Customer Reviews

Leadership Challenge Workbook

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We're using Kouzes & Posner's "The Leadership Challenge" book (among others) in our MBA Leadership and Management Processes class. This workbook, although not required, should be. There are lots of checklists, worksheets, questionaires, etc. that lead you through applying the concepts presented in the book.

Although there has been a more recent edition of The Leadership Challenge published (in 2007) since this Workbook appeared (in 2003), the core concepts remain the same, guiding and informing the series of exercises provided in it. Specifically what James Kouzes and Barry Posner characterize as "The Five Practices" of exemplary leadership, requires two commitments. For example, Challenge the Process by searching for opportunities (i.e. seek innovative ways to change, grow, and improve) and experimenting with calculated risks (i.e. constantly generate "small wins" and learn from every mistake). As Kouzes and Posner have by now clearly indicated in their collaborations, they are relentless empiricists and diehard pragmatists. Their observations and suggestions are driven by more then 30 years of rigorous research that includes hundreds of interviews of leaders and several million responses to various surveys. After briefly identifying the "what" of effective leadership, they devote most of their attention to its "how."

How did Don Bennett, the first amputee to climb Mt. Rainier (elevation 14,410 feet), get to the top on one leg and two crutches? "One hop at a time." Kouzes and Posner suggest that the same process be followed by those who aspire to be exemplary leaders.

They note that work tends to be organized in terms of projects because projects "create the context for our goals, determine with whom we work, and set our schedules." That said, on pages 6 and 7, they offer several guidelines for completing this workbook. Depending on the reader's given project or situation,

1. "If you're just starting, we recommend that you begin with Chapter 4...and work your way through Chapter 8."

2. "If your project has been underway for some time, we recommend that your first step be to read through this Workbook quickly, without completing all the activities. Then go back and start with those worksheets that address immediate concerns."

Digression: Why are so few workbooks and field guides based on business bestsellers designed to include space within the narrative on which to complete exercises, record notes, etc.? Credit someone (the authors, their publisher, or both) with enabling the reader to do so in this workbook. As a result, each person who accepts "the leadership challenge" will want to have her or his own copy. Also, many more copies will be sold.

I appreciate the fact that, from the beginning, Kouzes and Posner establish a direct, personal rapport with their reader. The tone is informal, in fact cordially conversational. In effect, they seem to be saying "After all these years of research, here's what we've learned about exemplary leadership. We want you to focus on specific issues and we will explore them with you. We realize that not everything in this workbook is directly relevant to your current or imminent circumstances. That's OK. Let's proceed through the material together and then you decide which activities will be most helpful to you."

Kouzes and Posner devote a separate chapter to each of the five practices of exemplary leadership. In my opinion, the term "exemplary" has at least three separate but related associations: first, with the most effective leaders whom Kouzes and Posner have interviewed over the years; also, with the example that the most effective leaders set for their colleagues; and finally, with initiatives to develop effective leadership in others, at all levels and in all areas of the given enterprise. It may be helpful to think of this workbook's potential value in terms of what it can help to accomplish within these three dimensions organizational transformation.

As I worked through the material, I was again reminded of Peter Drucker's observation: "There is surely nothing quite so useless as doing with great efficiency what should not be done at all." Also, of something Thomas Edison once asserted: "Vision without execution is hallucination" to which I presume to suggest a corollary: "Execution without vision is expediency." This workbook will help those who absorb and digest the material, complete the various exercises, and then apply what they have learned to reach the "summit" of exemplary leadership and then lead others to do so.

James Kouzes and Barry Posner duly acknowledge the difficulty of completing that journey, deferring to Don Bennett to suggest the best approach to take: "One hop at a time."

This is a well designed workbook for use in the classroom with other leadership materials developed by Kouzes and Posner.

I am getting my Masters degree and this was a required workbook for one of my classes. It is a very useful and insightful book. I will be keeping this for future use. It has great areas for reflection and tips and pointers on how to be a great leader. I won't be selling this book back.

I think the first thing to state is that you NEED THE MAIN BOOK to fully use this workbook well. This workbook goes WITH the main "The Leadership Challenge" book. Make sure you have both of them.

The workbook helps you to think about the topics taught in the main book. It asks you questions and has you think about situations in your work life. Their directed, step by step approach helps you to move through situations and make progress.

I'm working on a leadership degree and so far in the one degree path I've had two separate classes which both required the main Leadership Challenge book. It goes to show how key that book is. In both classes the students all loved it, and I did as well. Only my second class incorporated this workbook.

While I appreciate the aim of the workbook, the teacher's instructions (which I assume came from the publishers) were to use the exact same project for every stage of the workbook. So you start out by describing that project - its time frame, its budget, the challenges, and so on. So far, so good.

But then you move on to talking about your legacy and what you want to be known for in life. What if it's not related to this project? Many people in my class got scolded for not talking about the exact same project for this part - but what if you simply can't?

Then you start talking about the organization's values and how they align with your values. Again, nothing to do necessarily with the project you began with.

There's a section about how you tell a story regarding success, but what if your project is just getting started and there's no success stories yet to tell? Again you're forced to discuss something else.

So while the questions are useful to ponder as standalone tasks, the "focus on one project from start to finish" is not necessarily useful or helpful.

Still, if you use the workbook as a general guide to improving your leadership skills, I think it's useful.

This is a useful adjunct to the Leadership Challenge. The authors are right, theory is great, but doing is how adults learn. This book helps deliver that doing.

Leadership Challenge Workbook has helped me to implement changes with my staff. It is clear with helpful information

I had hoped to be able to use this workbook in a teleclass, but it's really not designed for that. It's strictly designed for one person to start on a project and follow the prescribed program in the workbook. While that might be valuable for someone just starting out, it seems unrealistic for most leaders who are multitasking all the time.

Product arrived in great time and In great condition. Now I just need to make time to review material and put it to work for me.