IN TODAY'S ORGANIZATIONS projects are the most common way people organize their efforts. Publishing this workbook is a project. Getting a new product launched is a project. Replacing an outdated security system is a project. Remodeling your house is a project. Putting on this year's management conference is a project. Raising funds for a new homeless shelter is a project. Some projects are small projects within big projects, and one project often leads to another. So we'd like you to begin The Leadership Challenge Workbook process by selecting a real‐world leadership project as the framework for applying The Five Practices.

Your leadership project should meet these six basic criteria:

• The project is about changing business as usual. Although some projects are about keeping things the same, those are not leadership projects. Select a project that involves starting something new or making meaningful changes in how something is being done, or both.
• You're the leader. You may be a contributor on a number of projects, but for the purposes of this workbook, select one for which you are leading the effort. You might be the leader because you are the manager and it's part of your job or because you have been selected to lead by your manager. You might be the leader because you've been elected by the team or because you volunteered for the role. Whatever the case, select a project for which you are the leader.
• The project has an identifiable starting and stopping place. While there may be other things going on at the same time, and while other things may continue after the project is over, it needs a deadline.
• The project has a specific objective. When the project has been completed, a new product will have been successfully released, a new system successfully installed, the renovated restaurant opened, the top of the mountain successfully reached. Whatever the objective, there will be something at the conclusion of the project that everyone can point to and say, “We did it!”
• The project involves other people. There are projects you can do by yourself, but you cannot do a leadership project alone. It takes a team to make extraordinary things happen in organizations.
• The project is about to start or has just started. While you should seek to improve your leadership in whatever you do, for purposes of this activity you should select something that is not too far along in the process. You will find this workbook more useful if you pick a project that's just getting underway or will soon launch.

Here are some examples of projects that are candidates for the process in this workbook:

• You need to institute a new customer relationship management system and expect to face some resistance.
• You have been assigned to turn around a factory that's had a history of poor labor–management relations.
• You are the leader of a volunteer team tasked with creating and implementing a countywide environmental cleanup campaign.
• You are heading a team responsible for instituting a new teacher development program for grades K–8.
• You are the leader of a task force that will develop your organization's first diversity, equity, and inclusion policies and practices.
• You have volunteered to rebuild the website for a local program that helps new immigrants find housing, learn English, and prepare to enter the workforce.

In addition to the six criteria we've listed above, there's one other thing to keep in mind. This is a Personal‐Best Leadership Project, and you're setting out to perform at your highest levels. Select a project that represents a significant challenge for you. We know from our research that challenge is the opportunity for greatness. Challenge gives you the opportunity to do your best, and you are much more likely to do your best when you're stretched to exceed what you've done before. Of course, only you can determine what a stretch is for you, but for the purposes of this process, avoid selecting a project that feels familiar, comfortable, and easy to complete.

Now use the Personal‐Best Leadership Project worksheet that begins on the next page to describe your project. In the next five chapters, you will explore each of The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership^© in turn, with a focus on expanding and enhancing your own leadership practices as you complete this project. The questions and activities on these pages will be instrumental in your achieving a personal best.

MY PERSONAL‐BEST LEADERSHIP PROJECT

Take a few minutes to reflect on your leadership role—formal or informal, appointed, selected, or self‐initiated—and the various projects (impending or just initiated) you lead that meet the criteria outlined in this chapter. Your project does not have to be at your workplace. Remember what we said in the Introduction: leadership is everyone's business. As long as it meets the six criteria, your project can involve your community, religious organization, professional or volunteer association, or another group in your personal life. You will find that you can use this workbook for all kinds of change initiatives.

Describe the project you have selected to focus on while you complete the activities in this workbook.

Now look at what you know so far about this project. (Remember, you may not be ready to answer all of these questions, so respond to those you can and come back to this section when you can complete the rest.)

As far as they've been determined, what are the project goals?

What's the time frame?

What's the budget?

What are the challenges that you face in leading this project? For example:

• Funding is limited due to an economic downturn.
• Based on your previous experience, the constituents are likely to resist change.
• Team members are very diverse, haven't worked together before, and don't know each other well—or at all. Half of them are also working remotely.
• The decision‐makers in this organization have shown little interest in or support for this initiative.

Challenges for leading this project

Who's on the immediate project team? Include titles, positions, and roles, as well as what you know about each person that's relevant to the project's success. For example:

• Tiffany—Human resources representative. Resource for HR issues. Excellent people skills and intimate knowledge of who's who in organization.
• Haru—Senior software engineer. Responsible for supervising technical aspects of project; strong technical skills, very credible with engineers, highly creative and innovative thinker.
• Tyrone—Technical writer. Writes the documentation and manuals. New to organization, but very talented at making technical material readable for nontechnical audience.

Your project team

Team member:

Team member:

Team member:

Team member:

Team member:

Team member:

Team member:

Team member:

If you have more than eight team members, photocopy the previous page or continue on another sheet of paper.

What other possible team members should you consider? What other stakeholders have a vested interest in the success of the project? A stakeholder might be a peer whose support you need, your boss or another manager, a vendor, a key customer or client, members of your board, or anyone else who is likely to be directly impacted by what you develop or produce. What criteria will each stakeholder use to measure success?

Examples:

• Stakeholder or stakeholder group: HR manager

  Criteria for success: Morale is high and turnover is low.

• Stakeholder or stakeholder group: CFO

  Criteria for success: Project is within budget; financial reporting is on time.

• Stakeholder or stakeholder group: Clinical services director

  Criteria for success: State‐of‐the‐art technology and processes are deployed; results published in a prestigious professional journal.

Stakeholder success criteria for your project

Stakeholder or stakeholder group:

Criteria for success:

Stakeholder or stakeholder group:

Criteria for success:

Stakeholder or stakeholder group:

Criteria for success:

Stakeholder or stakeholder group:

Criteria for success:

Stakeholder or stakeholder group:

Criteria for success:

If you have more than five key stakeholders, photocopy this page or continue on another sheet of paper.

What are your current feelings regarding this project? List several words that describe those feelings, such as excitement, dread, panic, anticipation, and so forth.

What aspects of this project do you expect to be frustrating or difficult? List the specific aspects of this undertaking that are most challenging.

Why is this project important…

To you?

To your organization?

To others (for example, the community, your colleagues)?