My current leadership journey has found its course in the book “Leading with Soul.” At first, I thought, what does this book have to do with leadership? It felt more like a fictional novel than any type of academic exercise. Fortunately, as I pressed on reading, its importance to a leader became known to me. Bolman and Terrance Deal, (2001), wrote that terms like heart and spirit seem exotic (p. 9). I understand their take but to me the terms heart and spirit are why I exist. The book took a more spiritual meaning to me. Soul and spirit are so interconnected that the two words are often interchangeable (p. 9). Ancient writers confirm the distinction of soul and spirit when the Hebrew writer

Leadership of FBATR In every organization, in every community, and in every society leadership is needed to set a course. Leadership transcends sectors. Interestingly, Webster defines a leader is a primary or terminal shoot of a plant. The plant perishes without its terminal shoot - leader. In like manner, an organization without a leader or a leader trapped by rules will die. The great managers described by FBATR despite the rules know how to work within their respective frame work to select for talent, define right outcomes, focus on follower’s strengths, and find the right fit. Rules are not always bad. Rules have their place and must not be treated as the enemy. In today’s age of employe

After reading the book, First, Break all the Rules (FBATR), one could easily assume the proclivity to go out and do just as the book says; break all the rules. The introduction feeds this idea by saying great managers are revolutionaries (Buckingham & Coffman, 1999). In the reality of public and private organizations breaking all the rules would not be the right thing to do. FBATR focused primarily on leadership as one who must be able to select for talent, define right outcomes, focus on their follower’s strengths, and find the right fit. These concepts are profound but not revolutionary. Initially FBATR attracts the attention of the rebel in us all. The picture of Robin Hood righting the i

Can the leader or should the leader avoid politics; of course not. Politics places an economic value on the evaluations being done. If people begin to bargain and negotiate based on a particular action, one can deduce that significant rewards are attached to the outcome of the evaluation. Politics is woven into the fabric of evaluation. Conversely, Russ-Eft & Preskill describe several conditions that would qualify an evaluation for a politics free zone. The conditions are as follows (2001): No one cares about the program No one knows about the program No money is at stake No power or authority is at stake And no one in the program, making decisions about the program, or otherwise involved in

The Evaluation Process “By looking closely at the word evaluation, you will see the word value embedded in it (Russ-Eft & Preskill, 2001).” The noun "value" comes from the Latin “valere” meaning to be strong, or of value. The word has carried the meaning of "worth" of someone or something for centuries. Today the word "value" conveys the "worth" of something in an economic sense. The very nature of evaluation is a value statement. This begs the next question, who’s values do we use? The best form of evaluation will find its roots in grey thinking where one does not form and opinioin about an important matter until one has heard all the relevent facts and arguments (Sample, 2002 p.7). Value i