Network-Centric Leadership

It's that lovely quiet week between Christmas and New Years. A great time to re-organize the office and catch up on the pile marked "READ ME!" over there in the corner.

Here's the March 2006 issue of Associations Now that frequently has some good articles in it. This issue includes an article about what it takes to be a leader in a network centric world:

1. high tolerance for ambiguity
   
2. comfort with chaos
   
3. a relaxed, friendly demeanor
   
4. able to focus on policy and getting people to work together
   
5. encourages support staff and volunteers to act like administrators, like an owner of the community, its standards and purpose
   
6. starts with an ennobling purpose
   
7. establishes a democratic community where individuals are equals
   
8. enable all participants in the organization to contribute; uses structure and [management] only to honor the community purpose
   
9. assumes good intentions
   
10. supports learners and a learning culture
    
11. remembers that communities (including of staff) are social entities
    
12. implements a a decision making process that is less gureaucratic, more open and flexible
    
13. values good data about constituents / target audience
    
14. throws out any old assumptions that all constituent interactions must be controlled from headquarters