Leader

If there is any consistency among headhunters specializing in placing junior military officers (JMOs) it is the recommendation to buy this book. Kreider writes in a tone appropriate to a ground-pounder who wants to make the break from Uncle Sugar and get a job. The book reads well non-sequentially, so you can go to the chapter dealing with your issue. Further, chapters are short, quick reads with no B.S. This book even chastises you in chapter 9! (I won't give away the surprise.)
Kreider seems like a good guy - I ordered his book direct in 1998 and my order was lost. When I chased it down he sent me my copy gratis.
In this crappy economy I've returned to this book and it's been wonderful!

I read many books and attended too many seminars on job interviewing during my transition from the military. This book is by far the best. It is straight and to the point and tells you exactly what to do. Kreider covers every aspect of interviewing, as well as everything from resume writing to negotiating salary and signing the deal. The Handbook is well organized with chapters on each subject, so you can skip subjects not pertinent to you. All in all, this a great book and a must read for all military leaders transitioning to the civilian life. It is worth every penny.

This book answers all the questions you have and provides you the right ones to prepare for. Even if you think you have the common sense necessary to breeze through an interview...you don't. Paul Kreider tells you why, why not, and how to fix it. Best of all, he does it in a manner that is lighthearted, fun, and easy to read. At this point in time, I am excited to interview and use the skills he has so recently helped me develop. Having read this book, I honestly feel as though I will come out head and shoulders above candidates who have not.

Hesselbein and Cohen have assembled and brilliantly edited "enduring insights on leadership" from the Drucker Foundation's award-winning journal. What a superb selection of essays they offer! The Introduction by Hesselbein (all by itself) is well worth the cost of the book. As for the 37 individual essays, they are organized within seven Parts:

I. On Leaders and Leadership (eg Peter Drucker, Max DePree, and Herb Kelleher)

II. Leading Innovation and Transformation (eg Peter M. Senge, John P. Kotter, and Douglas K. Smith)

III. Leadership in the New Information Economy (eg Esther Dyson, Margaret Wheatley, and Kevin Kelly)

IV. Competitive Strategy in a Global Economy (eg Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Ann Winblad, and Keniche Ohmae)

V. Leading for High Performance (eg Steven R. Covey, Jim Collins, and Noel Tichy)

VI. Building Great Teams (eg Warren Bennis, Jon R. Katzenbach, and J. Richard Hackman)

VII. Leadership Across the Sectors (eg John W. Gardner, Regina Hetzlinger, and James E. Austin)

I know of no other single volume in which so many great business thinkers are represented by so many of their landmark essays. The editors are to be commended for the selections; also for the structure within which those selections are organized. This is "must reading" for leaders and, especially, for whose who aspire to be leaders.

"People in both in this country and around the world have an enormous hunger for ideas; that's why three years ago the Drucker Foundation launched 'Leader to Leader', a journal of ideas by leaders for leaders."Frances Hesselbein writes, "This hunger among millions of working executives demonstrates their concern for the future and a commitment to make a difference. The incisive thinkers and remarkable leaders who have contributed to the journal and to this book open doors, spark ideas, raise signal flags, and help satisfy that universal hunger."

In this context, I summarized partially only four of the thirty-seven essays written by talented thinkers as follows:

I. Peter F. Drucker writes: "The three people from whom I learned the most in my work were all very different. The first two were exceptionally demanding; the third was exceptionally brillant. All three taught me a lot...Five lessons I learned from those remarkable men still apply today:

1. Treat people differently, based on their strengths.

2. Set high standards, but give people the freedom and responsibility to do their job.

3. Performance review must be honest, exacting, and an integral part of the job.

4. People learn the most when teaching others.

5. Effective leaders earn respect-but they don't need to be liked.

II. Doris Kearns Goodwin lists ten lessons from the stories of Lyndon Johnson, John Kennedy, and Franklin Roosevelt for leaders of today's organizations.

1. Timing is (almost) everything.

2. Anything is possible if you share the glory.

3. Trust, once broken, is seldom restored.

4. Leadership is about building connections.

5. Leaders learn from their mistakes.

6. Confidence-not just in oneself-counts.

7. Effective partnerships reqire devotion to one's partners.

8. Renewal comes from many sources.

9. Leaders must be talent brokers.

10. Language is one's most powerful tool.

III. Warren Bennis argues: "I belive that behind every Great Man is a Great Group, an effective partnership. And making up every Great Group is a unique construct of strong, often eccentric individuals. So the question for organizations is, How do you get talented, self-absorbed, often arrogant, incredibly bright people to work together?" And he suggests ten principles common to all Great Groups:

1. At the heart of every Great Groups is a shared dream.

2. They manage conflict by abandoning individual egos to the pursuit of the dream.

3. They are protected from the "suits".

4. They have a real or invented enemy.

5. They view themselves as winning underdogs.

6. Members pay a personal price.

7. Great Groups make strong leaders.

8. Great Groups are the product of meticulous recruiting.

9. Great Groups are usually young.

10. Real artists ship.

IV. J. Richard Hackman identifies a number of mistakes that managers make in setting up and leading work teams.

1. Use a team for work that is better done by individuals.

2. Call the performing unit a team but really manage members as individuals.

3. Fall off the authority balance team.

4. Dismantle existing organizational structures so that teams will be fully empowered to accomplish the work.

5. Specify challenging team objectives, but skimp on organizational supports.

6. Assume that members already have all the skills they need to work well as a team.

Not only these essays, but all of the book as a whole is strongly recommended.

"People both in this country and around the world also have an enormous hunger for ideas; that's why three years ago the Drucker Foundation launched 'Leader to Leader', a journal of ideas by leaders for leaders."Frances Hesselbein writes, "this hunger among millions of working executives demonstrates their concern for the future and a commitment to make a difference. The incisive thinkers and remarkable leaders who have contributed to the journal and to this book open doors, spark ideas, raise signal flags, and help satisfy that universal hunger."

In this context, I partially summarized only five of the thirty-seven essays written by thirty-seven talented thinkers.

I. Peter F. Drucker writes: "the three people from whom I learned the most in my work were all very different. The first two were exceptionally demanding; the third was exceptionally brillant. All three taught me a lot...Five lessons I learned from those remarkable men still apply today:

1. Treat people differently, based on their strengths.

2. Set high standards, but give people the freedom and responsibility to do their job.

3. Performance review must be honest, exacting, and an integral part of the job.

4. People learn the most when teaching others.

5. Effective leaders earn respect-but they don't need to be liked.

II. Doris Kearns Goodwin lists ten lessons from the stories of Lyndon Johnson, John Kennedy, and Franklin Roosevelt for leaders of today's organizations:

1. Timing is (almost) everything.

2. Anything is possible if you share the glory.

3. Trust, once broken, is seldom restored.

4. Leadership is about building connections.

5. Leaders learn from their mistakes.

6. Confidence-not just in oneself-counts.

7. Effective partnership require devotion to one's partners.

8. Renewal comes from many sources.

9. Leaders must be talent brokers.

10. Language is one's most powerful tool.

III. John P. Kotter argues: "No organization today-large or small, local or global-is immune to change. To cope with new technological, competitive, and demographic forces, leaders in every sector have sought to alter fundamentally the way their organizations do business. These change efforts have paraded under many banners-total quality management, reengineering, restructuring, mergers and acquisitions, turnarounds. Yet according to most assessments, few of these efforts accomplish their goals. Fewer than fifteen of the one hundred or more companies I have studied have successfully transformed themselves." Hence, he lists eight critical steps to transform your organization:

1. Establish a sense of urgency.

2. Form a powerful guiding coalition.

3. Create a vision.

4. Communicate the vision.

5. Empower others to act on the vision.

6. Plan for and create short-term wins.

7. Consolidate improvements and produce still more change.

8. Institutionalize new approaches.

IV. Warren Bennis argues: "I believe that behind every Great Man is a Great Group, an effective partnership. And making up every Great Group is a unique construct of strong, often eccentric individuals. So the question for organizations is, How do you get talented, self-absorbed, often arrogant, incredibly bright people to work together?" And he suggests ten principles common to all Great Groups:

1. At the heart of every Great Group is a shared dream.

2. They manage conflict by abandoning individual egos to the pursuit of the dream.

3. They are protected from the "suits".

4. They have a real or invented enemy.

5. They view themselves as winning underdogs.

6. Members pay a personal price.

7. Great Groups make strong leaders.

8. Great Groups are the product of meticulous recruiting.

9. Great Groups are usually young.

10. Real artists ship.

V. J. Richard Hackman identifies a number of mistakes that managers make in setting up and leading work teams.

Mistake 1. Use a team for work that is better done by individuals.

Mistake 2. Call the performing unit a team but really manage members as individuals.

Mistake 3. Fall off the authority balance team.

Mistake 4. Dismantle existing organizational structures so that teams will be fully empowered to accomplish the work.

Mistake 5. Specify challenging team objectives, but skimp on organizational supports.

Mistake 6. Assume that members already have all the skills they need to work well as a team.

I highly recommend this excellent collection as a whole.

After using a typical, traditional text for my grad class in Management and Strategy, I discovered Managing Strategy in Amazon. The book was an immediate hit with my students because of the way it distills concepts of strategy as presented in the typical textbook and relates them to the real world of organizations in a practical and readable fashion. I would highly recommend this work to students, faculty, and managers alike. The price is unbeatable and the buyer will have a source which can be used continually in the workplace. Perhaps this books sets a precedent for texts (although it is not the usual text) in other related fields. I would like to see such a format for organizational behavior and for leadership as well.

L. Gene Elliott, Ph.D.
Adjunct Professor of Management
Webster University-Greenville, SC Campus
Greenville, SC

Mastering Strategy by Rigsby and Greco is a truly exceptional piece, which nicely blends academic thought with actionable lessons. The authors manage to superbly tie in insights from some of the world's greatest leaders and make it relevant to any industry or discipline. By managing to coalesce theories and strategies of the finest minds, they proffer forth an Organization Dynamic Model that organizes diverse and specialized disciplines into a workable and understandable framework. Read it, understand it, and most importantly, learn from it. A definite must read for anyone even cursorily involved in strategy formulation or strategic execution.

This book does a great job of synthesizing the current state of business strategy thinking and introducing a model for practical application. I am using it in my business and having great success.

With this book, Marquardt has created the most exciting and practical model for executive development I have ever seen. Warren Bennis recently asked, poignantly, "Is there a future for leadership?" Marquardt is leading all management educators into the future of leadership. As director of an executive Master's program at American University, I am astonished at how powerful Marquardt's model is for developing "leaderly learners," in the magical phrase coined by Peter Vaill. Action learning is perfect for leaders who want to learn and learners who want to lead. Marquardt's chapter on the role of "action learning coach" is, by itself, worth a shelf of books of leadership. My executive participants are raving about how action learning has transformed their individual mindsets, allowing them to surface take-for-granted assumptions, as well as helped them begin to transform the culture or collective mindsets of their organizations.

Overall, this book is invaluable in that it provides readers with great insight into the ¡°what,¡± ¡°why,¡± and ¡°how¡± of action learning. It explains key components and principles of action learning in great detail. In addition, the author explains how to apply the components and principles covered in this book by giving specific examples and procedures. The usefulness of this book is illustrated by the questions and checklists, which are very practical. I believe this book will surely serve as an action learning manual for HRD practitioners for years to come.

Mike Marquadt has done it again! This book is an especially useful in that it lays out the process of Action Learning in easy to follow how-to steps. It makes an outstanding handbook for anyone looking to harness the power of Action Learning.

I am an organization development consultant who specializes in innovation and have been using the practical tools that Palus and Horth highlight succinctly in this book with clients such as Exxon/Mobil, Los Alamos National Laboratory and others. Without exception, leaders in these organizations have found the tools insightful and enlightening when applied to unique, complex challenges.

Based on long years of research from the Center of Creative Leadership, the authors have truly put their learnings into a book that is refreshing and easy to read. This is a must read for anyone who is looking for novel ways for groups and teams to interact-- by putting something different "in the middle"--in order to breakthrough (to understand this, you'll have to read the book!) Powerful favorites for me have been "visual connections" and new ways of looking at R&D scorecards.

Have fun with this book and most of all-- experiment!

As a leadership development consultant, I found this book a refreshing break from current best sellers that emphasize and glorify the characteristics of individual leaders--I read it cover to cover, word for word. Using long term research and case studies as support, Palus and Horth describe 6 competencies needed to go beyond traditional leadership as we typically know it in order to handle today's complex challenges. The 6 competencies are quite different from those we are familiar with, even opposite of what we often hear: paying attention, personalizing, imaging, serious play, co-inquiry, and crafting. Recognizing that much leadership of complex challenges occurs in a variety of ways-within individuals, between individuals, and within groups, when Palus and Horth give advice on developing the competencies, they discuss developing your own, other people's, and what these competencies look like at the group level. They include two more neat ideas that fit in well with the point they are trying to get across in the book. If you are skeptical about any of the competencies, they invite you to experiment and expand. Second, they include discussions regarding when these competencies are important and when they are not--recognizing that not all situations call for these competencies. I can't wait to incorporate these ideas into my own leadership and into my development of others.

I found this book a refreshing break from current best sellers that emphasize and glorify the characteristics of individual leaders--I read it cover to cover, word for word. Using long term research and case studies as support, Palus and Horth describe 6 competencies needed to go beyond traditional leadership as we typically know it in order to handle today's complex challenges. The 6 competencies are quite different from those we are familiar with, even opposite of what we often hear: paying attention, personalizing, imaging, serious play, co-inquiry, and crafting. Recognizing that much leadership of complex challenges occurs in a variety of ways-within individuals, between individuals, and within groups, when Palus and Horth give advice on developing the competencies, they discuss developing your own, other people's, and what these competencies look like at the group level. They include two more neat ideas that fit in well with the point they are trying to get across in the book. If you are skeptical about any of the competencies, they invite you to experiment and expand. Second, they include discussions regarding when these competencies are important and when they are not--recognizing that not all situations call for these competencies.

Bucciarelli has captured the leadership concept and broken into easy to digest parts. I've read hundreds of books on leadership and John's is the first one I have agreed with page after page. This is not theory, it is practical application of years of research. I know I will use this book as my map to success. Whether it's for you work, your family, or your life in general, this book will help you to understand what it is that makes you successful, and what you need to become and even stronger leader. Not only do I understand where I need to improve, but I understand what I need to do to become stronger. America needs leaders, and John has the program to help us develop them.

This was one of the finest and most useful books that I have ever read. I have 3 sons and this will be a very useful tool in raising them. I will use it as a guideline/checklist to monitor their progress and developement. The book is written at a level that most people can read, understand, and follow. It gives very detailed and practical examples on how to improve all areas of one's life. I would rate this as one of the 10 greatest books that I have read. It is a must read for all parents and for anyone who wants to improve their performance in life.

Leaders Are Made comes from the training approach to leadership, and is as good a summary of the key elements of leadership as I have seen. The book mostly operates at the fundamental level, and will be most beneficial to young people who are just starting their careers. However, if you find that you are not getting the results you want, this book will probably help you diagnose what is lacking in your leadership.

The core of the book is contained in a section called Leadership Building Blocks. This has 17 sections that address aspects of leadership. These sections cover oral communication, oral presentation, written communication, initiative, sensitivity to others, influence, delegation, administrative control, problem analysis, judgment, planning, organizing, decisiveness, physical stamina, technical competence, mission accomplishment, and followership. Most of these sections contain more material than most young people will already know, and can speed up the development of competency. I did find the section on problem analysis to be weak, but the others seemed to be appropriate for achieving competency. You will find some quirky subjects in here that you wouldn't normally expect, such as a discussion of personal sexual habits. Just skip over any that bother you, and you will still benefit from the book.

The book also has good sections on leadership ethics and development that many will benefit from reading and applying.

The book is organized to contain many quotes from leadership authorities, and the quotes give the book a variety and richness that a text by one person would not have. For those who have not read widely, you will get an idea of other authors you may find valuable.

The book's strength is contained in self-assessment exercises that help you spot where you are strong, average, and below average. Obviously, you need some minimal level of competency in all areas. However, as the book points out, everyone leads in a different way. I suggest that you focus on building on your strengths, and do enough in the weak areas to be sure they don't sap from your strengths. But avoid trying to be outstanding everywhere. You will underperform if you do. That same effort will work better in extending your strengths. In any situation, you will probably be surrounded by others who can complement your strengths. In fact, you should as a leader try to create that situation.

For those who want to continue their self-development to higher levels, I suggest The Other 90 Percent.

The book's main weakness is that it describes what "should" be done in ideal situations. The book would have been strengthened by helping people understand when you should make an exception. For example, the book describes that you should always communicate through the chain of command. While that will usually be the case, knowing when to make an exception is critical. Informal information gathered from outside one's realm of influence and responsibility often provides key insights. Sharing information quickly when delay will be costly may also override this normal way of doing things. I would have liked to have seen some hands-on exercises that would simulate crisis environments. That's when leadership is most needed. As a young man, I benefited from such crisis leadership training, still remember those experiences vividly, and often benefit from them.

After you finish reading this book, I suggest that you focus on finding causes and purposes that you feel excited about being a leader for. Leading to achieve meaningful results in places that count is the real payoff from this kind of book. Shoot for the best purposes . . . always!

If you really want to know the correct way to lead your people, buy this book. It will change your life!

I really did enjoy this textbook. I haven't really worked through it the way they recommend but I have read most of it and found it to be excellent - very thought provoking

This is a book which is incredibly hands on and easy to access. Bennis focuses on the essentials of leadership and unlike so many others, he gives concrete tangible steps for people to take to help them discover their own leadership potential. It is useful for individuals and for groups. It has application for people from all walks of life, at all stages of life and at all stages of personal development!

The mystery of our lives. The oddity of memory. The things that make us who we are. Frederick Buechner explores all of these topics in the first volume of his autobiographies, "The Sacred Journey."

Slowly--word by word and line by line, Buechner has won my respect as an author. How he unravels the story of his own life, how he makes the past breathe, gives it life...it has all combined to deepen my esteem for him. He is one of the greatest living authors.

Buechner's honest search for something universal in his story has captivated me. We all stand, in one way or another, in the shadows of our own lives. Alone, we cannot even comprehend the whole of our own journeys. The value of Buechner's excavation of his past is that when others view it, it may help them see the importance of their own journey.

In spite of the author's uncertainness about writing them, I have found Buechner's autobiographies to be of great value. I am thankful for the man's openness, courage and skill (they are fun to read).

I give "The Sacred Journey" my wholehearted recommendation.

I have read The Magnificent Defeat, Godric and the meditation book, Listening to Your Life. I've read other books by Richard Rohr that have blown me away in how they've illuminated Christianity for me but I've never read anything quite so beautiful, so rich with humanity as this slim little volume.

It is rare that words fail me but it seems that anything I could say about this work wouldn't do it any justice at all. It's not about Christianity, it's about looking into your life, listening to all the strangeness, horror and wonder and perchance finding what God might be saying.

and still my words fail. Read this and take the journey yourself. You'll see what I mean.

Do not be misled -- this first of Buechner's four autobiographical works is slim, but there is much to be found here -- much that will make the reader connect with the author and reflect on his or her own life.

A feeling of quiet comes over one during the reading. This is intensely personal, intensely honest writing. I was prompted to examine my own life as directly and intently, wondering why I had never done so before. Truthfully, wondering if I could.

Highly recommended, as are the works that follow.

Shepherd leadership is not for wimps. It is for leaders who want to be both strong and servant leaders. Both emphasisze vision, teaching, and service, but only servant leadership notes how leaders most have an edge, meaning they must make tough decisions.
This book has a number of practical suggestions for today's leaders who must both listen and direct. Leaders must add new skills to their arsenal, including being more accessible, genuine, and interactive. Many challenges for leaders are included in the book with practical solutions. It is a great approach using wisdom from a popular psalms with practical applications and stories. It is tough love for today's leaders in these tough times.

Book Review by Robert Tunmire (from Baylor Business Review, Fall '03)

Many leaders, like me, have highly dominant personalities. We may struggle with the "softer side" of managing. Shepherd Leadership: Wisdom for Leaders from Psalm 23 gives us excellent reasoning and examples of how a "softer" - yet truthful and effective - approach can be a more effective management style.

The analogy of the leader as shepherd is a credible one, and presented in a straightforward manner. The authors clearly lay out, guided by Psalm 23, what a shepherd's responsibilities are and how that applies to a leader's responsibilities in the real world of business. Each chapter ends with two items: "Shepherd Thinking," and "Shepherd Doing," assisting with application of the chapter's concepts.

Read the rest of this review at
http://www.baylor.edu/bbr/index.php?id=10399

In Shepherd Leadership, McCormick and Davenport present a refreshing model of leadership which takes the person as a whole into account. As someone who is young in my career, I found this book valuable in helping to develop my management style and philosophy. I left business school with strategies, theories, and policy, but very little in the way of leadership practices, which left me treading water when first entering a management role.

One section that stood out for me was the shepherd leader's toolkit. The compass and the frame represent two valuable practices for leaders at any level. The compass reminds you to set clear direction to navigate through the maze of information, reports, meetings, and endless action items that you encounter on a daily basis. The frame sets boundaries and expectations for your organization while still allowing your employees room to creatively explore new approaches.

A fantastic read for anyone who's just been thrown in the deep end of management!

J. David Pincus and J. Nicholas DeBonis have written a most inventive book. A fictional story about a CEO in crisis is told between chapters of this non-fiction assessment of CEOs and advice regarding how they can meet the needs of our changing corporate times. Based on ten years of research and interviews with CEOs in the Fortune 500, this book is very detailed, but written in an engaging conversational style. With a focus on communication as the key to effective leadership, the book humanizes its strategies so they come to life on each page. We... recommend this book not only for top corporate management and "top dogs," but also for anyone working in the corporate world.

I found myself looking forward to the switches between fiction and non-fiction equally. Top Dog entices the reader on both levels. I definitely got two books for the price of one. In terms of the non-fiction -- I'm not in management, I'm in managee, and I found this book to be an excellent insight to what upper management has to deal with on a daily basis. The fictional portion was as good as any of the novels that I've read from the New York Times Bestseller lists. It left me wanting more...

Top Dog: an instructive and entertaining blend of management text, fiction, case experience and leadership commentary. Pincus and DeBonis weave a well researched and reported account (fictional, or at least fictionalized) of a "cooking the books" crisis at a major hotel chain into discussion and presentation of the leadership and communication issues raised in the story. All this is supported by interviews with CEOs and reviews of current research and practice, and illustrated by many anecdotes and other cases. The alternating format is at first unsettling and then highly effective. It offers a much more appealing and enjoyable learning process than conventional management texts.