Introductory reading for being a leader and the effective exercise of leadership

This paper is the sixth of six pre-course reading assignments for an experimental leadership course developed by the authors over five years (2004 - 2008) at the U. of Rochester Simon School of Business working with students, alumni, executives, and faculty from various academic institutions. It is currently taught at the U.S. Air Force Academy, was taught in June 2009 at the Erasmus Academie in Rotterdam, and a version is currently taught at U. of Rochester Simon School of Business, and the Erasmus University Law School. This course will be taught at the Mays School of Business, Texas A&M University June 9 to June 16, 2010. The intention of this course is to leave the participants actually being leaders and exercising leadership effectively as their natural self-expression, and for the course to contribute to creating a new science of leadership for ourselves and others to use, experiment with, research, improve on, and innovate from.