Today's Leaders Research Articles

Review: Jean Monnet and Canada Early Travels and the Idea of European Unity

JEAN MONNET AND CANADA Early Travels and the Idea of European Unity Trygve U gland Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2011. 109 pp, $29.95 (doth) ISBN 978-1-4426-4310-9Jean Monnet (1888-1979) was not one to let a good crisis go to waste. No surprise, then, that the European Union's seemingly endless agony over the euro should have led many to ask what counsel this tireless and creative founding father of European would offer today's leaders. A believer in the power, durability, and accumulated wisdom of institutions, Monnet might well press them to seize the moment, follow the logic of integration, and take another bold step in the direction of supranational economic governance. But he would then immediately confront the living legacy ofthat rival Frenchman, Charles de Gaulle, whose insistence on the primacy of national governments is reflected in the Merkozy partnership that has shaped Europe's response to its financial crisis.The persistent vitality of Monnet' s ideas is reason enough to continue exploring their origins. That is one attraction of Trygve U gland' s brief but lively account of Monnet' s early years - a narrative that traces the roots of his innovative, pragmatic theory of European back through his in international business, the League of Nations, and the promotion of inter-allied cooperation in both world wars. A second attraction, particularly for readers, is Ugland's thesis that Monnet's travels in Canada prior to World War I much of his thinking about designing institutions and getting things done in international relations.A Norwegian-born political scientist at Bishop's University, Ugland covers a great deal of ground in this book. His earlier work on the state control of alcohol, combined with a passion for Europe, drew him naturally to Monnet, whose family produced a prominent brand of cognac. Not yet 20, Monnet was first dispatched to Winnipeg in 1907 to develop a market for it. Until 1914 he returned repeatedly, visiting most of the country and establishing privileged, profitable ties with the Hudson's Bay Company as the distributor of Monnet cognac. Ugland argues that Monnet's Canadian school of experience (49) was the source of the personal theoretical code that inspired and spurred him to promote European integration (9-11).Monnet's impressions from these early visits to Canada were undoubtedly seminal. His exposure to the west in him visions of progress, expansion, organization and - not least - a working federal system. Two subsequent engagements with Canada reinforced his ideas about practical international cooperation. First, during World War I he arranged for the Hudson's Bay Company to become the French government's purchasing agent for food, raw materials, and manufactured goods - a supply system then extended to several other allies. Monnet's next transatlantic venture was a scheme hatched in 1938 to evade America's neutrality act by assembling military aircraft in Canada from components shipped across the border from American factories. Their destiny was the French air force, desperate to counter the growing threat of the Luftwaffe. In all of these commercial and diplomatic enterprises, Canada was for Monnet an indispensable link. …

What's Your Role in The Future of Higher Education?

What's Your Role in The Future of Higher Education?

Steel your purpose

AbstractDespite incessant time demands, today's leaders must take time for self‐reflection and careful thought about the future of their life and that of their organization. Baldoni presents this thinking as a “combination of assessment, diagnosis, reflection, and prioritization.” Leaders can aid self‐development through such areas as taking a sabbatical and rethinking roles and responsibilities. It is not necessary to abandon the traits that have led to success. But Baldoni believes that “the challenge becomes finding ways to channel that energy in new and direct ways, so that you lead more appropriately and effectively.”

Do Right, Do Good, Do Well: Seeing the Bigger Picture of Mississippi State Universitys Day One Leadership Program

Mississippi State University's Day One Leadership Program assists freshmen in transitioning to college through a rather unique and innovative approach. The Day One Program is designed to maximize the students' talents and abilities through team-based, student-led service learning projects. Students are partnered with a designated Community Partner (CP) during their first semester. The Day One credo is “do right, do good, do well.” This leadership opportunity exposes students to leaders of varying sectors, including but not limited to, business, community/economic development, politics, and nonprofits. At a time where bureaucrat and government bashing seem to be at its highest; at a time where there is great struggle in recruiting and training the nation’s best and brightest students, the Day One program makes a valiant effort to introduce students, from her or his first day on campus, to the other side of public service. It becomes status quo to discuss the failures of government and public administration, but it is a completely different undertaking when we take students and assign them to work in the very sector they have heard nothing but negative stories about. As such, students are soon placed in a position to question, investigate, and explore accepted “facts” and “truths.” In keeping with the University's mission, Day One is committed to instilling ideals of diversity, citizenship, and service. Over the course of this analysis, we will investigate the program's effectiveness in equipping today's young leaders for today and the future.

Overview of the AACR Clinical and Translational Cancer Research Think Tank Meeting

On January 17–18, 2010, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) hosted a Think Tank meeting in San Francisco that brought together a group of clinical and translational research thought leaders to identify the most promising scientific priorities and opportunities for the future of

Charge Nurse Perspectives on Frontline Leadership in Acute Care Environments

A recently issued report from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) in the United States on the Future of Nursing included a recommendation that nurses should receive leadership development at every level in order to transform the healthcare system. Charge nurses, at the frontline of patient care in acute care settings, are in key positions to lead this change. This paper presents findings from research conducted with nurses in the Tenet Health System. Charge nurses from ten facilities who attended a one-day work shop were surveyed to gain insight into the experience of being a frontline leader in today's acute care environment. The relationship of these findings to the IOM report and the implications for both the Tenet Health System and other healthcare organizations that are working to support nurses who assume these challenging roles are discussed.

An on-line graduate degree in computers and society

Leaders in today's world need an understanding of the ways that computers and computing are affecting society. To this end, a graduate degree in computers and society is proposed. This degree does not require any background in computer science or mathematics.

An on-line graduate degree in computers and society

Leaders in today's world need an understanding of the ways that computers and computing are affecting society. To this end, a graduate degree in computers and society is proposed. This degree does not require any background in computer science or mathematics.

The Essential Leadership Wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita

The Bhagavad Gita, a part of the Mahabharata composed more than 5,000 years ago by Vyasa, is a timeless leadership classic and its wisdom is highly relevant to leaders of today. Here, in this paper, the authors examine the various tenets of the Bhagavad Gita and provides its wisdom to contemporary leadership. Some of these teachings will certainly inspire the leaders to change from within and transform their leadership from transactional to transformational and towards transcendental. In presenting this wisdom, the authors have employed hermeneutics, which is a method to interpret ancient texts combined with some qualitative inputs received from leadership seminar participants. This paper is significant for both leadership theory and practice.

Global Nursing Leadership

Nursing leaders of today must be prepared for a nursing practice environment inclusive of local, national, and global work and issues. The educational preparation of nursing leaders should incorporate a fundamental curriculum that offers a broad preparation and basic leadership skills along with guidelines and experiences to support global outreach and collaboration with many cultures and health care environments. This article provides a practical guide on entry into Global Nursing Leadership for nursing leaders from the nurse executive including all levels of nursing management.

Conscious change leadership: Achieving breakthrough results

AbstractTo drive organizational change that is “wildly successful,” leaders should look beyond change management and project management, the authors say. They explain why “conscious change leadership” is the answer. They guide readers to understanding change within three focus areas: content, people, and process. Furthermore, there are three types of change facing today's leaders: developmental, transitional, and transformational. Strategies are presented for how to consciously navigate transformational change. This is important, because “your success will be in direct correlation to your level of awareness and worldview.”

School Leaders as Political Strategists: William Boyd's Contributions to our Understanding of the Politics of Leadership

William Boyd's contributions to the education field's understanding of the political nature of school leadership are formidable. In this article, I describe the growth and development, over a roughly 30-year time span, of his key insight that successful school leaders should have the capabilities of a political strategist and that the actualization of this capacity is related to school leaders’ political and policy context. The perennial question of “who governs education” was central to Boyd's work and his various answers are important touchstones for today's educational leaders.

An ever changing world

Headteachers are having to cope with an ever changing educational landscape. Ros Fox looks at the challenges facing today's school leaders and offers some advice on how to deal with them

Military Leadership: An Overview and Introduction to the Special Issue

A myriad of challenges and shifting strategic priorities face today's military leaders. This special issue contains articles that comment on these challenges and provide new insights to advance discussions on these issues and spawn new research. This article summarizes contemporary challenges and opportunities faced by military leaders and provides an overview of the articles included in the special issue.

Ann Scott Blouin, RN, PhD, FACHE

Ann Scott Blouin has certainly had an esteemed career, which now has taken her to be the first nurse to assume the position as executive vice president for accreditation and certification operations at The Joint Commission!

Encomium: Philipp Maria Lippe, MD, FACS, DABPM

It is better to write an encomium than an obituary. There is no grief or regret. This will also give the subject the opportunity to protest in person all errors, omissions, and hyperbole. This is not, however, a pre-obituary. We look forward to working with Phil for many years. It will be necessarily brief and touch on only a few of his accomplishments. It will not include any anecdotes, especially relating to oenophilia, gastronomy, “dromaiusology” (the study of emus) and “cyprinusology” (the study of koi). We would have to recognize that Phil was the original “Urban Spoon” and that he can euphemize libations with the best of them. Phil's life has been guided by three principles: his love of his biologic family, his love of his extended professional family, and his love of intellectual and ethical challenges. He has been a mentor to many of today's pain medicine leaders and thinkers. Innumerable patients have had their lives improved by his indefatigable efforts on their behalf in medical, political, and social arenas. Phil was born in Vienna, Austria. He moved to the United States in 1929 and graduated in medicine from the University of Illinois, College of Medicine, where he also completed his neurosurgical training. He is a Clinical Professor of Neurological Surgery at Stanford University, having been initially appointed to the faculty in 1963. Phil married Gail in 1977. They have seven children and grandchildren. The “Phil ‘n’ Gail Show” has been on the road for decades, traveling incessantly to promote the specialty of Pain Medicine and improved access and care for persons in pain. Phil would be the first to say that Gail has been indispensable to his advocacy efforts. Those of us who are lucky enough to have been befriended by them see a highly-integrated dyad, sharing a …

Student Strip Searches: The Legal and Ethical Implications of Safford Unified School District v. Redding for School Leaders

The legal freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures is guaranteed to all adult citizens under the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. These same legal protections from unreasonable searches and seizures are not guaranteed to today's K-12 student population. School officials are not subject to the same warrant and probable cause requirements required of law enforcement officials to constitute a legally viable search. Instead, the legal constitutionality of searches involving U.S. students is guided by the reasonableness of the search toward maintaining appropriate school discipline. Given the mounting pressures to improve school safety, today's school leaders are facing conflicting legal and ethical challenges associated with balancing the competing goals of student safety with respecting students’ legal rights. Student strip searches are one such example of a legal and ethical dilemma facing today's school leaders. This article explores the legal and ethical implications of the U.S. Supreme Court's recent case Safford United School District v. Redding, involving the strip search of a middle school student for nonprescription drugs. A central inquiry of this article is whether student strip searches are in the best legal and ethical interests of student leaders.

Exact Change

OVERVIEW:In the new economy, the playing field is flatter and faster. Success in any field—in industry, in education, in politics—now requires actively seeking out change and embracing it. Successful leaders in today's world know that change is always coming, so they don't wait for it. They look for it and capitalize on it.

A “Paradise for Scholars”: Flexner and the Institute for Advanced Study

The story of Abraham Flexner's role in the founding of the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey, offers important insights into Flexner himself and valuable lessons for contemporary leaders in academic medicine. The authors review this remarkable achievement along with Flexner's other accomplishments in the 49 years he lived after the 1910 publication of his report on medical schools in the United States and Canada. Lessons include his approach to philanthropy, his determination and networking, his belief in the synergism between the natural sciences and the humanities, and his regard for learning as a lifelong process. Flexner's record was not unblemished, however, and the cases in which he faltered also offer important lessons for today's academic leaders.

A question of command: counterinsurgency from the Civil War to Iraq

According to the prevailing view of counterinsurgency, the key to defeating insurgents is selecting methods that will win the people's hearts and minds. The hearts-and-minds theory permeates not only most counterinsurgency books of the twenty-first century but the U.S. Army/Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Field Manual, the U.S. military's foremost text on counterinsurgency. Mark Moyar assails this conventional wisdom, asserting that the key to counterinsurgency is selecting commanders who have superior leadership abilities. Whereas the hearts-and-minds school recommends allocating much labor and treasure to economic, social, and political reforms, Moyar advocates concentrating resources on security, civil administration, and leadership development. Moyar presents a wide-ranging history of counterinsurgency, from the Civil War and Reconstruction to Afghanistan and Iraq, that draws on the historical record and interviews with hundreds of counterinsurgency veterans, including top leaders in today's armed forces. Through a series of case studies, Moyar identifies the ten critical attributes of counterinsurgency leadership and reveals why these attributes have been much more prevalent in some organizations than others. He explains how the U.S. military and America's allies in Afghanistan and Iraq should revamp their personnel systems in order to elevate more individuals with those attributes. A Question of Command will reshape the study and practice of counterinsurgency warfare. With counterinsurgency now one of the most pressing issues facing the United States, this book is a must-read for policymakers, military officers, and citizens.