Leadership Culture

In his research, Harvard professor John Kotter has identified six key elements present in organizational cultures known for attracting and developing leaders. These organizations stress: freedom to act, responsibility for end results, freedom to disagree and challenge, development of people, building competence, and recognizing individuality. In many organizations there is talk of developing leaders but not all provide the environment for such development to occur. If your organization is sending you for leader training or you are pursuing such development on your own, use Kotter’s culture checklist to assess whether or not your organization will truly foster your growth as a leader. Leadership facilitates change. This can be threatening to those at the top of an organization. You can be set up for failure if you attempt to exert leadership in a culture that does not support such initiatives. Individual development occurs within a context. It is not enough to be personally motivated to develop your skills as a leader. The organizational culture you are in must encourage the application of those skills.