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organization around. This is a substantial criticism that points to the
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importance of leadership.

Although most organizations would say that they are interested in

becoming more effective and therefore more excellent, this is almost
impossible without competent leadership. Barbara Blumenthal reported in
her book Investing in Capacity Building that capacity-building interventions
often fail if strong organizational leadership is not in place. The
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government official, the agency manager, the economic developer, the
Chamber executive, and all staff in this new knowledge-based environment

will need to assume the role of active networker and facilitator, both within
his or her organization and with stakeholders and constituents. Excellence
means that top leadership does a number of things well, including creating
a learning organization that trains and retains its talent. This is what it takes
to achieve an organization that has a culture of character and integrity.

A primary concern of most organizations today is the attraction and
retention of talented people. However, they generally want to work for
good leaders in an open environment where they can speak their minds
freely, be treated with respect, and where leadership promotes clarity and
honesty. Bad leaders are corrosive to an organization because they can
drive out anyone who’s good. Unfortunately, since many bad leaders are

manipulative and deceptive, it is often a challenge to root them out and get
rid of them. The lack of positive and effective leadership is a key reason
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why many talented workers leave the organization.

Leadership is not a place; it is a process. James Kouzes and Barry Posner.

Given that everyone has the capacity for leadership at some level, it would
seem that the absence of leadership in an organization shouldn’t be a
problem. However, it isn’t likely that everyone will become a leader.
Unfortunately, too many people lack the will to change or to develop their

2 http://www.work911.com/articles/leadchange.htm.
3 Barbara Blumenthal, Investing in Capacity Building: A Guide to High-Impact Approaches
(Foundation Center, November 2003).
4 Jamie Dimon, “The Essential Hallmarks of a Good Leader,”
http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20130613121131-257626722-the-essential-hallmarks-of-a-
good-leader.

David Kolzow 7