We are excited to announce the publication of the special issue of the Journal of Leadership Education (JOLE) highlighting current issues and challenges in the field of leadership education.

You can access the full issue from the link in the middle of the editor’s introduction:

http://www.fhsu.edu/jole/issues/current.html

or the full PDF at the following:

http://www.fhsu.edu/jole/issues/JOLE_8_1.pdf

The issue highlights challenges in theoretical foundations of leadership education, evaluation and assessment, curriculum and pedagogy, and faculty development.

The issue also includes three invited papers addressing what we felt were some of the most current and relevant issues in the field: the distinction between leadership skill development and leadership personal development (Barry Posner), the challenge of identifying and aligning educational activities to this development (Susan Komives and her colleagues), and efforts to put a consistent framework on leadership education activities and programs (the Guidelines for Leadership Education Programs reported by Stephen Ritch and Thomas Mengel).

We hope this special issue will serve as a catalyst for future research and practice, and enable leadership educators to better meet the needs of their students and the organizations and communities they seek to lead.

Sincerely,

Tony Middlebrooks and Scott J. Allen

I love quotes and use them in my leadership presentations. Here are a few of my favorites:

• Habit is habit and not to be flung out of the window by any man, but coaxed downstairs a step at a time. – Mark Twain
• The greatest use of life is to spend it on something that will outlast it. — William James
• Every system is perfectly designed to achieve the results that it gets.  – David Beckwith, M.D.

- Scott J. Allen

Almost everyone has that one question which they dread but which they are frequently asked. Usually it is directed at their passions or roles in life. For me, as a history major, it’s usually a variant of, “Why would you choose that major?” or “What can you do with a degree in that?” Of course, we all hope that these questions arise out of intellectual curiosity rather than ignorance or rudeness. After a few times, most of us will have developed a standardized response, ready to fire back.

Today, I would like to pose the infamous question that surely, you, as a reader of this blog, have encountered. In my experiences, when a “leadership layman” hears me discussing my study of leadership theory, this typical inquiry tends to follow: “How can you teach leadership, isn’t it all intuition?” I’m certain that, as leadership theorists yourselves, you can recite many more such irksome questions. I invite you to post below the most common leadership-related question or questions that bug you the most or perhaps even please you as an opportunity to share your knowledge. Then, maybe give a brief synopsis of how you respond to this question. If I’ve already taken your idea for a question, then go ahead and just share your answer to the one I mentioned above. My hope is that this serves as a mini support network for all those leadership crusaders out there spreading their knowledge under the burden of such naivete. – Jim Meehan

The Process of Mentoring

Prior to developing a mentor program within an organization, Forret, Turban, & Dougherty (1996) highlight a number of issues that should be answered in the development phase.

• Who should receive mentoring? The organization should determine if the program will be made available to all employees, high potential employees, underrepresented employees (women, etc.) or some other group.
• What type of training should mentors and protégés receive? Training should be based upon the objectives of the mentor/protégé relationship. For instance, if it just “showing them the ropes” then program architects need to determine “which ropes” mentors will need to show.
• How should potential conflicts with the protégé’s supervisor be handled? Program architects should build in a way to deal with this on the front end and clearly state the process in the training program. Further, supervisors should be kept informed of the process, etc. This may circumvent issues on the front end.
• How do formal mentor relationships last? This depends on the objectives of the program. Once these have been determined, program architects should determine what they feel is the appropriate length. A pilot group may offer needed information about appropriate length.
• What can help get the mentoring relationship get off to a good start? The most effective relationships begin with a strong bond created between mentor and protégé. Teambuilding activities can assist in this process as well as “get to know you” activities during initial meetings. Another idea mentioned by Forret et al. (1996), was a social gathering.
• How can mentoring programs be evaluated? Program objectives ought to be clear and measurable. If they are not, then it will be difficult to measure benefits other than whether or not the mentor or protégé enjoyed the process. Clear and measurable objectives are the key to evaluating.

- Scott J. Allen

I just received my copy of the The Student Leadership Challenge.

Check it out and let us know what you think! – Scott J. Allen