Prof. Useem lectured about leadership capacities and strategies with a presentation titled, “The Leadership Moment.” He opened the class with two questions: When does our personal leadership have the greatest impact? And when we think about leadership, should we think about us individually or the team or community that we are a part of? Prof. Useem offered clear answers to both questions. Our personal leadership has the greatest impact when the firm/company/organization that we work for faces an uncertain or fast-changing environment, and the quality of top management teams is a better predictor of company performance than the CEO alone. Prof. Useem went through what he refers to as the leadership checklist, i.e. actions that all leaders should practice, or at least be aware of. Whenever we assume a role of leadership, we automatically place ourselves on stage. The role that we adopt is the only thing that defines us to our audience. He emphasized the importance of motivating people, and the importance of figuring out what makes people motivated to show up and care about the issue. Lastly, Prof. Useem stated that we should conduct self-conscious self-study of leadership by witnessing others, making history, completing programs, and learning experientially. This might mean that we should coach and mentor others, as well as provide or accept opportunities to experience assignments outside our comfort zone. Prof. Useem concluded with another important question: are we born a leader or do we become a leader? He stressed that for most people leadership is acquired, and that leadership capacities must be honed and challenged constantly. He also reminded our LLSP participants that leadership is a team sport, and that we should pay attention to both ourselves and the people on our team.
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