CULTURIST APPROACH OF HUMAN RESOURCES

Culturist approach of human resources



Culturist approach of human resources

Introduction

If we begin with the premise that leadership can be taught and can be learned, then we are led to ask, what learning is necessary to prepare for leadership? How does one learn to lead oneself? Leading self, like all leadership, is a developmental process that spans the life cycle beginning in childhood and continuing through senior hood. Developmentally, learning about leadership comes about through life experiences that shape the ways we understand and experience authority, influence, and relationships. The story of one's life is the story of one's leadership; our early experiences and how we respond to and interpret those experiences create the template for leading self. Learning from experiences and learning about one's self are the two main sources for learning how to lead one.

Discussion

In contrast to the emphasis on leadership as a relationship in most of the other chapters, this chapter looks at leadership in terms of the individual. Before leading others, a neighbourhood or a community, one must learn to lead one's self, chiefly through developing self-awareness. Leadership, unlike other roles, carries with it a certain exposure, a unique kind of vulnerability and transparency—the process of leading instantly reveals the person exercising leadership, there is no hiding. Leadership is thus bidirectional—leading from the inner self to lead well in the external domain. Very little research has focused on this most central aspect of leadership, however. This chapter attempts to address this blind spot (Learner, 197-200).

Three theoretical areas appear particularly salient to constructing an integrated theory of leading self: leadership self-development, authentic leadership, and the moral aspect of leading self. Self-development sets the scene for authenticity, which entails self-awareness, including the idea of identity—how one understands one's self, and spirituality as a way ...