SkillSoft Glossary

A

active listening: Listening to what someone says and then rephrasing her words to show that you understood correctly.
aptitude: The ability to perform a skill, usually referring to a mental or intellectual capability, not a physical one.
authenticity: The ability to present your true self, not a false imitation.
authoritative style: A style in which a leader exerts his authority and expects obedience.

B

business execution: A systematic process of rigorously discussing the "hows" and "whats," questioning, tenaciously following through, and ensuring accountability.
business plan: A detailed document outlining business objectives, and describing the action steps and resources needed to accomplish them. See plan.

C

charisma: Great personal magnetism and the ability to charm many people effortlessly.
cohesion: The degree to which members of a group work together to achieve common goals.
collaboration: The act of people working together.
co-location: Employees located within the same vicinity, office, or area.
competency: The specified skills, knowledge, and behavior that lead to outstanding job performance and the achievement of business goals.
corporate culture: A pervasive system of shared values and beliefs that influences the ways an organization operates.
counselor role: The leadership role in which the leader helps people plan their careers around their interests and goals.

D

dynamics: The interplay of different forces of any particular activity.

E

empathy: The ability to put yourself in someone else's shoes; to understand what that person is saying and not just sympathize with her situation.
environment: The political, strategic, or operational context within, or external to, the organization.
evaluator role: The leadership role in which the leader plays the part of the referee. He objectively evaluates the performance and the personality, image, and reputation of the other team members.
experimenter: A type of leader who is willing to try different strategies to find better ways of doing things.
extraneous: Extra, superfluous, or distracting.

F

flexible style: A style of leadership whereby the leader changes her style according to the circumstances and to each group member's ability to do the job.

G

goals: Desired situations, titles, or states of being. Goals define how an organization intends to achieve its mission over time.
grapevine: An informal communication network, usually comprised of conversations between co-workers, that can include gossip, hearsay, rumors, and facts.

H

hierarchical: A way of organizing things, which follows a specific chain of command. In groups, an arrangement where power and decision making come from the top down.

I

imperative: An obligatory act, an important duty.
independent style: A style of leading in which a leader promotes independence among his employees. Employees are allowed a large amount of autonomy, and the leader's role is reduced to that of an assistant.
inertia: An aversion to change or motion; apathy.
influence: The power to change an outcome by affecting or controlling a course of events.

L

leaders: People who focus on basing actions on an envisioned future, motivating and influencing others, and deciding on directions to which they will commit.
leadership style: A way of leading, which includes the methods leaders use to accomplish their goals, their approaches to authority, and how they perceive their roles as leaders.
learning organizations: Corporations or organizations that are continually renewing, reinventing, and reinvigorating.

M

managers: People who focus on basing actions on past experience, matching resources to tasks, and following established methods and procedures.
mission: 1. What an organization is in business to do.
2. A concrete expression of the vision, which includes how and for whom products and services will be delivered.
moderator role: The leadership role in which the leader becomes the "point person." She knows and explains the rules and helps other team members to come in contact with the resources that will help them achieve success.
momentum: A continuously growing motion forward due to force or through the development of events.
morale: How people feel about what they're doing. Similar to esprit de corps. The group attitude.
mutual agreement: An obvious or implied agreement between the employee and the company. It serves as a measuring device for employees to gain an understanding of what they will have to put in, what they will get out of the relationship, and whether or not their values align with the organization's.

N

negative questions: Badly stated questions that perpetuate negativity and fail to solve problems.
nonverbal communications: Any unspoken indications that a person may make, such as facial expressions, posture, breathing patterns, eye contact, etc.

O

objective: A specific measurable or observable goal to be achieved over a specified period of time.
objectives: Ways that an organization intends to achieve its strategic goals.
operating plan: A statement of the specific, coordinated sets of tasks needed to meet objectives in the business plan, which in turn contributes to meeting the goals delineated in the strategic plan. See plan.
organizational climate: The perception of employees about the organization and its leaders, directly attributable to the leadership and management style.
organizational culture: Underlying beliefs, values, and assumptions held by members of an organization and the practices and behaviors that reinforce them.

P

persuasion: A form of communication that uses logical arguments and evidence to gain support.
plan: A detailed formulation of a program of action for achieving a goal or objective.

Q

quality: Conformance to stated requirements.

R

receptive style: A style of leading in which the leader has authority but chooses to discuss ideas and plans with group members before making the final call.

S

scenario: A hypothetical chain of events or the plot of a story.
semi-verbal acknowledgements: "Uh-huh," "hmm," and other sounds that indicate one person is following what another is saying.
sorting: A listening technique that finds the difference between symptoms and deeper problems.
strategic plan: A high-level document that articulates the current position of an organization, the future desired position for that organization, and the goals needed to achieve it. See plan.

T

tactics: Planned, directed, and controlled actions used to achieve a task.
tasks: The activities driven by an organization's goals and objectives.

V

value: The worth of an item or service based on price, quality, performance, selection, and convenience.
value discipline: Something that categorizes a company according to its value proposition. The three main value disciplines are operational excellence, product leadership, and customer intimacy. Though a company generally chooses one value discipline in which to excel, achieving a balance between all three is critical.
value proposition: An implicit promise companies make to deliver a certain combination of price, quality, performance, selection, and convenience.
values: The common beliefs driving how tasks get accomplished within the structure of an organization.
vision: A high-level statement of the purpose and aspirations of the organization, clarifying the direction for change.

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"I" statements: Using the first person case when discussing one's feelings about an issue or event.

Leadership Essentials: Leading InnovationGlossary

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Leadership Essentials: Leading Innovation
Glossary