Cutting-Edge Leadership

The best in current leadership research and theory, from cultivating charisma to transforming your organization.

Ronald E. Riggio, Ph.D., is Director of the Kravis Leadership Institute at Claremont McKenna College. See full bio

November 24, 2009

When Leaders Break Employees’ Spirit

What can happen when a really bad leader -- an anti-leader -- breaks an employee's spirit? How can the employee survive, and is employee spirit broken forever? Read More

November 20, 2009

What 100 Years of Research Tells Us About Effective Leadership

Are leaders born or made? What qualities do all effective leaders share? Can we train for leadership? Which early experiences influence future leadership development? Research has addressed these questions and more. Read More

November 16, 2009

The Velvet Revolution: A Perfect Example of Shared Leadership

The Velvet Revolution demonstrated that rather than a movement organized around a single individual or group of individuals, this transformation came about by the collective efforts of a number of people - students, university faculty, and trade workers - who individually and collectively took it upon themselves to work to overthrow the communist regime. Read More

November 11, 2009

Top Level Leadership: The Triumph of Humility Over Arrogance

Last night a personal video made by President Vaclav Havel opened the ILA conference (he had an important meeting elsewhere, but made this video to discuss his thoughts on leadership). What I was struck most by was his humility. This soft-spoken former playwright, who played a key role in the Velvet Revolution, and who is the President of a vibrant, re-born nation, said, "I didn't really consider myself a leader." He went on to say that "others looked to me for direction," and he spoke of serving the cause rather than being "in charge."
Last week, Jim Collins mentioned the importance of humility for effective and authentic leadership. Read More

November 8, 2009

Leadership Vs. Management: What’s the Difference?

We just finished the Peter Drucker Centennial celebration in Claremont. The world's foremost leadership and management scholars spoke at the week-long event, including Jim Collins, Stephen Covey, Ken Blanchard, Charles Handy, Frances Hesselbein, Warren Bennis, and a host of others. What lessons did we learn? Read More

November 5, 2009

The Anti-Leader: How Bad Leaders Get Everything Wrong

it seems that there are bad leaders, and there are really bad leaders - anti-leaders. What is an anti-leader? The exact opposite of the very best. Here's one that is beyond belief. Read More

October 29, 2009

Four Things You Can Do to Become a Better Leader

What qualities make great leaders great? We know the recipe for success as a leader. There are four key elements. Read More

October 23, 2009

The Folly of Economic Forecasting and Analysis: Are You Kidding?

Financial analysts are good at explaining financial market trends, but can they really do it? Or, are they merely engaging in after-the-fact analysis? There's a lot of psychology here, but the analysts miss it.

October 19, 2009

More Psychology of Good and Bad Leadership

Who are history's worst leaders? What are the tricks they use to easily subjugate followers? How do good leaders compare? Read More

October 16, 2009

The Psychology of Good and Bad Leadership

Good leadership is hard work. Bad leadership is easy. Find out about the cheap psychological tricks that bad leaders can use to exploit followers and keep them in line. Read More