A very good leadership model

Last week I had the opportunity to attend a leadership workshop at Duke University. Led by Sim Sitkin and Allan Lind, two Fuqua Business Schools professors at Duke, psychologists by training, it taught leadership from what I would consider one of the most complete leadership models I've seen (an overview and article are available at Delta Leadership's site).

The model uses a pyramid with six leadership domains to describe the behaviors a leader must exhibit and the impact such behaviors can have.

At the base of the pyramid are the foundation of all good leaders: personal, relational, and contextual leadership.

Personal Leadership addresses the leader's personality, which must be real. It includes expertise, and creativity and innovation among other. It leads to Credibility of the leader by his/her subordinates.

Relational Leadership addresses how leaders relate to their followers, peers, and superiors. It leads to Trust.

Contextual Leadership addresses how leaders simplify and explain to subordinates the situation and mission. It leads to a sense of Community.

On level up on the pyramid are Inspirational and Supportive Leadership. They build on the leadership domains below. If the domains below are not strong, these domains can be impacted.

Inspirational Leadership addresses the behaviors of the leaders that inspire his/her subordinates and leads to high Aspirations by the followers.

Supportive Leadership provides the support that subordinates need to take the Initiative.

At the apex of the pyramid is Responsible Leadership. This domain addresses the ethics, governance, and other ares of responsibility of all leaders and it leads to Stewardship. Like Inspirational and Supportive Leadership, it depends on the domains below it.

This is but a very brief description of the model to provide an idea. Please refer to the article available at Delta Leadership for details. A book is still "in the works" which would provide a more complete description than an article is able to provide. If you have the time and the resources, I strongly recommend the six-day workshop. It includes personal coaching using a 360-degree assessment based on the model as well as the development of action plans to improve your leadership. Delta Leadership does provide customized, shorter training. Contact Carol Land for details.