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THE CASE FOR PURPOSEFUL LEADERSHIP
Author(s) -
Joly Hubert
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
leader to leader
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1531-5355
pISSN - 1087-8149
DOI - 10.1002/ltl.20585
Subject(s) - mythology , management , chief executive officer , officer , point (geometry) , public relations , magic (telescope) , sociology , leadership style , political science , law , history , economics , physics , geometry , mathematics , quantum mechanics , classics
The author, now a senior lecturer at Harvard Business School, describes leadership lessons from his experience as the former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the electronics retailer Best Buy. While beginning to lead the company, he “learned that much of what I had been taught at business school and as a consultant and young executive is either wrong, outdated, or incomplete.” He debunks in detail what he describes as three myths of leadership, which in his words are: Myth #1: leaders are superheroes. Myth # 2: People are born leaders. Myth #3: You cannot change. For instance, within that point, Joly writes “I once believed that leadership was about a top‐down management approach driven by data and analytics; I now focus on purpose and human magic.” He further outlines a five point leadership model, which in his words: (1) Be clear about your purpose, the purpose of people around you, and how it connects with the purpose of the company. (2) Be clear about your role as a leader. (3) Be clear about whom you serve. (4) Be driven by values. (5) Be authentic. Within point 4, he quotes a former colleague: “Tell the truth and do what’s right.”