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leadership potential. It is often easier to “go with the flow” and be content
with their circumstances. Even if they aren’t content, many would rather
complain about their situation than do what is necessary to change it.

Becoming a leader means having the will to pursue a path that builds that
competency and capacity. This path, however, is not any easy one that is
quickly mastered. Most scholars agree that there is no magic bullet or
single set of principles or behaviors that leads to effective leadership.
Instead, it is becoming increasingly understood that the most effective
leadership style in a given situation responds to what is needed. This

could be a function of the task required, the organization's culture, the
leader's subordinates, and attributes of the leader himself/herself.
Furthermore, the development of leadership is an ongoing process, not an
event or the implementation of a specific program. The complexity of
leadership and its development will be dealt with at length in this book.

This is, essentially, a “how-to” and “why-to” book on developing effective
leaders within the organization. It is not full of case studies or examples.
Instead, it is a book of principles and practices meant to clarify the nature
and role of building leaders and to provide a pragmatic approach for
effectively creating a higher level of organizational leadership capacity.

It should be noted that there is a difference between principles and
practices. A practice is a specific activity or action, and it needs to be
guided by the situation. It is therefore an action that may work in one
situation but not necessarily in another. Principles, on the other hand, are
5
deep fundamental and timeless truths that have application to any and all

organizations, allowing them to make wise decisions. They will remain
true and relevant no matter how the world changes. When these truths
6
are internalized into behavioral habits, they become part of our values and
foster the creation of a wide variety of practices to deal with different
situations. For example, the principle of integrity leads to a variety of
7
practices that demonstrate honesty in a range of different situations.

5
John C. Maxwell, The 5 Levels of Leadership, New York: Center Street, 2011, p. 4.
6 J.C. Collins. Good to Great. New York, NY: HarperCollins; 2001: pp.17–40.
7 Stephen R. Covey. The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1989.
p. 35.

David Kolzow 8