In Extremis Leadership

In Extremis Leadership

by Thomas A. Kolditz, Joseph W. Pfeifer
Released June 2007
Publisher(s): Jossey-Bass
ISBN: 9780787996048

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Book description

In this extraordinary book Col. Kolditz explains that his research on in extremis leadership, where followers perceive their lives to be threatened, reveals that the leadership lessons and principles in evidence in dangerous settings also apply to leading in business and everyday life. The book shows how leadership literally defines the promise of hope or future life and that extremely capable leaders are needed in all walks of life. The book describes a variety of high-risk situations that are ideal settings to seek and find great leaders, assess how they might be different, and to glean valuable insights for extraordinary leadership in our everyday lives. Through heart-stopping real-life stories of leaders in these extreme situations, Kolditz insists that leaders at all levels can improve their effectiveness.

 

 

Table of contents

  1. Praise
  2. Dedication
  3. Title Page
  4. Other Publications from the Leader to Leader Institute
  5. ABOUT THE LEADER TO LEADER INSTITUTE
  6. Copyright Page
  7. Foreword
  8. Introduction
    1. You’re About to Take an Exciting Ride
    2. Learning from In Extremis Leaders: Retracing Pathways in the Shadow of Death
    3. An Overview of the Lessons Ahead
    4. How This Book Can Help All Leaders
  9. Chapter 1 - Key Characteristics of In Extremis Leaders— and How They Are ...
    1. Getting Started: Ranking In Extremis Leadership Competencies
    2. In Extremis Leaders Are Inherently Motivated
    3. In Extremis Leaders Embrace Continuous Learning
    4. In Extremis Leaders Share Risk with Their Followers
    5. In Extremis Leaders Have a Common Lifestyle with Their Followers: There’s No Elitism
    6. In Extremis Leaders Have and Inspire High Competence, Trust, and Loyalty
    7. Final Thoughts: Consider Your Own Leadership Competence
  10. Chapter 2 - In Extremis Lessons for Business and Life Strengthening Your Own ...
    1. Moving from Transactional to Transformational Leadership
    2. What Leaders in Business Can Learn from In Extremis Leaders
    3. Lesson One: Motivation Is Most Powerful When Paired with an Emphasis on Learning
    4. Lesson Two: Sharing Risk Strengthens Credibility and Can Improve a Leader’s ...
    5. Lesson Three: Your Lifestyle Reveals What You Value to Followers
    6. Lesson Four: When You Develop Competence, You’re Also Developing Trust and Loyalty
    7. Lesson Five: Extreme Threat, Whether to Corporate or Living Bodies, Reveals the ...
    8. Lesson Six: Your Résumé and Pedigree Are Irrelevant
    9. Lesson Seven: Use the Life-Altering Quality of Your Business or Your Actions to Inspire
    10. Lesson Eight: Leadership Effectiveness May Be Contextual
    11. Lesson Nine: The Best Leaders Want to Be Leaders with Passion
    12. Final Thoughts: Consider How In Extremis Leadership Might Apply to Your Organization
  11. Chapter 3 - The In Extremis Leadership Model What It Is, Why It Works, and How ...
    1. Defining Authentic Leadership
    2. Is the In Extremis Model Values Based?
    3. Recognizing, at All Times, the Inherent Value of Human Life
    4. The In Extremis Leader’s Character: Giving Purpose, Motivation, and Direction ...
    5. What In Extremis Leadership Means for Leader Developers
    6. Putting the Theory to Work: In Extremis Leader Development
    7. Training with Physically Challenging Activities
    8. Does Conventional Leader Development Fall Short?
    9. An Inspirational Leader-Development Approach
    10. Final Thoughts: Consider How to Develop Future Leaders in Your Organization
  12. Chapter 4 - Learning About Fear and Leadership from Dangerous Settings ...
    1. Plumbing the Depths of Fear in Dangerous Situations
    2. Why In Extremis Settings Flatten Emotions
    3. Controlling Emotions: A Bad Strategy for High-Risk Leaders
    4. Leading Without Ego
    5. How Leaders Should Handle and Overcome Fear
    6. The Perils of Blame: Finger-Pointing Is Not Effective Leadership
    7. The Perils of Defeatism: Giving Up Is Not Good Leadership
    8. Final Thoughts: Consider How You Handle Emotion During In Extremis Situations
  13. Chapter 5 - Leading When Tragedy Strikes Learning to Cope with Loss
    1. Leading Around Death Is Symbolic: Demonstrate Respect
    2. Handling the Death Event
    3. The Value of Good Leadership in Times of Tragedy
    4. Final Thoughts: How to Lead When Tragedy Strikes in Your Organization
  14. Chapter 6 - Building Teams That Build Leaders An In Extremis Case Study
    1. Teams Are Uniquely Valuable in Developing Future Leaders
    2. Learning Leadership on Teams: Beyond Fair Play to In Extremis Lessons
    3. Collegiate Parachuting: A Lab for In Extremis Leadership
    4. How West Point Selects Cadet Leaders
    5. How to Compose a High-Performing Team
    6. Leader Developers for High-Performing Teams
    7. Team Development and Institutional Resistance
    8. Final Thoughts: Building Developmental Teams on the In Extremis Model
  15. Conclusion
  16. Resource
  17. Notes
  18. Index
  19. Acknowledgements
  20. The Author

Product information

  • Title: In Extremis Leadership
  • Author(s): Thomas A. Kolditz, Joseph W. Pfeifer
  • Release date: June 2007
  • Publisher(s): Jossey-Bass
  • ISBN: 9780787996048