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02.09
GOLD
e-Book Series Continues With A Practitioner's
Guide to Leadership
By Sharon
Richardson
 Launching
Your Career: A Practitioners Guide to Leadership,
by Barry L. Shoop, is the third e-Book in the
IEEE-USA GOLD series. This thought-provoking,
inspiring self-reflection provides practical
examples of how to move forward as a leader in
the workplace, your volunteer organization, and
even at home.
In the Guide's sections,
Shoop covers: leadership development, leadership
theories, principles of leadership, leadership
traits, managers and leaders, team composition
and diversity of opinion, understanding
individual and group dynamics, and meetings.
As Shoop points out in
Leadership Development, “power, position and
authority does not make anyone a leader, it just
makes them the boss.” Knowledge, experience and
reflection are the keys to Shoop's process for
developing effective leadership skills.
“Reflection is the most important element in the
developmental process,” writes Shoop, stressing
the importance of conducting an inventory of our
strengths and weaknesses on a regular basis
throughout our careers.
Leadership Theories
summarizes various theories on leadership, such
as the Great Man Theory, developed by T.
Carlyle in 1845, which suggests that leadership
is inherent, and that great leaders are born.
Other theories discussed include the Trait
Theory; the Charismatic Leadership Theory;
the Situational Theory; Behavior
Theories; the Participative Theory or
Democratic Leadership; and the
Transformational Theory — all summarized in
this section. Of these theories, Shoop writes,
the Transformational Theory is the most
widely accepted. That theory suggests that if we
choose to become leaders, or desire to become
better leaders, the leadership skills can be
learned.
Respected leaders, Shoop writes,
“concentrate on who they are (such as beliefs
and character); what they [know] (such as job,
tasks and human nature); and what they [do]
(such as implementing, motivating and providing
direction). He lists eleven principles of
leadership in the Principles of Leadership
section, such as know yourself and
seek self-improvement; develop a sense of
responsibility in those you lead; and use
the full capabilities of your organization.
“A trait is a distinguishing
characteristic or quality,” writes Shoop. The
Leadership Traits section covers traits
exhibited by effective leaders, including:
vision, goals, passion, integrity, honesty,
curiosity, risk, dedication, charisma, and
listening. And he says: “It is important for
leaders to “talk the talk, but more importantly,
to walk the walk.”
Differences exist between
managers and leaders, which Shoop outlines in
the Managers and Leaders section. He
quotes Warren Bennis: “There is a profound
difference between management and leadership and
both are important. To manage means to bring
about, to accomplish, to have charge of or
responsibility for, and to conduct. Leading is
influencing, guiding in a direction, course,
action, opinion. The distinction is crucial.”
In Team Composition and
Diversity of Opinion, Shoop calls for
balance when working in teams: “Your team should
include individuals with strong conviction, both
for and against.” Teams should also include
individuals with specific technical expertise
necessary to give the team recommendations
credibility.
A good leader can identify and
understand individual and interpersonal group
dynamics. Shoop charts Sixteen Myers-Briggs Type
Indicator Personality Types, and includes a
description of each. “Learning other’s
personality traits help us to understand the
most effective way to communicate with one
another and how we function best,” he says.
In the Meeting Management
section, Shoop stresses the importance of
deliberate planning. He charts an example of an
effective agenda, and points out what leaders
should consider before the meeting (e.g.,
arriving early, room layout, temperature and
lighting, handouts, introductions, and end time
to list a few). He also lists various roles that
each member of the group will play in the
meeting, and how each one has a responsibility
in the conduct of the meeting. In the section on
After the Meeting, Shoop lists tips that
will aide in meeting planning, conducting the
meeting and after-meeting responsibilities.
You can purchase your copy of
Launching Your Career: A Practitioner’s Guide to
Leadership at
www.ieeeusa.org/communications/ebooks for
the IEEE Member Price: $4.95 and Non-member
Price: $19.95.
Ideas for new e-Books
IEEE-USA E-Books invites IEEE
members and volunteers to submit queries for
e-Books they may want to write. If you’ve got an
idea for an e-Book that will educate other IEEE
members on a particular topic of expertise,
e-mail your e-Book queries and ideas to IEEE-USA
Publishing Manager Georgia Stelluto at
g.stelluto@ieee.org.
You can purchase IEEE-USA
e-Books — and download free ones —at
www.ieeeusa.org/communications/ebooks.
Sharon Richardson is
IEEE-USA’s Communications Assistant and
Editorial Assistant for IEEE-USA Today’s
Engineer Digest.
Comments may
be submitted to todaysengineer@ieee.org.
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