An interview with John H. Zenger on extraordinary leadership.

John H. (Jack) Zenger writes, teaches, and speaks about extraordinary leadership. Today he is one of most authoritative voices on leadership and performance. He received a degree in psychology from Brigham Young University, an MBA from UCLA, and a doctorate degree in business administration

from the University of Southern California. He has been the CEO and President of one of the world's largest performance skills improvement companies, Provant, Inc. In 1977, Jack co-founded Zenger Miller, a leading management and leadership development company. He later became the Chairman of Times Mirror Training, Inc. (which consisted of Kaset, Learning International, and Zenger Miller) for many years. He has authored or coauthored seven books, including The Extraordinary Leader: Turning Good Managers into Great Leaders, The Handbook for Leaders: 24 Lessons for Extraordinary Leaders, Results-Based Leadership (which was honored as the best book of 2000 by the Society of Human Resource Management), and best-selling The New Self-Directed Work Teams: The New American Challenge. In 1994, Jack was inducted in the Human Resources Development Hall of Fame.

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In his latest research-based book, The Extraordinary Leader, Jack Zenger and Joe Folkman discuss leadership as a skill that can be consciously learned and developed by anyone. They introduce a simple conceptual framework, "The Leadership Tent," that involves five elements:

1. Character: The center pole represents the personal character of an individual. It is the core of all leadership effectiveness. "We strongly concur that the ethical standards, integrity, and authenticity of the leader are extremely important" (p. 13).

2. Personal Capability: This tent pole "describes the intellectual, emotional, and skill makeup of the individual. It includes analytical and problem-solving capabilities, along with the technical competence the person possesses. It also requires an ability to create a clear vision and sense of purpose for the organization" (p. 14).

3. Focus on Results: This tent pole of leadership "describes the ability to have an impact on the organization. It means being capable of getting things done" (p. 14). Jack and Joe purport that leaders can be wonderful people but if they don't produce effective results they are not good leaders.