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Leadership Rules

SWE 301 / 401Internship Preparation &

ReflectionJeff Offutt

http://www.cs.gmu.edu/~offutt/

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Leadership Thoughts

© Jeff Offutt 2

A leader is best when people barely knows he exists. When his work is done, his aim is fulfilled,

they will say: We did it ourselves.

—Sun TzuToo many people confuse

leadership with authority and power. And too many in positions of authority are not good leaders.

A good leader doesn’t need authority to lead.

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Leadership Rule #1

© Jeff Offutt 3

If you don’t care about them, they won’t care

about you

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Leadership Rule #2

© Jeff Offutt 4

They won’t do more than you

do

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Leadership Rule #3

© Jeff Offutt 5

A leader is not powerful, but responsible

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Leadership Rule #4

© Jeff Offutt 6

A true leader works for all he or she

leads, not the other way around

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Leadership Rule #5

© Jeff Offutt 7

Don’t take success to your head or failure to

your heart

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Leadership Rule #6

© Jeff Offutt 8

To be a good leader, you must

first learn to follow

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Leadership Rule #7

© Jeff Offutt 9

A leader is proactive, a follower is reactive

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Leadership Rule #8

© Jeff Offutt 10

If you are a leader, their time is more valuable

than yours

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Leadership Rule #9

© Jeff Offutt 11

Only throw temper tantrums

on purpose

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Leadership Rule #10

© Jeff Offutt 12

Get to the point!

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Leadership Rule #11

© Jeff Offutt 13

Tell the truth,

especially if the news is

bad

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Leadership Rule #12

© Jeff Offutt 14

Don’t apologize for doing the right thing

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Leadership Rule #13

© Jeff Offutt 15

Always apologize for

doing the wrong thing

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Leadership Rule #14

© Jeff Offutt 16

Say thank you

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Leadership Rule #15

© Jeff Offutt 17

If you don’t know the answer, know who

does

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Leadership Rule #16

© Jeff Offutt 18

Leadership is service

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Leadership Rule #17

© Jeff Offutt 19

Good leaders are good under

pressure

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Leadership Rule #18

© Jeff Offutt 20

A leader has to be trusted

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Leadership Rule #19

© Jeff Offutt 21

Seek first to understand, then

be understood

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Leadership Rule #20

© Jeff Offutt 22

Complainers think about the past, followers the

present,leaders the future

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Leadership

© Jeff Offutt 23

"Try not to become a person of success but rather to become a

person of value”

—Einstein

“Be the chief but never the lord”

—Sun Tzu