of the organization of yesterday which required top-down leadership is rapidly disappearing and the new leader must acquire new competencies and attitudes in order to succeed. Bennis (1999) sees four competencies as critical in this process. First, new leaders must understand and practice the power of appreciation. Second, they must continue to articulate a corporate vision and to give meaning to work that is done by subordinates. Third, the new leader must generate and sustain trust by exhibiting competence, constancy, caring, fairness, candor, and authenticity. Fourth, new leaders must create intimate alliances with those whom they lead.
This set of competencies suggests a somewhat different portrait of effective leadership than has been typical in the past. In this context, Fulmer, Gibbs, and Goldsmith (2000) have noted that leadership development is being tied closely to business strategy. Programs that focus on developing future leaders are increasingly seen as a source of competitive advantage. The five critical steps in making leadership development strategic, as identified by these authors, include assessment, alignment, action, anticipation, and awareness. In other words, in order for leaders to be identified and developed, any organization must examine its own processes and its staffing and then match leaders and potential leaders to the kinds of training or development activities which will result in both individual and corporate growth.
As Fulmer, et al (2000) maintain, best-practice organizations, including such firms as General Electric under the leadership of Jack Welsh, and Johnson & Johnson under the leadership of Ralph Larsen, have worked to develop internal leadership promotion programs which emphasize an introspective examination of the organizationÆs strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats and then match leaders to each scenario.
Leadership development in such firms is aligned with...