Dr. Stanley Ross, associate professor of management, left his comfort zone – something he claims anyone on the road to self-leadership needs to do – which enabled him to write a textbook on the topic.
The path that led to The Road to Self Leadership Development: Busting Out of Your Comfort Zone, published by Emerald Publishing and available in December, began during Dr. Ross’s research on the topic. His investigation led to the publication of an article, which, within a week, had more than 300 downloads. It was then that he decided to write the book.
The paperback textbook is semi-autobiographical, said Dr. Ross, who is in his twelfth year at Bridgewater teaching strategic management at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. Prior to higher education, the Hyde Park resident was in the financial services field for eight years.
“I did a lot of research into the subject of self-leadership,” he said. “What is it all about? To lead others, you have to know how to lead yourself. People have to believe they are capable and have feelings of self-worth.”
Dr. Ross said the very process of writing his first book took him out of his comfort zone “and that’s where learning takes place.”
He found a number of consistent threads woven throughout the course of his research on self-leadership: successful leaders don’t have negative thoughts; people with positive attitudes are self-motivated; people who are self-leaders are doers – they are always on the go; self-leaders develop a self-generating values system.
The model for self-leadership he developed for his book was designed to enable adults to build their self-leadership and leadership skills. The last chapter of the book is comprised of exercises that help individuals build self-leadership. For example, stand in front of the mirror and identify one positive aspect about yourself every day.
Dr. Ross maintains that most can learn to be a leader but not everyone can or wants to become a leader. However, everyone can better themselves by developing their feelings of self-worth. (Story by Eva T. Gaffney, G '01; photo by John Winters, G '11, University News & Media)
