with a Strong Need to Be Correct	p. 240
The Attention Seeker	p. 240
The Anti-Control Freak	p. 240
The Cynic About Management	p. 240
The Passive-Aggressive Personality	p. 241
Let's See if We Can Work Out a Beautiful Deal	p. 241
I Hear You, I See You, and I Think You're Adorable	p. 242
Am I Your Boss or Your Therapist?	p. 242
The Least You Need to Know	p. 244
Helping Others Develop Their Potential	p. 245
How to Become a Nuturing Leader	p. 247
Nobody Leaves My Nest Without Being Able to Fly	p. 249
Who Wants to Fly Like an Eagle?	p. 250
I Think What You Say Is Wonderful	p. 250
I Need You to Work All Weekend, and How Is That Infection on Your Basset Hound's Paw?	p. 252
You Can Grow If You Copy Me	p. 253
The Least You Need to Know	p. 254
Giving Feedback and Positive Reinforcement	p. 255
How About a Little Data?	p. 256
How to Make Feedback a Joyous Experience (Well, Almost)	p. 257
Give Specific Feedback	p. 258
Put the Ball in the Group Member's Court	p. 258
Deliver Feedback Close in Time to the Event	p. 258
Focus on Behavior Rather Than Personality	p. 259
First-Hand Feedback Is Better Than Second-Hand	p. 260
Honest Feedback Is the Best	p. 260
How to Water Human Plants	p. 261
It's Great to Feel Appreciated	p. 263
The Least You Need to Know	p. 264
Your Role as Coach and Facilitator	p. 267
Coaching Isn't Just My Job; It's My Philosophy	p. 268
Here's the Ideal, Here's the Real, and Here's Your Gap	p. 269
I'm Going to Set the Bar Just Two Inches Higher Now	p. 271
The Facts Show That I'm Giving You Great Advice	p. 271
I Hear and See What You're Saying	p. 272
Hey, Let's Kick Barriers	p. 273
I Want to Make You Feel Good	p. 274
You Are Going to Change, Aren't You?	p. 275
The Least You Need to Know	p. 275
How to Mentor	p. 277
I Hear the Word Every Day, but What Does It Really Mean?	p. 278
What Have You Done for Me Lately?	p. 279
Career Development and Mentoring	p. 279
Emotional Support and Mentoring	p. 281
You Are My Hero, My Heroine, My Everything	p. 282
Not Just Any Old Protege Will Do	p. 283
You Too Can Be a World-Class Mentor	p. 284
The Least You Need to Know	p. 286
Additional Resources for Learning How to Lead Effectively	p. 287
Videos	p. 287
Information for Ordering Videos	p. 287
Books	p. 288
Articles	p. 289
Web Sites	p. 290
Glossary	p. 291
Index	p. 297
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