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Shadow of the Leader concept endures for Marriott leader

Linda Simon, senior vice president of Human Resources at Marriott Vacation Club International, describes Senn Delaney's “Shadow of the Leader” concept as the one leadership lesson that has resonated with her over the years.

In a Leadership Lesson column on examiner.com, she tells Leadership Examiner Steve Arneson: "It's hard to pick just one leadership lesson I've learned over the years, because everyday I see something new to add to the list. But there is one lesson that seems to comprise most of them. I learned it from a Senn Delaney seminar and the concept is called “Shadow of the Leader.”

Prior to joining Marriott, Simon held senior roles in leadership and organization development at PepsiCo and America Online where she headed the companywide Organization Effectiveness practice. Simon served as senior manager of people development for PepsiCo and vice president of organizational effectiveness at America Online. She is a strong advocate for leadership development and life-long learning.

Shadow of the Leader describes a common phenomenon in business organizations where those in positions of leadership and power, through their behavior and actions, tend to influence the behavior and actions of those below them, thus “casting a shadow” across the organization.

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