Leader

An easy to read, easy to understand and easy to follow book, complete with lessons to apply what Dr. Wilson teaches. Dr. Wilson's personal accounts provide wonderful insights into her message and the skills of leadership, and adds a personal dimension to the ten skills of leadership. Highly recommended reading. Thanks Dr. Wilson! I will look forward to the next one!

Dr. Wilson has created a wonderful, thought provoking and clear map for people to garner the perspective, inspiration and enthusiasm to immediately alter their lives. This book truly reflects her personal life's struggles and her mastery over them giving us the special and caring insights she has gained. The book has an excellent balance of subject exposition and personal anecdotes. A few of the passages I thought especially poignant from Dr. Wilson's book are: "Not to understand power is not to have any. "Think of how each person keeps knowledge bottled up instead of providing learning opportunities for others. "[Arts]serve as a vehicle for overcoming prejudice, hate and violence. "The more you treasure your uniqueness, the more you can appreciate the uniqueness of others. "Remember love is showing respect for and giving dignity to another. "You are like one piece in a giant puzzle, which has billions of pieces. Each piece is essential, each piece has a responsibility.. One piece is not better than the other - just different!" An instructive and fun book!

I wish I had a nickel for all the "ah-ha" moments I had while reading "The Leader's Journey."

Using simple terms and real-life stories, the authors describe the (often overlooked) connection between our personal lives and our role as leaders in a congregation. At a time when we are too often tempted to go through life on auto-pilot (doing things the way they've always been done, acting according to everyone else's expectations, staying trapped in handed-down family patterns), this book comes to us with a message of freedom: By God's grace, you can define who you are and choose to live (and lead) from that place of authenticity.

This book invited me to see common patterns in my behavior (at home, at work, at church), and then it outlined for me the skills I need to respond in new ways. With each new page, I found myself saying, "that makes so much sense!" The authors apply tried-and-true realities of family life to everyday church situations. And in the end, we are reminded that we cannot expect to change another person (or a family, or a church) until we do the hard work of changing ourselves.

I have already purchased several copies of this book to send to friends in Christian leadership throughout the country. It is an absolute 'must' for men and women in ministry. And strongly recommended for lay church leaders. Read it slowly (don't miss out on the excellent questions at the end of each chapter!) and allow God to work through the pages as you read.

I was honored to do some editing work on this book. The book is primarily an application of Bowen family systems theory to the Christian life. Its target audience is Christian leaders in that the anecdotal evidence is drawn from leaders' lives and the results are applied to congregational settings.

One important message for leaders is that the important elements of Bowen family systems theory --seeing systems instead of merely looking for simple cause and effect, identifying one's own habitual responses to anxiety and conflict, disciplining one's self to be a present, calm, loving influence in the midst of conflict, etc.-- are essential components of the leaders toolkit. I believe that done properly, as acts of surrendering control to Christ and choosing to love others unconditionally, the material in this book comprises some new spiritual disciplines.

I believe that this book is important for several reasons:
* It is one of the most articulate, secular or Christian, explanations of Bowen family systems theory
* It explains the theory in the context of Scripture and Christ; frankly, it is only in Christ that we can have the hope of truly being free to love and free from the influence of our anxious world
* It recognizes that all the church growth how-to books in the world are worthless if the leader lives life reacting to others and being an anxious presence in the life of the church
* It calls the leader to take responsibility for his/her own behavior, recognizing that learning to love others will result in them learning to love, too

Leader, is their a cold war of silence going on between you and one or more of your immediate family or between you and one or more of your church leaders or parishioners? Are you engaged in a power struggle with somebody else in your family or church? You need to read this book. It will help you to take responsibility for your part and to develop a capacity for choosing to love others even in the midst of conflict.

While the target audience is Christian leaders, this book will benefit anyone, particularly any Christian. For we all lead in some way, whether that is just in a family setting or some responsibility in our jobs. And we all our leaders regardless of position if we will obey Jesus' instructions to lead by serving.

Of all general leadership approaches, this is the most useful one I've ever seen; it's a book I've recommended many times to people with high responsibility.
Hitt presents his ideas, how a credible, solution-oriented manager, who estimates his/her employees, should behave. Using some examples, he shows what typically goes wrong in management (managers not talking to their employees in crisis, instead of using their full creative power, e.g.) and how one could do better.
Yet it is not an anti-authoritarian approach, but rather an instruction for the manager. Its useful for both, industry managers, and army commanders.

I have seen many books on leadership and management but this book provides some very concise information and guidance for project managers in the consulting business. It is great at distinguishing between leadership and management.

Just an note for quick clarification here: there are 2 volumes in this same-named set: Vol. 1 being published in 1984, and Vol. 2 a decade later in 1996. Autograph-collecting buffs of WWII personalities will really enjoy these books that provide almost 1,000 pages of facsimile autograph examples and photographs of some 900 Hitler apparachnicks (and a few of his opponents), along with their biographies. Vol. 1 consists of autograph examples of primarially NAZI-party leaders, their political toddies and enforcing henchmen, and the Gauleiter political lords of the captured countries. Vol. 2 consists of autograph examples of primarially German WWII military personalities, along with some foreign military and political officials; has two chapters devoted to German spies and cultural leaders, and a short chapter discussing the forgeries of Hitler documents and etchings. These books are printed on choice glossy paper, which provides sharp and clear photographs and excellent facsimile reproductions of autographed documents. The author provides nice pithy comments regarding the personality shortcomings for most of these individuals. [A companion book would be "Who's Who in Nazi Germany" for more detailed biographical details.]

A fascinating new look at personalities associated in one way or another with Hitlers Third Reich, this
time from the perspective and expertise of Charles Hamilton, the foremost authority on handwriting (and
the man who exposed the "Hitler Diaries" as fakes).
Each entry includes an incisive biographical sketch, usually with one or more good photos (many rare),
and perhaps most importantly for our purposes here, a sample of handwriting.
The entries are expanded for the more important figures, such as Frederick the Great and Hermann
Goering, and for Hitler himself not only a thorough graphological analysis (with special attention to
forgeries) but also a most interesting assessment of his art (again with attention to forgeries).
.
Volume One includes Hitler and his inner circle, the women in Hitler's life (more than one might have
thought), all the leading Gauleiters and other functionaries, and prominent refugees from the Reich.
Volume Two contains studies of Hitler's art and the "degenerate" art he despised, Nazi military and
cultural leaders, cohorts and allies, war criminals, and the brave and doomed resistance leaders.

This top-quality work is highly recommended for history readers, collectors, students, and all others
interested in that outbreak of collective madness known as the Third Reich.

This book is packed with 2000 questions on every imaginable business topic you can think of (and a few you can't!). Take a few minutes and browse the appropriate sections of "Leaders Ask Good Questions" to brainstorm good questions before a meeting. Not only is this book an excellent way to prepare for a meeting, it enables you to ask more thoughtful questions and, in many cases, raise issues that may not have been considered otherwise.

The author regulary adds additional questions to the books lengthy list of topics. One nice feature offered on the book's website ... is e-notification each time a new question is added to a topic.

"Leaders Ask Good Questions" is an excellent tool for making sure all the critical bases get covered in your meeting.

The book and ... are handy tools for thinking about the business and preparing good questions before meetings.

When I think of all the time our management team has wasted with consultants and gurus, I know now that the first thing you should do is get a copy of this series for everyone who works for you and require them to listen to it. This is what leaders have done to win their people and customers in the words of the leaders themselves.

Listening to Dr. Rachel Remen is a life-changing experience. Most leaders suffer because they never fit in a mold, and now Dr. Remen finally tells us why. Thompson and Wilson have put together a remarkable series here, with wisdom from people who have succeeded in every imaginable part of the human experience. It's not just about leadership; it's about making a difference.

There is really nothing new in this book and yet the interview material it provides is first-rate and brilliantly presented by Ashby and Miles. After the Foreword ("Leading in the New Century: Storm Clouds and Silver Linings on the Horizon") and Introduction ("Factors Affecting Leadership and Human Capital Management"), they organize 49 interviews within five chapters, followed by an Epilogue ("Optimizing Human Capital with a 'People Operating System' Approach"). Actually, during their research for this book, they conducted hundreds of interviews with all manner of executives, selecting responses which, to varying degrees, helped to answer questions such as these:

• What gives companies competitive advantage?

• What are the burning issues for corporate leaders today?

• How do leaders lead in times of crisis or instability?

• How do companies identify, attract, develop, and retain the best and brightest people in the marketplace?

The title of each chapter correctly indicates the primary focus of the interviews assembled within it: Leadership, Managing Human Capital, Establishing Competitive Advantage, Strategic change and Transformation, and finally Chapter 5, The Stakeholder's View. The value of this book will no doubt be determined by each reader in terms of the nature and extent of material most relevant to the reader's specific needs and interests. Here are brief excerpts from a few of the conversations which were of greatest interest to me. Hopefully they give those who read this review a sense of the quality of the responses to important issues.

Jim Collins on leadership: "We [Collins and his research associates] concluded that the answer to making companies great was not leadership itself. The real distinction was that there is a special form of leadership that takes companies from good to great....Level Five leaders are ambitious first and foremost for the company and its long-term greatness, not for themselves as individuals. As a result, they tend to be personally modest, humble and reserved,, but enormously willful on behalf of the organization....They tend not to become celebrities. They don't have their egos wrapped up in making themselves well-known....We found that there is an inverse relationship between high-profile, charismatic, egocentric leadership -- the Level Four leaders -- and the journey of the company from good to great."

John Hagel on how to respond to increased performance demands, shifts of surplus from from a structural advantage to a human capital advantage, and a bottleneck to value creation caused by shortages in key skill sets/experience: "What can companies do about these trends? As talent increases its ability to capture value, companies will need to rethink their businesses on a profound level. This includes even the most basic question of all: What business are we in? What business are we really in? Perhaps the most significant challenge involves the need to adopt a different mindset. Rather than looking at cost-cutting and automation as ways to cope, businesses will need to focus on accelerating growth as a way to reward talent and increase returns to the business at the same time. Rather than focusing on attracting and retaining talent, companies will need to concentrate on developing privileged relationships with talent, wherever it may reside."

Michael Dell on the New Economy: "The most essential trend, indeed the trend that spawned the New Economy, is the transition from atoms to electrons and now photons as a medium for information. With each of these transitions, the vehicles upon which information rides have become lighter. Thoughts, ideas, and productivity now flow with less friction than ever before, decreasing transaction costs and removing barriers to communication. As a result, it's now as simple and inexpensive to communicate a world away as it is to send a message across the room."

David M. Rubenstein on Jack Welch's leadership: "When he took the helm of General Electric 20 years ago, it was a well-respected company. At the time, no one thought that GE had any significant problems, yet Welch, in a mere two decades, transformed it into a completely different organization by building on existent strengths. Now, ha he just [in italics] presided during his period and not [in italics] led, GE would still be a reasonably successful electrical appliance company. But by dramatically expanding its mission and turning it toward a path it would never otherwise have taken, he set the gold standard for business leadership. Welch will be remembered for asking questions that others hadn't asked, motivating people, asking employees to dig a little deeper and work a little harder, and giving them a sense of why that was important to them, to their families, and to their communities."

In the Epilogue, written in collaboration with Jay A. Conger, Miles and Ashby present what they describe as a "new method of managing talent -- a systemic, holistic approach that leverages upside potential in the day-to-day workplace by translating it into sustainable value." It is called a People Operating System (POS) and is, in effect, a human capital management team. They suggest that there are seven specific attributes to be considered when identifying leadership talent. The seven are sensible enough and the points of emphasis, insofar as the attributes are concerned, are appropriate if rather obvious. However, I was unprepared for the introduction of the POS in the Epilogue. There is no indication that the POS was significantly influenced by what was learned during the interviews, from what Miles and Ashby call "leadership vignettes." I question the appropriateness of the Epilogue. Frankly, I had expected and would have preferred some correlations between and among the responses from those interviewed which suggest how the five chapter subjects may be separate but are also interdependent.

Whereas the Foreword and Introduction are eminently appropriate to the material in this volume, the Epilogue is not...at least not as Conger, Miles, and Ashby present it. Perhaps they will write another book which focuses entirely on the design, implementation, and subsequent development of a POS.

Top CEOs give their views on all that matters in business.
Strong on visionary leadership of talent, these top execs all view employees as their most valuable assets. You'll find innovative thinking on finding, hiring, developing, challenging, retaining and continuing to motive workers in demanding, volatile environments. User-friendly format with helpful Contents and Index tables allow you to dip into this book just to glean your favorite moguls' musings. But most readers will probably devour it in one sitting, start to finish. It's that captivating.

This is one of the best books I have read on leadership. It's insightful, deep, surprising, and very readable. We finally understand why leaders act the way they do, why they succumb to the "greed is good" mantra, why they derail. If you have ever wondered what is behind those stories of leaders gone overboard we are hearing so much about lately, read this book. It was a real eye-opener for me, and I enjoyed every page of it. It has the advantage of being an easy read, while it really provides a lot of understanding about how leaders behave when the curtain is closed. I very much recommend this book to everyone interested in the realities of leadership.

Manfred Kets de Vries is one of today's foremost specialists on leadership. In this book, which contains some fascinating case studies, Kets de Vries offers unique insight into the functioning of business leaders and how they wield their power. He approaches leadership from an unusual angle, very different from what we are used to from glossy business magzines that glorify leaders. Leaders, Fools, Impostors is the perfect book to read for those who want to understand the real reasons for the rise and recent fall of corporate America's most powerful bosses. An excellent book!

I think this is a very well written book. It really encouraged me, and I would recommend it to anyone.

John takes the best thoughts & maxims and gives them to you in a concise and easy to read format. You will come away from this little book thinking big

The leadership engine is a book that every business leader must read!, and those striving for leadership improvement, I received the book as part of a transformation process in my company. I was greatly inspired by the first few pages and kept on reading and reading. This book focuses on specific leadership issues and gives you insight into some of the greatests Leaders stories. The TPoV (Teachable point of view) is the best concise framework I have seen for leadership development, I actually teach it to working teams in the company I work for. Then the handbook for revolutionaries gives you the opportunity to further reflect on the books topics and start developing your own leadership skills. I recommend reading the book throughly and then keeping it handy for future reference and to improve your skills.

The Leadership Engine: Building Leaders at Every Level Handbook was given to our entire company to motivate us to move toward a cultural and business change. This handbook is based on the book The Leadership Engine by Noel Tichy and Eli Cohen. This handbook's premise is that leaders can be made and nurtured at every level of the company. Leaders need to spend much of their time teaching others. "Great leaders are great teachers." Each chapter contains simple exercises to get you thinking about your business, your competitors, your ideas, your values, and your energy. Companies without this strategy might disappear in this ever changing market.