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Although the individual must bear the ultimate responsibility for his or her
leadership development, employers also have an obligation and
responsibility to recognize leadership potential in their employees, assist in
their personal and professional growth, and prepare them for the future.
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Excellent organizations have learned that developing self-leaders is a
powerful way to positively impact its performance. In high performing
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organizations, people are treated as appreciating assets who grow more
valuable with what they gain in experience and knowledge. The
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excellent organization is one that has become a learning organization that
cultivates the development of leaders at all levels. Building leadership

capacity throughout the organization will be explored more fully in
Chapter 11.

“Hard” or Occupational vs. “Soft” or Behavioral Skills

Some of the skills that need to be learned can be labeled “hard skills” and
some “soft skills.” “Hard skills” are often thought of as the occupational

skills necessary to complete the functional aspects of a job. For example, a
data base manager needs to know how to use appropriate software to build
applications; a web site developer needs to know how to create and/or
manage a website. All leaders in the organization should probably master
such professional hard skills as making presentations, managing projects,

and chairing meetings.

Organizational leadership in general also has its own set of occupational
skills, such as the ability to synthesize data; the ability to make timely and
informed decisions; the capability to define priorities and goals; and the
aptitude to see situations from a wide organizational perspective. 151 In
many cases, employees haven’t had much exposure to activities within the

organization other than their own. As a result, part of their leadership
development should be an understanding of what other departments or
functions do and how that work is connected to their own. In addition,

148 http://www.ela.wi.gov/docview.asp?docid=15396&locid=99.
149 Ken Blanchard, Leading at a Higher Level, Upper Saddle River NJ: FT Press, 2010, p. 92.
150
Ken Blanchard, Leading at a Higher Level, Upper Saddle River NJ: FT Press, 2010, p. 93.
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http://www.businessinsider.com/successful-leadership-skills-2012-11.
David Kolzow 126