In The Source of Leadership, I suggest::

Dr. Jim Loehr, author of the excellent book The Power of Full Engagement,  offers the following tips for encouraging job satisfaction, based on findings from inventory data:



1. Build employees’ competence and self-confidence through training, feedback and recognition. “There is a very close relationship between high job satisfaction and feelings of effectiveness on the job,” says Dr. Loehr. “Encouragement of genuine self-confidence is probably the number one way to achieve higher job satisfaction.”



2. Communicate the value of the organization’s products and services, and the role the organization plays in the marketplaces where it operates. “People with high job satisfaction also report an extraordinarily high sense of mission, vision and passion for their work,” says Loehr. “They feel their work is consistent with their values. They couldn’t achieve that feeling if their employers didn’t enable them to get meaningful insight about the value they provide to customers,” says Loehr.



3. Encourage and reward thoughtful risk-taking. “People with high job satisfaction also score high on the desire to try novel approaches, face challenges and perform problem-solving both individually and in groups,” says Loehr. “They appear to have an appetite for mission-driven change. They also rate themselves very high on perseverance.”



4. Encourage positive workplace relations. “People who are highly satisfied in their jobs report good feelings about their bosses, peers and coworkers,” says Loehr. “Their feelings of opportunity are elevated, and they perceive a low hassle-factor.”



5. Encourage meaningful rest breaks and light diversion. “High job satisfaction correlates strongly with the feeling of having fun at work,” says Dr. Loehr. “Highly satisfied individuals also report that they find it easy to wake in the morning, and that their sleep is deep and restful.” He adds, “This is consistent with our thirty years of research on world-class athletes. Top performers in every field know how to enhance performance through rest and recovery.”

As life-long employment fades and the workforce becomes increasingly mobile, many companies look to hire skilled, experienced workers to improve productivity quickly. Those workers, however, often bring baggage from prior jobs that can negate the benefits of their prior experience, according to new Wharton research.

Companies might be better off investing in training fresh recruits with little experience in an industry so the companies can have more control over how the new workers adapt to their new employer’s corporate strategy and culture. The research found that training may be more productive than paying a premium to hire experienced workers who might come from a different sort of corporate environment.

In his masterpiece, The Tao of Leadership, John Heider says:

"Too much force will backfire. Constant interven­tions and instigations will not make a good group. They will spoil a group. The best group process is delicate. It cannot be pushed around. It cannot be argued over or won in a fight.  The leader who tries to control the group through force does not understand group process. Force will cost you the support of the members. Leaders who push think that they are facilitating pro­cess, when in fact they are blocking process. They think that they are building a good group field, when in fact they are destroying its coherence and creat­ing factions. They think that their constant interventions are a mea­sure of ability, when in fact such interventions are crude and inappropriate. They think that their leadership position gives them absolute authority, when in fact their behavior dimin­ishes respect. The wise leader stays centered and grounded and uses the least force required to act effectively.  The leader avoids egocentricity and emphasizes being rather than doing."

According to Indian guru, Sathya Sai Baba: 



“To be” is the source of leadership. “To do” is the style of leadership.  “To see” and “to tell” are the tools, techniques, and functions of leadership.



“To be” forms the foundation of leadership qualities as it involves deeply the character and selflessness. The essential qualities in this category include courage, will power, initiative, knowledge of the job and the self, and the ability to deal with people of different kinds and tastes.  “To do” forms the style of functioning that is unique to each leader.  “To see” is the prime aspect of decision making wherein the leader has to forecast both about the appraisals as well the short falls in the near future as well the far future, and hence plan accordingly.  “To tell” is the communication part that forms the basics of all the soft skills possessed by any leader; an integral aspect that molds a person into a good leader.

Sam Palmisano, Chairman and CEO of IBM, quoted in the May 12, 2008 issue of Fortune magazine:

"Over the course of my career, I’ve observed many CEOs, heads of state, and others in positions of great authority. I’ve noticed that some of the most effective leaders don’t make themselves the center of attention. They are respectful.  They listen. This is an appealing personal quality, but it’s also an effective leadership attribute. Their selflessness makes the people around them comfortable. People open up, speak up, and contribute. They give those leaders their very best."

Bruce W. Tuckman is a respected educational psychologist who, in a 1965 paper, first described the four stages of group development in 1965. While looking at the behavior of small groups in a variety of environments, he recognized the distinct phases they go through. He also suggested that they need to experience all four stages before they achieve maximum effectiveness. He refined and developed the model in 1977 with the addition of a fifth stage.

In the July 7, 2008 issue of Fortune, Barack Obama's leadership style is outlined.  I like it.  A lot.  It's tight, no-nonsense, inclusive, steeped in reality, and focused.

No drama.  He picked a team of even-keeled temperaments who would set the tone for the campaign.  People do their jobs, get it done, and keep their heads down. 

Praise those who don't expect it.  

Make every person in a meeting participate.  He thinks people who are silent might be disagreeing and he wants to know why.

Establish a plan and stick to it.  He has run the campaign like a highly disciplined business.

Give feedback that's clear, direct, and immediate.  And be decent at all times, never disrespectful.

Allow new ideas to come from the bottom up.  Obama University, a unique training program for first-time fundraisers, bubble up in this way.

Genuinely listen to those who disagree with you.

Check out Jack Welch's column, entitled "Emotional Mismanagement" in the July 17, 2008 Business Week.  I agree so wholeheartedly with every word of it that any attempt to recast or condense here would do it a disservice.