the legacy we leave is the life we lead with jim kouzes

© James M. Kouzes & Barry Z. Posner. All Rights reserved.

THE GREAT

TALENT

MYTH

Jim Kouzes


“. . . the trait we

commonly call

talent is highly

overrated.”

Stephen J. Dubner & Steven K. Levitt New York Times Magazine, 5/7/06


Objectives Challenge our own thinking about

developing leadership expertise.

Provoke a lively dialogue about

development of expertise.

Initiate a conversation about the

implications for the work we do.


Activity Think of something

at which you are expert. How did you get to be that way?


1 Talent is highly

overrated.


Qu ic k Tim e™ and aTIFF (Unc om p res s ed ) de c om pre s s o r

are ne ede d to s e e th is p ic tu re.


“The first major conclusion is that nobody is great without work. It’s nice to believe that

if you find the field where you’re naturally gifted, you’ll be great one day, but it doesn’t

happen.”

Goeffrey Colvin, FORTUNE, 10/19/2006


talent

≠ expertise


“Experts are

always made,

not born.”

Source: K. Anders Ericsson, Michael J. Prietula, and Edward T.Cokely,

“The Making of an Expert,” Harvard Business Review, July-August 2007.


experience

≠ expertise


“Living in a cave doesn’t make you

a geologist.”

Source: K. Anders Ericsson, Michael J. Prietula, and Edward T.Cokely, “The

Making of an Expert,” Harvard Business Review, July-August 2007.


2 It takes practice,

and practice takes time.


“The more engaged you are in learning the more successful you are at leading.”

Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner

The Leadership Challenge


“Significant differences in leadership behaviors were found

between seniors who had participated in the leadership

development program with a control group of students who had not

participated.

Barry Posner, “A Longitudinal Study Examining

Changes in Students’ Leadership Behavior”


“Until most individuals recognize that sustained training and effort is a

prerequisite for reaching expert levels of performance…

K. Anders Ericsson,

Cambridge Handbook of Expertise and Expert Performance


“… they will continue to misattribute lesser

achievement to the lack of natural gifts, and will thus

fail to reach their own potential.”

K. Anders Ericsson,

Cambridge Handbook of Expertise and Expert Performance


“…you will need to

invest that time wisely,

by engaging in

“deliberate” practice...”




Deliberate Practice:

The Path to Expertise

1. Setting specific goals.

2. Engaging in designed activities.

3. Getting immediate feedback.

4. Concentrating as much on technique as outcome.

Source: K. Anders Ericsson et al, The Cambridge Handbook of Expertise and

Expert Performance, 2006


“Two hours per day if you want to stay the same. More if you want to get better.”

Glenn Michibata, head coach, Men's tennis

Princeton University


How Much?

10 years

10,000 hours


2.7/day


Most leaders are amateurs.


“‘How long does it take to master aikido?’ a

prospective student asks. ‘How long do you expect

to live?’ is the only acceptable response.”

George Leonard, Mastery


3 It takes support.


Benjamin Bloom’s

Superior Performers 1. Practiced intensively.

2. Studied with devoted teachers.

3. Supported enthusiastically by their families.

4. Quantity and quality of practice mattered.




ROLE MODELS Business leader

Community leader

Entertainer

Family members

Political leader

Professional athlete

Teacher or coach

None/Other/Not sure


ROLE MODELS Family members …………… 40%

Teacher or coach ………….. 26%

Community leader …………. 11%

Business leader …………….. 7%

Political leader ………………. 4%

Professional athlete …….….. 3%

Entertainer …………………… 2%

None/Other/Not sure ……….. 7% Source: Public Allies Survey


“The development of expertise requires

coaches who are capable of giving constructive,

even painful, feedback.”

Source: K. Anders Ericsson, Michael J. Prietula, and Edward T.Cokely, “The Making of an Expert,” Harvard Business Review, July-August 2007.


4 It’s not for the fainthearted.


“… it is only by working at what you can’t do that you turn

into the expert you want to become.”

Source: K. Anders Ericsson, Michael J. Prietula, and Edward T.Cokely, “The Making of an Expert,” Harvard Business Review, July-August 2007.


“…people who repeatedly focus on

attaining goals are less likely to be happy.”

Michael Wiederman Scientific American MIND, February/March 2007

Oh No!


LEADERS ARE LEARNERS, BUT…

#16 I ask for feedback on how

my actions affect other

people’s performance.

Of the 30 items the 1 item on which

leaders score the lowest is:


5 Leadership is

in the moment.


“Leadership opportunities

are presented to everyone.

What makes the difference

between being a leader or

not is how you respond in

the moment.”

Michele Goins, CIO, HP


In the Moment

00:03:05

According to Gloria Mark, UC Irvine


“Where do I start

becoming a better leader?

…. I found that every day

I had an opportunity to

make a small difference.”

Sergey Nikiforov, Stack3, Inc.


“I could have coached someone

better, I could have listened

better, I could have been more

positive toward people, I could

have said ‘thank you’ more

often, I could have…the list just

went on.”

Sergey Nikiforov, Stack3, Inc.


The Secret to

Success in Life


“When it comes to choosing a

life path, you should do what

you love — because if you

don’t love it, you are unlikely

to work hard enough to get

very good.”

K. Anders Ericsson Quoted in New York Times Magazine, 5/7/06


“You must love those you lead

before you can be an effective

leader. You can certainly

command without that sense of

commitment, but you cannot

lead without it…”

General Eric K.Shinseki, retired

34th Chief of Staff of the Army


How do we develop

leaders for the future?


Love ‘em and

Lead ‘em!

the legacy we leave is the life we lead with jim kouzes

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