Premium Essay

Summary: Thought Leadership: a Radical Departure from Traditional, Positional Leadership

In:

Submitted By nmusa26
Words 1182
Pages 5
McCrimmon’s “Thought Leadership: A Radical Departure from Traditional, Positional Leadership” is an informed viewpoint article. McCrimmon discusses what thought leadership is, and compares it to shared leadership and leaderful organizations. Thought leadership is essentially what it sounds like—leadership that emerges from someone’s thoughts and ideas. Its basis can be described as thoughts and ideas that help to change and improve the way we currently think or operate (1065).

Thought leadership is not to be mistaken with shared leadership or leaderful organizations. In shared leadership, all team members are engaged in the teams’ leadership (1065). In leaderful organizations, team members don’t require a leader because they learned to conduct their own affairs. In leaderful organizations, each team member experiences and provides leadership. McCrimmon argues that in shared leadership and leaderful organizations, management is never really differentiated from leadership. Both represent their team members as holding some responsibilities that are typically held by a more formal leader (1065). Unlike shared leadership and leaderful organizations, thought leadership does not hold managerial or empowered authority to make decisions. Thought leaders “challenge the status quo” for the purpose of change (1065).

Thought leaders are not necessarily staff in managerial positions. They do not require a specific personality type and do not require teamwork. The article describes how thought leadership can range from those with innovative ideas or those who simply adopt new technology earlier than most (1066). It is important to note that thought leadership ends once the idea has been accepted, typically by senior staff (1067). Thought leadership is argued to be most effective for organizations that want to focus on continually improving its organization rather than

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Emotionally Intelligent Leadership Surpasses Thought Leadership

...Emotionally Intelligent Leadership Surpasses Thought Leadership by Carol Kay Hammond Table of Contents Introduction 2 A Summary of David Goleman’s Article: “The Emotional Intelligence of Leaders” 3 A Summary of Mitch McCrimmon’s Article: Thought Leadership: A Radical Departure from Traditional, Positional Leadership 7 Emotionally Intelligent Leadership Should be at the Helm of All Organizations and Thought Leadership Should Play Second Fiddle 10 Conclusion 11 References 13 Introduction Great leadership is instrumental to the success of any organization. Authors David Goleman in his article “The Emotional Intelligence of Leaders” and Mitch McCrimmon in his article “Thought Leadership: A Radical Departure from Traditional, Positional Leadership” both write their opinions about what type of leadership is best. Goleman asserted in his article that emotional intelligence should be cultivated in all leaders because those who are emotionally intelligent make the best leaders. McCrimmon asserted in his article that thought leadership should be cultivated in all organizations because thought leadership is the best type of leadership. Both authors offer compelling arguments. However Goleman’s article, “The Emotional Intelligence of Leaders” makes the most compelling argument. The following sections explore the arguments of Goleman and McCrimmon and end with a discussion of why the cultivation of emotional intelligent leaders should take precedence...

Words: 3092 - Pages: 13

Premium Essay

Leadership

...A Summary of “The Emotional Intelligence of Leaders” by Daniel Goleman In the article the “Emotional Intelligence of Leaders,” Daniel Goleman articulates that people who advance in their careers and are in leadership positions usually are people with a higher level of emotional aptitude not scholastic abilities. Goleman believes that leaders are most effective when their emotions and thoughts work robustly together; that leading with love, compassion, and encouragement fosters a better working environment. To prove his point, Goleman looked at the IQs of leaders and realized that there was little difference; their significant gain was in emotional intelligence. He also pointed out that in studies completed, it was clearly evident, that individuals who prospered in their companies were the ones with emotional intelligence not their intellect. Goleman declares that brains of human beings are connected in such a way that emotions and thoughts go hand in hand, which further proves that emotions and intellect must work together. The author explains that emotional intelligence is made up of five key elements which in turn is the same make-up of great leaders. These five key elements are important because they help individuals to lead in such a way that creates cohesion within the workplace, which makes the company strong and grow. According to Goleman (1998), those five elements are self-awareness, management emotions, motivating others, showing empathy and staying connected. These...

Words: 1921 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Goleman and Mccrimmon Assignment

...Author Note This paper was prepared for AMBA 600 Goleman and McCrimmon Assignment Summary and Discussion Summary: Thought leadership: a radical departure from traditional, positional leadership The article Thought leadership: a radical departure from traditional, positional leadership written by McCrimmon (2005) covers many different types of leadership. The article compares thoughtful leadership to traditional leadership styles. In the article the writer explains the differences between the several types of leadership and explains why thoughtful leadership is the best form of leadership. Shared leadership is described as when all members of a team contribute equally to the success of the team. The problem with this type of leadership occurs when the group no longer has a need for a leader. This typically happens when a team is self sufficient. They are able to achieve their goals with no guidance. Leadership at this point only negatively impacts the group. The group is successful not because the group lacks leadership but due to the overabundance of leadership. Each member of the group brings their experiences to the group allowing the team to be successful. Sometimes within a shared leadership organization disruptive leadership can occur. Disruptive leadership occurs when a member of a team takes charge of a group with no formal authority. This can cause major problems within the organization. Often times the productivity of the team will go down. The team will also...

Words: 2491 - Pages: 10

Premium Essay

Thought Leadership

...(1998) and McCrimmon (2005) Summaries Thought Leadership: A Radical Departure from Traditional, Positional Leadership by: Mitch McCrimmon. In this article, McCrimmon (2005) presents two forms of leadership, thought and positional leadership. He describes thought leadership as a brainstorming mechanism that births new ideas and innovations. In comparison to positional leadership that can be described as a managerial system that helps an organization achieve a targeted goal or initiative. What is thought leadership? Thought leadership originates from simple thinking skills. They are unwarranted and unsolicited ideas that McCrimmon (2005) says are “uncontaminated by the managerial element.’’ (p. 2). A thought leader has no desire to climb the totem pole. However, they desires to present new ideas and concepts that could possibly help implement new systems- big or small. Mccrimmon (2005) says its” simply, the championing of new ideas” (p. 2). In the article, the author presented case studies of employees, who implemented new strategies in their work environment. For example, the junior HR specialist who convinced his team to adopted a new system. The new innovation improved the performance of the team and promoted growth in the organization. Thought leadership vs. positional (shared and distributed) leadership Thought leadership focuses on an innate capability to birth eccentric ideas. Once the ideas are accepted, positional leadership takes responsibility for...

Words: 942 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Critical Thinking

...This is a summary of the article The Emotional Intelligence of Leaders by Daniel Goleman in Leader to Leader. Goleman’s main point was to establish that the best leaders posses a skill that is learned, a skill called emotional intelligence. All leaders have credentials that make them good. Intellectually gifted leaders posses many innate abilities such as ambition, perseverance, and commitment. However, Goleman makes a case that better leaders often posses other abilities that make them more effective. These components are listed in the article as self-awareness, ability to manage emotions, motivating others, showing empathy, and staying connected. Goleman explains that many of these functions stem from a certain part of the brain that allows truly effective leaders to develop and control emotions. An effective leader knows his or her strengths and limitations. They are typically self-confident as well. A leader with this ability is capable of making the toughest of decisions that are more in line with their values. The component the author speaks of in the article that fits this mold is considered self-awareness. Leaders with self-awareness know their strengths, weaknesses, needs and drives. They tend to be able to suspend judgment and not be overly critical of others, honest both with themselves and others. The author suggests that leaders with the ability to manage emotions are keenly skilled at controlling impulses. People that can manage emotions are...

Words: 2430 - Pages: 10

Premium Essay

Critical Thinking- a Summary or Articles

...A summary and discussion of articles; Goleman, D. (1998, fall). The emotional intelligence of leaders. Leader to Leader, 10, 20-26 And McCrimmon, M. (2005, January) Thought leadership: a radical departure from traditional, positional leadership. Management Decision, 43 (7/8), 1064-1070 Summary 1 Goleman, D. (1998, fall). The emotional intelligence of leaders. Leader to Leader, 10, 20-26 Leadership skills can be derived from various angles and most organizations have a certain style of leadership. Most of these styles come from studies and patterns of growth. Goleman (1998), in this article explains with illustrations how leadership should be construed and how one’s emotions play a huge role towards an effective style of leadership. The way you feel the type of person you are and the actions you take are essential in leadership skills. Leaders in top positions in various organizations have great credentials to show for it but like Goleman pointed out, there are some that lead mainly on what they have studied, that is, their technical expertise. Hence, they are not open to emotionally leading that organization. Our emotions are who we are, they are imbedded in us. Goleman, goes further to give in-depth illustrations as to how the human brain is linked to what feelings we feel, be it happy or sad, regret or anger. Thinking your actions through before voicing them out has a lot to do with our emotions. Our thinking faculty and the emotional part of our brain (known...

Words: 1939 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Critical Thinking-Goleman and Mccrimmon

...Critical Thinking AMBA 600 July 22, 2014 Critical Thinking Summary of Daniel Goleman’s Article on Leadership. In the article titled, “The Emotional Intelligence of Leaders”, author Daniel Goleman highlights the importance of emotional intelligence as it pertains to leadership. He highlights the notion that many leaders today may possess high IQs and the necessary qualifications to be in positions of leadership but often times are deficient emotionally. This can cause them to lose that human touch that allows them to associate with others under their management. Goleman goes on to mention the dimensions of emotional intelligence and these include: “Self awareness, managing emotions, motivating others, showing empathy and, staying connected.” (Goleman, 1998). He describes “self awareness” as knowing yourself and what you stand for in life. Self awareness allows leaders to make decisions in keeping with their own ethics and morals and having the confidence to implement strategies that they know will work. Self awareness allows one to question certain decisions based on one’s own gut feeling or instinct. The second dimension of emotional intelligence that Goleman mentions is “managing emotions”. Leaders often times face many emotions depending on situations that may occur during the course of their work. The inability to harness ones emotions can have dire consequences on ones career and can often times lead the individual down a destructive path. Effective leaders...

Words: 1996 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Critical Thinking Exercise

...Summary of The Emotional Intelligence of Leaders by Daniel Goleman Goleman introduces the term of emotional intelligence in this article. Goleman shows that having all the usual qualities attributed to leaders such as intellect and vision is insufficient. To be an effective leader and to distinguish you from other leaders these leaders will need to be emotionally intelligent. Emotional intelligence can be learnt so it’s never too late to gain these skills to be a success. Goleman states there are five characteristics of emotional intelligence: self-awareness, managing emotions, motivating others, showing empathy and staying connected. Goleman discusses each component of emotional intelligence and explains how to spot them in leaders and how they help in being emotionally stable. Goleman equates emotional intelligence with business success. Every leader possesses some of these characteristics on various levels; however, individuals will need a high level of emotional intelligence to excel as leaders in the workplace. Self Awareness According to Goleman leaders with emotional intelligence are self-aware and have the ability to do self assessments and make decisions based on these assessments which ultimately will take in consideration your emotions. Self awareness and self assessments are important skills which will allow leaders to assess their strengths and weaknesses. Additionally according to Goleman, with self awareness comes self confidence. If you are...

Words: 1895 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Critical Thinking Essay

...Part 1: Summary of the Goleman article: In the article “The Emotional Intelligence of Leaders”, Goleman (1998), believes that emotional intelligence is leadership of the heart, which is essential to the success of a team or organization. Most leaders who show emotions and connect with others emotionally tend to lead high performance groups and are more to be ahead of their competitors. Goleman also talked about the anatomy of emotions and believe they are the very structure on which our brain is built. Emotions are what give us the ability to think and react rationally. In other words, without emotions, leaders could make decisions that could be detrimental to their teams’ performance. A decision that leads to a positive outcome, is one made when we control our feelings and not let them get in the way of our thinking process. Goleman’s believes were based on several researches. One study done by Stanford University, showed that kids who exhibited patience and were less impulsive, were betting at controlling their emotions as they got older. These kids had a greater advantage to succeed than those who were impatient and could not handle stress well. Goleman pointed out that this was also evident in the study done by The Center for Creative Leadership. Leaders who failed at their jobs did so, because they failed to effectively manage stress. They were unable to help their teams navigate changes. According to Goleman, emotional intelligence is measured through five main...

Words: 1546 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Theory of Constraints Assignment

...A summary and discussion of articles; Goleman, D. (1998, fall). The emotional intelligence of leaders. Leader to Leader, 10, 20-26 And McCrimmon, M. (2005, January) Thought leadership: a radical departure from traditional, positional leadership. Management Decision, 43 (7/8), 1064-1070 Summary 1 Goleman, D. (1998, fall). The emotional intelligence of leaders. Leader to Leader, 10, 20-26Leadership skills can be derived from various angles and most organizations have a certain style of leadership. Most of these styles come from studies and patterns of growth. Goleman (1998), in this article explains with illustrations how leadership should be construed and how one’s emotions play a huge role towards an effective style of leadership. The way you feel the type of person you are and the actions you take are essential in leadership skills. Leaders in top positions in various organizations have great credentials to show for it but, like Goleman pointed out, there are some that lead mainly on what they have studied, that is, their technical expertise. Hence, they are not open to emotionally leading that organization. Our emotions are who we are, they are imbedded in us. Goleman, goes further to give in-depth illustrations as to how the human brain is linked to what feelings we feel, be it happy or sad, regret or anger. Thinking your actions through before voicing them out has a lot to do with our emotions. Our thinking faculty and the emotional part of our brain...

Words: 1924 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Change Management

... 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41. 42. 43. 44. 45. Topic Page # Course Orientation ................................................................................................. 1 Benefits and Significance of Change Management ............................................... 5 Kurt Lewin Model: Assumptions and Implications ............................................... 8 Implications af Kurt Lewin Model....................................................................... 12 Some Basic Concepts and Definitions ................................................................. 15 Transactional Vs. Transformational Leadership .................................................. 18 Theories of Change in Organisations................................................................... 21 Life Cycle Theory ................................................................................................ 22 Teleological Theories of Change ......................................................................... 25 Dialectical Theories of Change............................................................................ 27 A Dialectical Approach to Organisational Strategy and Planning ....................... 29 Limitation of Dialectics; DA and DI.................................................................... 31 Theories of Change in Organisations..................

Words: 62404 - Pages: 250

Premium Essay

Leadership

...leadershipELAF 683 LEADERSHIP FROM THE BOARDROOM TO THE CLASSROOM: EFFECTIVE PRACTICES IN BUSINESS AND EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP Introduction Purpose and Direction for the Paper: This paper intends to discuss leadership from a business perspective leading to effective practices that are both documented in business and educational leadership. It will present a historical perspective on leadership from the kings of the 16th Century to a discussion on theory (administrative and leadership). The paper will transition to discuss effective practices and common characteristics of effective leaders tying the concepts from business thought to educational leadership. Finally, a discussion will be presented detailing current educational and economic trends for schools for the 21st century and a summary of the leadership that will be required. A Business and Educational Leadership Perspective: A Required Change Niccolo Machiavelli, the 16th century author of The Prince (1981), stated, “The whole Kingdom . . . is governed by one man; everyone else is his servant” (p. 22). Since its first printing in 1516, The Prince has been the inspiration for many managerial texts and has been utilized as a guide for leaders throughout the centuries, including several today. In a Machiavellian or so-called “top-down” managerial philosophy, a chief executive officer (CEO) defines and controls the power of the organization. The workforce serves the mission as determined by management, which oftentimes has...

Words: 13625 - Pages: 55

Premium Essay

Ethical Decision Making

...Doctoral Dissertation Series 2010/8 Espoo 2010 LEADERSHIP IN A SMALL ENTERPRISE Helena Palmgren Dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Science in Technology to be presented with due permission of the Faculty of Information and Natural Sciences, Helsinki University of Technology, for public examination and debate on May 7, 2010 at 12 o'clock in Auditorium AS1 at the Aalto University School of Science and Technology, Espoo, Finland Aalto University School of Science and Technology Department of Industrial Engineering and Management P.O. Box 15500 FIN-00076 AALTO FINLAND Tel. + 358-9-4702 2846 Fax + 358-9-4702 3665 Internet http://tuta.tkk.fi Copyright © Helena Palmgren helena.palmgren@ttl.fi ISBN 978-952-60-3100-2 (print) ISBN 978-952-60-3101-9 (electronic) ISSN 1797-2507 (print) ISSN 1797-2515 (electronic) URL:http://lib.tkk.fi/Diss/2010/isbn9789526031019/ The cover artwork © Eila Haydn, 2010 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in retrieval systems, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming, recording, or otherwise, without permission in writing from the publisher. Edita Espoo 2010 ii ABSTRACT OF DOCTORAL DISSERTATION AALTO UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY P.O. BOX 11000, FI-00076 AALTO http://www.aalto.fi Author Helena Palmgren Name of the dissertation Leadership in a Small Enterprise Manuscript submitted Date...

Words: 100514 - Pages: 403

Premium Essay

Software Project Management

...point for any practicing project managers or students of Project Management for Information Systems, whether they are from a computing or a business background, at undergraduate or masters level. In this book, the practical perspective and industry experience of the authors complements the clear explanation of project management theory and methodologies. The authors strike a good balance covering both the mechanics of project management and the human factors involved and plentiful case studies, exercises and good and bad examples from real life help the reader to put the theory into context and into practice. This fifth edition has new material on: • development life-cycles and approaches (including agile approaches) • different types of IS projects and how to manage them • implementing change through information systems • updated coverage of leadership and management. Project Management for Information Systems is all you need to plan every aspect of an IS project and ensure that it is implemented on time, within budget and to quality standards. ‘This is an excellent starting point: a practical down-to-earth and comprehensive guide to many facets of IS project management. Cadle and Yeates draw on a wealth of experience in running projects, offering a unique combination of a refreshing approach to the subject and the detailed insights from the trenches. Overall, a truly valuable book for both students and learning practitioners.’ Professor Darren Dalcher...

Words: 178628 - Pages: 715

Premium Essay

Leadership

...Fourth Edition Reframing Organizations Artistry, Choice, and Leadership LEE G. BOLMAN TERRENCE E. DEAL B est- se l l i n g a u t h o rs of LEADING WITH SOUL FOURTH EDITION Reframing Organizations Artistry, Choice, and Leadership Lee G. Bolman • Terrence E. Deal Copyright © 2008 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved. Published by Jossey-Bass A Wiley Imprint 989 Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94103-1741—www.josseybass.com No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978-750-8400, fax 978-6468600, or on the Web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, 201-7486011, fax 201-748-6008, or online at www.wiley.com/go/permissions. Credits are on page 528. Readers should be aware that Internet Web sites offered as citations and/or sources for further information may have changed or disappeared between the time this was written and when it is read. Limit of Liability/Disclaimer...

Words: 193447 - Pages: 774