Mark W. Altman, M.I.S.
Leadership for all the Mountains You Climb is designed for all who wish to practice and exhibit real leadership in all aspects of their lives- family, school, career, volunteer and civic organizations. The philosophy is based upon the principles of Servant Leadership defined by Robert Greenleaf and Principle Centered Leadership by Dr. Steven Covey. I cover all relevant leadership theories and attempt to align the many theories and styles of leadership into a coherent whole.
I advance the argument that leadership, real leadership, not management or power wielding, consists of four aspects: philial love for those you propose to lead, a compelling vision, a source of power, and the management skills to keep the organization in a good position to overcome challenges and take advantage of opportunities.
The book is scholarly in nature in that I have provided all my sources, however it is intended to be readable and accessible to teenagers and adults. I have also included help for adults hoping to mentor and teach the next generation of leaders.
Leadership for all the Mountains You Climb, is a very serviceable book for a high school or undergraduate survey course on leadership or a very good primer for anyone looking to explore true, lasting, uplifting leadership.
If there is a single word that describes Mark Altman, founder of The Altman Leadership Center, its “passion”. Mark does everything with more than mere enthusiasm. Mark spent nearly twenty years in the Army, attending Airborne and Air Assault schools. He became an ROTC instructor, and later a Battlefield Simulations Coach, eventually rising to the rank of Major.
Mark Altman is a serious student of leadership concepts and principles. He holds a Master’s degree in Leadership Studies, and will soon earn his Ph. D at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. As a speaker, Mark educates his audience on how to “Dream without Limits”, and how to reach beyond their wants, fears and expectations. He writes a weekly newspaper column published in five newspapers in the Northwest United States called Family Matters. The column tackles issues facing families today and can be found at http://www.cdapress.com/.
Mark is married to Dawn, a wonderful middle school teacher and together they are the parents of four incredible teenagers. Two years ago they rode bicycles across the United States from Portland, Oregon to Washington D.C., before Mark depolyed to Iraq.
The Bottom Line
I firmly believe that there are no shortcuts in life; certainly not where becoming a good person or leading others is involved. For this reason I have mixed feelings about providing the list on the next page, but we live in a world that expects instant results; preferably results that require as little effort as possible. On the one hand, I know that no such shortcuts exist, but I also feel the pressure to pass along information quicker than the next author.
In this crazy, hurry-up world we live in I feel somewhat guilty in providing this page in that some will consider it to be a shortcut to the information and arguments presented in this book and therefore I would be contributing to the problem. However, for those of you hooked on lists and the “bottom line”, here is my list. I hope my short argument causes you to read the rest of the book. Or it will at least cause you to buy a copy . . . or two.
12 Steps to Real, Enduring, and Meaningful Leadership
1. Develop and show a philial love for those who you propose to lead.
2. Figure out what you hold of importance and develop your own philosophy of life.
3. Examine your life as if you were watching your life as a movie on your deathbed. What do you want to see?
4. Dream a big dream and convert that dream into a vision.
5. Learn to listen.
6. Roll your followers’ visions into your vision.
7. Learn to communicate that vision to everyone you meet.
