What do leaders need to know? What must they do? During this moment of great change, complexity, and conflict facing formal and informal leaders across sectors, it has become increasingly important to understand the competencies associated with effective leadership, and to be able to apply the appropriate methods through which to develop, assess, analyze, and enact these competencies. Competencies for Effective Leadership: A Framework for Assessment, Education, and Research explores the many ways in which a competency framework can be used within an organizational setting as a model for assessment, education, and research. The Leadership Competency Scorecard, originally developed by Brent Ruben, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor of Communication and Executive Director of the Rutgers University Center for Organizational Leadership, is examined in-depth throughout this book. The expert contributors delve into the various ways in which this competency framework has been applied in the design and implementation of leadership development programs. They explore how it can be used as a self-assessment and improvement planning guide for individual coaching consultations, as well as a theoretical foundation for advancing leadership and organizational communication research. The Leadership Competency Scorecard continues to be extremely useful for the formal and informal leaders of today-and tomorrow. This interdisciplinary study of the model and its conceptual and applied applications are made relevant and accessible for leadership scholars, practitioners, and educators across sectors.

FIRST EDITION SPECIAL RECOGNITION:Winner of the 2018 Sue DeWine Distinguished Scholarly Book Award, National Communication Association, Applied Communication Division During a time of unprecedented challenges facing higher education, the need for effective leadership - for informal and formal leaders across the organization - has never been more imperative. Since publication of the first edition, the environment for higher education has become more critical and complex. Whether facing falling enrollments, questions of economics ustainability, the changing composition of the faculty and student bodies, differential retention and graduation rates, declining public confidence in the enterprise, and the rise in the use of virtual technologies - not to mention how COVID-19 and an intensified focus on long standing issues of racial and gender representation and equity have impacted institutions and challenged many long-standing assumptions - it is clear that learning on the job no longer suffices. Leadership development in higher education has become essential for advancing institutional effectiveness, which is the focus of this book. Taking into account the imperative issues of diversity, inclusion, and belonging, and the context of institutional mission and culture, this book centers on developing capacities for designing and implementing plans, strategies, and structures; connecting and engaging with colleagues and students; and communicating and collaborating with external constituencies in order to shape decisions and policies. It highlights the need to think broadly about the purposes of higher education and the dynamics of organizational excellence, and to apply these insights effectively in goal setting, planning and change leadership, outcomes assessment, addressing crises, and continuous improvement at both the level of the individual and organization. The concepts and tools in this book are equally valuable for faculty and staff leaders, whether in formal leadership roles, such as deans, chairs, or directors of institutes, committees, or task forces, or those who perform informal leadership functions within their departments, disciplines, or institutions. It can be used as a professional guide, a textbook in graduate courses, or as a resource in leadership training and development programs. Each chapter concludes with a series of case studies and guiding questions.

FIRST EDITION SPECIAL RECOGNITION:Winner of the 2018 Sue DeWine Distinguished Scholarly Book Award, National Communication Association, Applied Communication Division During a time of unprecedented challenges facing higher education, the need for effective leadership - for informal and formal leaders across the organization - has never been more imperative. Since publication of the first edition, the environment for higher education has become more critical and complex. Whether facing falling enrollments, questions of economics ustainability, the changing composition of the faculty and student bodies, differential retention and graduation rates, declining public confidence in the enterprise, and the rise in the use of virtual technologies - not to mention how COVID-19 and an intensified focus on long standing issues of racial and gender representation and equity have impacted institutions and challenged many long-standing assumptions - it is clear that learning on the job no longer suffices. Leadership development in higher education has become essential for advancing institutional effectiveness, which is the focus of this book. Taking into account the imperative issues of diversity, inclusion, and belonging, and the context of institutional mission and culture, this book centers on developing capacities for designing and implementing plans, strategies, and structures; connecting and engaging with colleagues and students; and communicating and collaborating with external constituencies in order to shape decisions and policies. It highlights the need to think broadly about the purposes of higher education and the dynamics of organizational excellence, and to apply these insights effectively in goal setting, planning and change leadership, outcomes assessment, addressing crises, and continuous improvement at both the level of the individual and organization. The concepts and tools in this book are equally valuable for faculty and staff leaders, whether in formal leadership roles, such as deans, chairs, or directors of institutes, committees, or task forces, or those who perform informal leadership functions within their departments, disciplines, or institutions. It can be used as a professional guide, a textbook in graduate courses, or as a resource in leadership training and development programs. Each chapter concludes with a series of case studies and guiding questions.

Can you identify five political leaders whose ideas you don't share but for whom you still have respect? Or multiple media channels and news outlets you tend to disagree with but still listen to? In an age of heightened and polarized ideologies and viewpoints, it is becoming increasingly important to engage in critical self-reflection about the dynamics of social influence in our personal and professional lives, and the responsibility we each bear as agents of social influence in local and global groups, teams, organizations, and communities. Ruben and Gigliotti challenge readers to bring a more nuanced understanding of communication and social influence to the decisions they make as aspiring leaders and followers. Throughout the book, the authors explore vexing questions, such as how some leaders in the workplace, community, or national political scene succeed in amassing large amounts of dedicated followers, and yet seemingly fail to exhibit the characteristics and competencies described by most experts in leadership? Or why certain social influence efforts seem to connect immediately and quite automatically with some audiences, while possibilities for influence with other constituencies may only develop over a longer period-or not at all? By exploring the convergence of leadership and communication, Ruben and Gigliotti evaluate the ways in which the perspectives, messages, and behaviors of a sender/leader and receiver/follower can resonate and the impact of this resonance on the responses and reactions of people around them. Designed for leadership and communication students, scholars, and practitioners, Leadership, Communication, and Social Influence: A Theory of Resonance, Activation, and Cultivation offers a timely exploration into the evolution of leadership, communication, and social influence, and sheds light on how we can all become more responsible leaders, followers, and citizens.

Regardless of one's formal leadership title, academic major, or desired career path, leadership and communication are critical for success. Leadership: Communication and Social Influence in Personal and Professional Contexts invites the reader to develop a more comprehensive understanding of leadership and the dynamics that occur between leaders and followers through communication. This book provides a point of entry into the study of leadership theory and practice and can be useful as readers interrogate what leadership means, why it matters, and the ways that one can improve his or her effectiveness as a leader-all of which involve a deeper, more nuanced, and greater appreciation for communication. Leadership: Communication and Social Influence in Personal and Professional Contexts by Ralph Gigliotti, Brent Ruben, and Christine Goldthwaite: Presents key considerations for thinking through one's understanding of and approach to leadership. Analyzes possible leadership situations one may encounter in groups, teams, organizations, and communities Provides a variety of strategies, tools, and models for applied leadership practice that are rooted in communication theory.