Commit to great leadership and implement it today
The Leadership Contract Field Guide provides a practical blueprint for implementing the Leadership Contract. Reading is one thing, but new ideas cannot be useful until they are put into practice - so now it is time to commit. Review the major tenets of great leadership, internalize them, and look around at your organization; what does your organization currently need the most? Where is the clear deficit? What do your people most need right now to work to their full potential? That’s where you start. Decisions? Make them. Obligations? Fulfill them. Hard work? Toughen up. Leadership is a privilege and a responsibility, and this book shows you how to move from conceptualizing “great leadership” into practicing great leadership - starting today.
This guide summarizes what you learned in The Leadership Contract, and integrates that knowledge into real-world actions that make you more effective, while new discussion on accountability draws from research and case studies from major organizations to give you fresh perspective and valuable insight. The result is a clear roadmap to high performance, and you’re standing on the starting line - are you ready to go?
- Review the key points of what it means to lead
- Focus on accountability and fulfilling obligations
- Identify and accommodate organizational needs
- Implement the Contract to become a more effective leader
Your employees are your biggest, most valuable asset, and you should be theirs. You need to equip them to succeed, motivate them to achieve, and inspire them to new heights with each and every interaction. In word and in deed, you must walk the walk every single day. This is what great leadership looks like, and it is already inside of you. The Leadership Contract Field Guide gives you a systematic blueprint for unleashing your very best and achieving so much more.
Table of Contents
Introduction: Let’s Get Started 1
Section One The Core Ideas 13
Chapter 1 What is Leadership Accountability? 15
Mediocre Leadership and Its Impact 17
Leadership Accountability 22
Chapter 2 What is the Leadership Contract? 29
Chapter 3 Leadership Accountability in Action 49
Section Two The Foundational Practices for Living the Leadership Contract 63
Chapter 4 The World in Which You Lead 65
Complete the Leadership Context Map 75
The Importance of Getting Clarity 77
Chapter 5 Leadership is a Decision - Make It 81
Step 1: Determine Your Critical Leadership Experiences 85
Step 2: Map Your Critical Experiences on Your Timeline 91
Step 3: Identify Common Themes and Patterns 93
Share Your Leadership Story 100
Chapter 6 Leadership is an Obligation - Step Up 107
What is Your Desired Value and Impact as a Leader? 118
Other Ways to Leverage Your Personal Obligation Statement 126
Chapter 7 Leadership is Hard Work - Get Tough 129
Build Resilience and Personal Resolve 142
Learn How to Have Tough Conversations 151
Other Ways to Leverage the Ideas in This Chapter 158
Chapter 8 Leadership is a Community - Connect 161
Your Experience with Leadership Cultures 166
Assessing the Leadership Culture in Your Organization 168
The Community of Leaders Manifesto: Making the Intangible Tangible 173
Be a Community Builder Every Day 176
Other Ways to Leverage the Community of Leaders Manifesto 180
Section Three The Regular Practices for Living the Leadership Contract 183
Chapter 9 Regular Practices for Living the Leadership Contract 185
Daily Actions for Living the Leadership Contract 187
Weekly Actions for Living the Four Terms of the Leadership Contract 190
Quarterly Actions for Living the Four Terms of the Leadership Contract 191
An Annual Practice for Living the Four Terms of the Leadership Contract 197
Section Four The Turning Points of Leadership 199
Chapter 10 Use the Turning Points of Leadership to Make Better Career Decisions 201
Turning Point 1: Individual Contributors and Emerging Leaders 205
Turning Point 2: Front-Line Leaders 208
Turning Point 3: Mid-Level Leaders 210
Turning Point 4: Executive Leaders 212
Other Ways to Leverage the Turning Points of Leadership 214
Conclusion 217
About the Author 225
About the Leadership Contract 227
Bring the Leadership Contract into Your Organization to Build Strong Leadership Accountability 229
About Lee Hecht Harrison 231
About the Adecco Group 233
Acknowledgments 235
Index 237
