1,688 words

The Shakers, Oneida, and Brook Farm: leadership in nineteenth-century utopian communities

Utopian societies sprang up around the United States during the nineteenth century, partly in response to some of the ills their members saw in society at the time. The word "utopia" describes a "perfect" society existing far from the political and social upheaval of the big city.

~9 min read

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661 words

Enabling others to act: Kouzes and Posner's leadership practices

Kouzes & Posner speak of "enabling others to act." What does this mean to you? This means giving others the tools they have to succeed, and the ability to ask questions, make mistakes, and learn from those mistakes.

~4 min read

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1,099 words

George Washington's steady national policy and executive leadership

United States president, George Washington (in his own words) pursued the "undeviating exercise of a just, steady, and prudent national policy." That quote (found in Robert Francis Jones' book George Washington: ordinary man, extraordinarily leader) was in the context of Washington preferring to…

~6 min read

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676 words

Why passionate thinking prepares me for global business leadership

Admission Letter: Babson College have often been told that I am over intellectual. For awhile, this had me discouraged; all I knew was that I liked to think about things a lot, and especially liked putting my thoughts into action and then -- of course -- intellectually analyzing the results.

~4 min read

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343 words

Organizational structure change requires cultural transformation and executive leadership

Organization's structures reflect the cultures of the enterprises they have been created to support (Peterson, Anand, 2004).

~2 min read

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883 words

Goleman's five dimensions of emotional intelligence in leadership

In his article, "What Makes a Leader," Daniel Goleman suggests that "IQ and technical skills" are simply the "entry-level requirements for executive positions" (94). What separates leadership attempts from leadership successes, however, is a "high degree of emotional intelligence" (94).

~5 min read

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653 words

Jan Carlzon's Moments of Truth and customer-oriented leadership

In the award-winning book Moments of Truth (NY: Harper Perennial Publishing, 1987, 135 pgs.) author Jan Carlzon relates his personal story on how as president and CEO of Scandinavian Airlines System, he single- handedly transformed his company from the burden of huge financial deficits into a…

~4 min read

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1,729 words

Mill's utilitarianism and its applications in contemporary leadership

John Stuart Mill's philosophy of utilitarianism were a popular moral guidepost for leadership today, it would be interesting to see how many leaders embrace the idea that actions are correct so long as they lead to the promotion of contemporary definitions of happiness.

~9 min read

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1,989 words

Stephen Kinzer's analysis of Paul Kagame's leadership in Rwanda

Stephen Kinzer's book, a Thousand Hills, is the writing of a journalist who wanted to present the world with the story of Rwanda from the point-of-view of its president, Paul Kagame, under the scrutiny of his compatriots, the public at large, international powers and organizations and economic…

~10 min read

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2,791 words

Dick Grasso's NYSE compensation and executive character in leadership

Dick Grasso was paid compensation that was deemed to be excessive. Grasso's compensation at one point was in the same ballpark as what the NYSE made. The scandal had poor optics - it looked bad on the NYSE to have paid their top executive so much.

~14 min read

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