Stepping Up to Leadership was written for those who are newer to the field of supervising, managing or leading others, and for those who serve in these roles but have not had a formal introduction to the subject of leadership. Many people have entered the workplace directly after high school and made their way up through the ranks only to find they need a more comprehensive understanding of leadership. Some have graduated from college expecting to work in a particular profession, only to discover they need to manage people as well. Others have graduated from a technical school planning to make a living using a particular skill set and now are thrust into a supervisory role. Regardless of one?'s individual journey, he or she has arrived at a place of leadership needing a better understanding of how to function successfully from a changed vantage point. Stepping Up to Leadership helps one fulfill the leadership role by placing a wealth of information on important topics at their fingertips. This book is organized in five parts or sections that represent some of the best research available on the subject of leadership. Part One, Developing Your Leadership Philosophy & Style, provides readers with a snapshot of leadership theory, philosophy and styles. This section provides a description of basic leadership styles, including authoritative, participative and laissez-faire. The section addresses questions about major schools of leadership thought pertaining to the development and style of leaders; use of power, punishments and rewards, and the leader?'s relationship with followers. This section provides the leader with an opportunity to consider and articulate their unique, personal philosophy and style.Part One also examines four important pillars of leadership, including Character, Commitment, Consciousness and Continuation. The reader is introduced to an outline of the main portion of the book which covers Building Relationships, Achieving Results and Navigating Change. These topics are framed as THE activities in which leaders are constantly involved as they engage others, complete tasks and work to figure out how to deal with change.Part Two, Building Relationships, covers this vast, complex and unpredictable area by focusing on how to effectively connect, communicate and collaborate with others. Whether one is aware or not, accepts, rejects, denies, avoids or chooses to address the issue, the leader is always sending signals through their image and via non-verbal, vocal and verbal communication. This section explores the important first step of making a favorable impression and how to deal with problems arising from harmful misperceptions. Problems include being misunderstood, disliked, mistrusted or disrespected. The subject of relationships continues with an examination of ways to connect with others by practicing human relations skills, building rapport and relating to various behavioral types. An explanation of the currently popular DISC Behavioral Styles instrument is provided. DISC -- which stands for Dominant, Interactive, Steady and Compliant -- is one of the assessment and training tools most widely used by organizations today. This portion of the book instructs readers on how to interpret their own style, and how to better recognize, relate and respond to these styles in others. The Building Relationships section also includes instruction for managing a diverse group of people, resolving conflict between parties, leading meetings and making group presentations. The author draws from more than 25 years of experience as a professional speaker to give readers helpful tips for preparing for and presenting to groups. Part Three, Achieving Results, addresses the challenges of getting results both as an individual and through others. This section highlights the importance of focus, and the problems associated with the need to multitask in today?'s fast paced, high-tech, service oriented workplace. This section reveals that humans are experiencing a historic shift in how they approach time, work and productivity. Still relevant Old School time management techniques such as goal setting, prioritizing, having a feeling for the passage of time and practicing neatness in one?'s work surroundings are reviewed. More recent New School ideas for getting in the zone, flow or optimal performance states are outlined. These include concepts such as getting in the flow, following intuition, watching for synchronicity and recognizing fortuitous events on one?'s life. This section introduces additional combinations of Old World and New World concepts for planning intelligently and living intuitively, staying focused while being flexible and managing issues of speed, stress and burnout. One of the key features of Part Three is an examination of coaching skills. This part instructs the leader or manager on the important steps of setting expectations, practicing delegation, inspiring motivation and giving evaluation. The coaching skills segment includes a discussion of learning styles, motivational theory, praise, affirmation and values as well as the difficult responsibilities of giving correction and discipline to followers. Part Four, Navigating Change, explores change management issues. The section reviews the workings of natural change curves and discusses how these cycles have shifted in terms of frequency and variety over the past few decades. This segment considers both personal and organizational change curves and provides helpful questions for use when examining individual and organizational change issues. Important skills for visioning, strategic planning, problem solving, decision making and promoting change, from some of today?'s leading thinkers, are described. One goal of this segment is to help the reader understand the difference between subjective, objective and intuitive problem solving and decision making, and the most practical application of each approach. Part Five, Continuing Lea