Leadership agility : developing your repertoire of leadership styles / Ron Meyer and Ronald Meijers.

About the Authors:Ron Meyer is Professor of Strategic Leadership at Tias School for Business and Society, Tilburg University and Managing Director of the Center for Strategy and Leadership. For years, Ron has been combining boardroom consulting with in-house management trainings and applied management research. Besides that, Ron gives speeches and presentations on topics such as leadership, corporate strategy, business innovation, change management, strategic thinking and organizational development. He has (co-)authored numerous articles and books, among which is the internationally leading textbook Strategy: Process, Content, Context.

Ronald Meijers is senior partner Leadership, Transformation and Governance at Deloitte. For years, Ronald has been engaged in boardroom coaching and consulting, while fulfilling various management roles in professional services firms, such as co-chairman of the executive board of Krauthammer. He sits on various supervisory and advisory boards, e.g. at Dunamare, an education group. He gives key-notes on topics such as corporate culture, organizational collaboration, change management, creative thinking, leadership and governance. He has (co-)authored numerous articles, books and columns, among others in Management Team and Management Scope.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Table of Contents

Preface, Part 1: Leadership, Chapter 1 The Nature of Leadership, Chapter 2 The Practice of Leadership, Part 2: Interpersonal Leadership, Chapter 3 Interpersonal Steering: The Paradox of Activities & Conditions, Chapter 4 Interpersonal Feedback: The Paradox of Challenge & Appreciation, Part 3: Organizational Leadership, Chapter 5 Organizational Composition: The Paradox of Unity & Diversity, Chapter 6 Organizational Decision-Making: The Paradox of Direction & Participation, Part 4: Strategic Leadership, Chapter 7 Strategic Goal-Setting: The Paradox of Idealism & Realism, Chapter 8 Strategic Priority-Setting: The Paradox of Exploitation & Exploration, Part 5: Leadership and Mission, Chapter 9 Purpose-Setting: The Paradox of Wealth & Health, Chapter 10 Interests-Setting: The Paradox of Self-Actualization & Service, Part 6: Leadership and Self, Chapter 11 Leadership Problem-Solving: The Paradox of Thought & Action, Chapter 12 Leadership Attunement: The Paradox of Authenticity & Adjustment, Part 7: Leadership Development, Chapter 13 Developing Leadership Agility, Chapter 14 Mastering Leadership Agility

Leadership is about influencing others to move in a certain direction and there are many ways of achieving this influence. Each of these leadership styles has its inherent qualities and pitfalls, and will be more suited to specific people and different circumstances. The more leaders understand their preferred leadership styles and are able to flexibly switch to the most suitable style given the situation, the more effective they will be. This book maps out ten sets of opposite leadership styles, giving readers the possibility to understand the strengths and weaknesses of both sides, and to identify their own current preference.

The ten leadership style dimensions cover the full range of leadership roles, from the leader as coach (interpersonal leadership), to the leader as organizer (organizational leadership), as strategist (strategic leadership), as sense-maker (leadership and mission) and as role model (leadership and self).

Readers are invited to draw up their own leadership development plans, which is supported by an interactive App. Readers are also challenged to reflect on how they would approach a number of cases, after which they can go to an interactive web-forum to read how others have responded and engage in a discussion with them. Leadership Agility is a useful tool for practitioners in the corporate world as well as business students and emerging leaders.