Now, Goleman teams with renowned EI researchers Richard Boyatzis and Annie McKee to explore the role of emotional intelligence in leadership. Unveiling neuroscientific links between organizational success or failure and "primal leadership," the authors argue that a leader's emotions are contagious. If a leader resonates energy and enthusiasm, an organization thrives; if a leader spreads negativity and dissonance, it flounders. This breakthrough concept charges leaders with driving emotions in the right direction to have a positive impact on earnings or strategy.
Drawing from decades of analysis within world-class organizations, the authors show that resonant leaders-whether CEOs or managers, coaches or politicians-excel not just through skill and smarts, but by connecting with others using EI competencies like empathy and self-awareness. And they employ up to six leadership styles-from visionary to coaching to pacesetting-fluidly interchanging them as the situation demands.
Leverage resonance to increase bottom-line performance The book no leader in any walk of life can afford to miss, this unforgettable work transforms the art of leadership into the science of results.
Customer Reviews:
Emotional Intelligence for Relational Leadership.......2007-09-20
If you smile at me, I smile back; you frown and I look down - emotions are not a closed-loop system, but an open-loop system that helps us learn or causes us to shutdown. Transference of positive emotions (resonance) drives organizations to higher performance, conflicting emotions drive dissonance and limit performance according to authors Goleman, Boyatzis, and McKee. Thus, leadership is far more relational than transactional and good leaders are competent in all four domains of Emotional Intelligence - self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management. The best leaders are also adept at applying a wide repertoire of supportive leadership styles - Visionary, Coaching, Affiliative, or Pacesetting to drive resonance, but also Pacesetting and even Commanding when the circumstances dictate.
It all sounds like so much common sense now; nearly 10 years after Goleman first burst on the scene with his international bestseller "Emotional Intelligence". Still, it is sometimes useful to remind ourselves that management is a relational process and that the necessary skills can be individually learned and subsequently developed within a team and/or organization - as the second half of this book goes on to say. If you have the time to step back and contemplate how relational interactions might be better managed within your organization, this book might give you a few things to think about. Dennis DeWilde, Author of "The Performance Connection"
Very Insightful and Educational.......2007-06-24
I absolutely loved the information in this book. It hits on many points that you dont get in general business classes. It explains leadership styles, review processes, self development, and just an overall good book in general on how to treat and develope people under you effectively. It is amazing how many people run corporations, and dont know or understand the power of the information in this book. I purchased copies to develope my 2 levels of supervisors below me. Highly Recomended!
Team 2: Primal Leadership- Book Review- UWM/MBA Students (Edina, Keith, Dianne, Vicki).......2007-05-04
We thought the book has great ideas to share on the leadership theory. It is written clearly and is easy to read. The authors, who are clearly well educated in the field of Emotional Intelligence and leadership, offer a well written book on: Emotional Intelligence; leadership styles; and offer a model for self directed learning (with Richard Boyatzi's Theory of Self Directed learning).
The book has three main parts.
In the first part of the book, The Power of Emotional Intelligence, the authors provide a great introduction to what makes leaders great. The authors show that resonant leaders - whether CEO's, managers, politicians or coaches - excel not just through skill and smarts, but by connecting with others using the EI competencies. They make scientific connections to neuro-anatomy that support the idea that emotions do in fact drive human behavior. The concepts of resonance, dissonance, laughter and moods are laid as the groundwork for understanding primal leadership and emotional intelligence. Then, they outline the four foundations, or domains, of emotional intelligence and their associated competencies:
* Self-Awareness:
- Emotional self-awareness
- Accurate self-assessment
- Self-confidence
* Self-Management:
- Emotional self-control
- Transparency
- Adaptability
- Achievement
- Initiative
- Optimism
* Social awareness:
- Empathy
- Organizational awareness
- Service
* Relationship management:
- Inspirational Leadership
- Influence
- Developing others
- Change catalyst
- Conflict management
- Building bonds
- Teamwork and collaboration
An important piece of applying EI is developing a flexible leadership style that is designed to draw in and motivate employees via a repertoire of leadership styles that include:
* Resonant Leadership Styles:
- Visionary
- Coaching
- Affiliative
- Democratic
* Dissonant Leadership Styles (limited use):
- Pace-setting
- Commanding
The second part, Making Leaders, is about the process of making emotionally intelligent leaders. The authors argue the case of "CEO disease" which is the information vacuum around a leader created when people withhold important (usually unpleasant) information. This includes getting too little useful performance feedback. The authors argue that when it comes to building leadership skills that last, motivation and how a person feels about learning matters immensely. People learn what they want to learn. If it is forced, it will soon be forgotten. Consequently they offer the five stages of self "discoveries" which are essentially a self-directed self-evaluation process that help make changes more long-standing. The author brings hope by explaining that true leaders are made, not born. They explain that resonant leadership is achievable through experimenting and practicing new behaviors.
The third part of the book, Building Emotionally Intelligent Organizations, attempts to apply emotional intelligence concepts on a macro level. It begins with the application to teams, then moves to the ideal organization, and closes discussing how to create sustainable change. There is general agreement that the third part of the book is the weakest. It teases readers who want to know more about how to be more effective on the team and organizational level, but does not provide the necessary how to steps. The particulars of how all of this is achieved within an organizational context are disappointingly vague as a systematic research model is not presented.
Criticisms of the book:
The first and second part of the book were found to be well liked by all of our team members. However, the third part of the book was found to be strong in the development of the theory, but weak in the application of it to real life. Further weaknesses of the book are listed below:
- The primary focus seems to be on identifying the components and the theory supporting primal leadership, however, it is lacking specific guidance on implementing the steps.
- Examples sometimes speak to success, however at times they do not identify specifically what the person did to achieve that success. More detail would provide better learning for the reader.
- Most of the research was secondary data.
- The book does not discuss competing theories.
- A single minded focus on building good relations may create the "Country Club" paradigm, good feelings but little output. (Allio)
We liked the book because:
The following lists the many strengths of the book, which outline why our team liked the book.
* It is relevant to the challenges of today's business by offering ways to improve business performance through improving leadership.
* It gives great examples of how positive and negative leaders may impact success of the organization.
* It provides a comprehensive introduction to the importance of EI skills in our every day business life.
* It stresses the realization of the importance to put people first before strategy.
* Nature vs. Nurture? The author brings a hope (even though not all leaders are born with all self-competencies) that through incorporation of different leadership techniques one can potentially become an effective and resonant leader.
* It inspires the reader to look inward and develop their own emotional intelligence.
* It's timing is relevant to the advance of modern leadership theory.
This book, overall, is recommended to others, specifically including our team peers, colleagues, leadership at work, leadership at volunteer organizations, family and friends. This book serves as a great introduction to the concept of emotional intelligence in everyday business life, while crossing over to life outside of the business world too.
Forget that we are all people at your own risk.......2007-04-03
In sales training you are taught to analyze emotions, to identify the type of personality your prospect has, and then taught how to best make a sales pitch to that personality type.
In MBA school you are instead taught (usually by the case study method) that numbers are the bottom line and any ideas you might have of people not being interchangeable parts is silly if not outright incorrect.
Let's say you need to hire a physicist. On the one hand you have this physicist with an MBA (yes they exist, I'm one) and he understands the bottom line, how to sell, how to plan. On the other hand you have Einstein who looks funny and forgets to put on his shoes when he walks to lunch. You'd better decide carefully what you need. Princeton University decided - they built the only covered walkway between building so Einstein didn't get his feet wet going between his office and the cafeteria.
Above all else, this book says that we are people. Ignore that we have emotions and you will lose.
Refreshing.......2007-03-25
I picked this book up on a whim, and I was very surprised how much it pertained to my life. I found this book to be very insightful and refreshing. The ideas and concepts put forth seem so simple and full of common sense, yet very few people seem to practice them. I think this is a must read for people who want the most out of life and their relationships.
Amazon.com
The world you live in is all in your mind, according to Wharton Business School Professors Yoram Wind and Colin Crook. The Power of Impossible Thinking is a witty and lucid translation of neuroscience research about "mental models"--the deeply ingrained assumptions and images that shape our reality and influence opportunities for success and failure. "Our models are gated communities," say Crook and Wind, who offer a superb crash course on the power and limit of mental models.
The key questions: How do you know when an old model is worn out? How do you avoid "cognitive lock," filtering out information that conflicts with your model? How do you know a new model will live up to its hype? Many of the answers lie in "Mind R&D"--developing an inventory of new and old models and refining your intuition to fit your current reality. These engaging ideas are detailed with portraits of three impossible thinkers (Oprah Winfrey, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz and Intel's Andy Grove) and vivid examples (The music industry vs. Napster, a French fry cancer scare, O-rings on the Challenger). Wind and Crook make such a brilliant case for new ways of seeing that readers may wish for more coaching to recognize the obsolete models that keep us from changing our minds. --Barbara Mackoff
Book Description
This book is about getting better at making sense of the world...so you can make decisions that respond to reality, not some obsolete model of reality.
Drawing on the latest neuroscientific research and their experience with corporate transformations, Jerry Wind and Colin Crook explain how your mental models stand between you and reality, distorting all your perceptions...and how they create both limits and opportunities.
You'll learn how to develop new ways of seeing...how to keep your mental models fresh and relevant...when to change to a new model...how to build a portfolio of models...and improving your models through constant experimentation.
Better mental models = smarter decisions
How people get "stuck," and what to do about it
How obsolete mental models keep you from making changes
The neuroscience of mental models
What scientists can teach us about perception-and reality
Creating new models
Practical ways to see things in new ways-fast
"Wind and Crook have written a marvelous book that can teach you how to think more effectively in personal and business settings. Read it and learn!"
Drea Zigarmi Author of The Leader Inside: Learning Enough About Yourself To Lead Others and co-author of Leadership and the One Minute Manager
"We like to say, 'See it with your mind's eye.' Wind and Crook show us that our mind is our eye. What we think is what we see, and what we see directs how we act. Not only do the authors make this paradigm clear, but they offer concrete and practical ways to change our mind's eye and as a consequence change our actions and the results we get. The value of that is hard to top."
J. Stewart Black, Ph.D. co-author of Leading Strategic Change and Professor, University of Michigan Business School
"I have been trying to explain why Japan has fallen into a pitfall and cannot come out of even the simplest problems. One can call it an innovators dilemma, but that does not solve the problem. This book suggests we have to go back to the basics of reviewing our underlying 'mental models' now and then, and only then, have to construct a new model, perhaps plural, and move onto exploring the new terrain."
Kenichi Ohmae Author of the international bestseller, The Borderless World
"While most of us may recognize that the world we respond to is more in our mind than in any physical reality, often we don't have a clue why this is so. This very important book clearly explains how our mental models work to construct these distinct inner worlds. And more importantly it offers empowering advice on how we can use this knowledge to work for us rather than against us in creating a better outer world for ourselves, our organizations, and our societies."
Charles C. Manz Best-selling author of SuperLeadership, Fit to Lead, and Temporary Sanity
"This is an important book that 'makes sense of how we make sense.' The authors provide a thorough, fresh, and compelling exploration into the dimensions of mental models. All leaders who want to be more effective in their actions would be served well to leverage the principles in this book to learn about how they think and make sense of the world around them."
Nick Pudar Director of Strategic Initiatives, General Motors
Customer Reviews:
The only paradigm for problem solving is logic.......2007-06-09
This is an interesting book and might be implemented more effectively by readers who have also read "The logic of Failure," by Dietrich Doerner, which itself was a business bestseller in the 1990s.
Doerner's main thesis is that there are patterns of thought that make failure inevitable, and he runs through a number of entertaining case studies documenting how faulty problem-solving paradigms have resulted in disaster. Doerner also notes that cures for the inability to handle complex situations typically rely on facile theories about the human brain, and that the probability that there is a secret mental trick that at one stroke will enable the human mind to solve complex problems is practically zero.
The psychological determinants of failure go far deeper than faulty mental models or paradigms, and they develop gradually according to a predictable logic. A reader concerned about evaluating the effectiveness of mental models or paradigms will gain much from reading "The Logic of Failure."
A toolkit for shifting your paradigm.......2006-05-28
This book is a great combination of theoritical thinking as well as practical business problems. It examines the discussion on paradigms - which the authors prefer to call 'mental models' and how they constrain your perception of reality. So far, so good. Then they start outlining a practical methodology for changing your mental model, which should enable you to 'think impossible thoughts' meaning in this context, thinking thoughts that were impossible in your previous paradigm. I like the depth of research behind the concept and the academic structure given to the book on a subject that has been much discussed, but manages to give it a new perspective and some practical tools to take away with you.
I spoke with the author and have published extracts of the interview on the HyperThinker Experiment site, so please check it out if you want to hear more from the author himself: http://www.hyperthinker.com/Currentinterviews/tabid/693/Default.aspx.
A worthwhile read and a fascinating look at an issue that affects us all.
The power of viewing and molding your reality..........2006-04-16
It's often the case that our vision of reality is a product of our own mental biases. If you can change the way you look at something, the reality of it can undergo a dramatic shift. This whole subject is explored very well in the book The Power of Impossible Thinking: Transform the Business of Your Life and the Life of Your Business by Jerry Wind, Colin Crook, and Robert Gunther. Very powerful stuff...
Contents:
Part 1 - Recognize The Power And Limits Of Mental Models: Our Models Define Our World; Running The Miracle Mile
Part 2 - Keeping Your Models Relevant: Should You Change Horses?; Paradigm Shifts Are A Two-Way Street; Seeing A New Way Of Seeing; Sift For Sense From Streams Of Complexity; Engage In R&D Of The Mind
Part 3 - Transform Your World: Dismantle The Old Order; Find Common Ground To Bridge Adaptive Disconnects
Part 4 - Act Quickly And Effectively: Develop The Intuition To Act Quickly; The Power To Do The Impossible; Challenging Your Own Thinking - Personal, Business, and Society; What You Think Is What You Do; The Neuroscience Behind Mental Models; Selected Bibliography; Acknowledgments; Index; On The Audio CD
This is one of those rare "business books" that can be applied effectively to both your business and your personal life. The authors examine how our mindsets of situations and events cause us to build our own "reality" about them. The opening example is about how you're walking along a dark street and you hear footsteps behind you. You know the neighborhood recently had a well-publizied crime happen. You're sure that you're about to be the next victim. Fight or Flight... Then you turn and find it's one of your co-workers. The reality of the situation never altered, but "your" reality of the situation has completely changed. These "mental models" are then explored in various realms of business and personal life. For instance, Howard Schultz viewed Starbucks through a completely different mental filter than those who were running the operation. Rather than seeing the company as a seller of coffee, he saw the potential for a complete experience surrounding the act of ordering and drinking coffee. He had to leave the company, start his own operation around that model, and then buy out Starbucks once his vision showed signs of success. The same business environment was open to both Schultz and the owners, but they saw the "reality" in completely different ways...
This is one of the better books I've read that deals with the subject of neuroscience. But rather than just giving examples and citing research, the authors show how this research can be applied to your life in ways that can make a dramatic difference. If you've never explored the "science of the mind", this is a great introduction anchored in practical use. And this might just be the spark that causes you to change the way you look at things, thereby changing your life in ways that seem completely impossible right now...
We Should Invest In Our Mind's R & D.......2006-04-13
"The Power of Impossible Thinking" is labelled as a "business book" and it's very hopeful for those in business, both big and small. But it has tremendous value to everyone, in every aspect of our lives. Our "mental models" determine where we'll go and what we'll do and accomplish, throughout our lives. And, our mental models can limit us in our lives as well. One of the focuses is on the thought process, as it should be. Our thought process is often what hinders us. This book reminded me many times of the perils of stagnation. Mental and attitudinal stagnation. This leads to the oft-times subtle downward spiral of complacency, and just plain getting too comfortable.
The "Power of Impossible Thinking" provides practical and do-able models for the contemporary times we live in. This book is divided into 4 sections: a) The importance of mental models and how they help and hurt us b) how to keep models current and know when to alter or change them, and continuously experiment c) obstacles and ways to over come them, and d) develop intuition and act, concluded by "What You Think Is What You Do."
Two chapters specifically help readers sharpen our mental models and use our perceptions to help us in our lives. What we perceive we can do, and what we actually do, depends on our attitude and perceptions: we bring our own baggage with us. Critical, is recognizing things that keep us in our old models and patterns. When we recognize this, we can change it (chapter 8). Professionally, we are constantly inundated by information. Competition is ever-present, 24 hours a day. Our mental ability to recognize and then act upon change seems more important than ever today. Obviously we are surrounded by constant changes in the interdependent global market place. As the world constantly alters and adapts, we must as well. Recognizing the trends and changes is what is needed to survive and prosper. Examples from the emergence and decline of the dot.coms were noted. So many companies jumped onto the dot.com bandwagon, but there was a purge, and the ones that survived and now prosper, are the ones that adapted and continued to alter their products and services: they recognized the change. Many did not, and went out of business. The Internet has highly become a "mail order" pathway, for viewing and ordering many products.
One way to deal with this among many in this book:
Zooming in and Zooming out:
As multi-tasking becomes more common-place and the market and lifestyle pace increases, the concept of "zooming in and zooming out" is one concept that can make our personal and professional lives easier, more-fulfilling, and more productive. "Zooming in and out" addresses the need to overcome obstacles that now make our our world difficult. These obstacles have always existed for humans. The ability to focus and address details - without letting them bog us down and/or cause us to lose sight of our over-all objectives.
Three contemporary case studies were conducted on people we are familiar with. Oprah Winfrey, Howard Schulz of Starbucks Coffee, and Andy Grove, the former CEO of Intel. All of these people created a product(s). These were created from ideas. This may sound cliche, but it's the way it is. Starbucks: the unique coffee (consumer) experience. Who in the world would think this would work back in the early 1990s? I honestly didn't. Oprah: transforming the influence of the Talk Show by positivity, individuality, over-coming obstacles and awareness. Apple, moving to the ipod.
Oprah Winfrey's case study was quite powerful and moving. She grew up in poor, rural Mississippi, without indoor water and electricity. Raised by her grandmother initially. Abused by male friends and family, and sent to a juvenile detention center at 13. At the start of her career as a co-anchor, she was told she didn't have the looks. The case study reinforces the idea that she became what she's become, not by following or conforming to the mold, but by breaking it. Her Book Club and talk show focus on themes of individuality, empowerment, and achievement.
The "Power of Impossible Thinking" is a contemporary and highly relevant book. It's neuro-science approach tells us how to identify our outdated models, recognize the limits of them, and the benefits and power of changing and utilizing new models. This is a great book that deserves more attention.
Awesome!.......2006-03-17
Excellent book! These guys have it together. This book provides new ways of thinking and troubleshooting problems. If you are in the decision making and problem solving arena, you need this read to help come up with a solution.
Larry
www.corpsdevelopment.net
Product Description
On Common Ground provides a valuable tool for educators who are doing the hard work of improving their schools. This resource offers teachers and administrators a coherent conceptual framework and specific, practical strategies for moving forward with their improvement efforts. Any listing of North America s leading authorities on school improvement would include the authors in this book. These authors agree on many of the best strategies for raising student achievement and support the premise that students would be better served if educators: · Embrace learning rather than teaching as their school s mission · Work collaboratively to help all students learn · Use formative assessments and a focus on results to foster continuous improvement · Assume individual responsibility to take steps to create such schools Although they stand on this common ground, clear differences emerge regarding their perspectives on the most effective strategy for making professional learning communities the norm in North America. The differences, however, focus on the means rather than the end. These educational leaders have found common ground in expressing their belief in both the desirability and the power of professional learning communities.
Customer Reviews:
No Silver Bullet, but . . . .......2006-06-11
If you want to read a book that combines brief overviews of the work of many well-regarded leaders in the field of education, this book is a good beginning. Those who work in public education and understand the need for re-structuring and re-culturing our schools will appreciate the authors' laser-like focus on student learning through the development of professional learning communities.
The authors of the various chapters of this book focus on the essential elements that most impact student achievement. Rick Stiggins discusses assessment for learning vs. assessment of learning. Douglas Reeves focuses on curriculum and the importance of power standards and differentiated assessment. Jonathon Saphier stresses the need for high expectations for all students and suggests what educators can do when students aren't learning. And there are more . . .
In these times of student and teacher accountability, all educators must use data to make decisions, including those regarding staff development. Professional Learning Communities provide educators with the structure for collaboration and learning. Teams of teachers and administrators work together in a PLC to create an environment that supports school improvement to result in greater student learning.
Developing a PLC in your school is certainly not the silver bullet. However, the book is a good one to read to gain an overview of what educators can do to positively affect student achievement. If you are already familiar with the work done by many of our educational leaders, you may need to go deeper. In that case, this book is probably not for you.
Mixed Message.......2006-06-05
Rarely do I find a collection of essays by multiple authors to be a great book. Too often the prose is uneven and the authors, despite the assertions of the editors, come off as talking at cross purposes. This book is no exception.
It is not without value. The theme of this book is the importance of professional learning communities in education and I am a supporter of the concept. I didn't need the authors to convince me of this. Perhaps the most perceptive comment made in the book is that teachers already know how to teach well, they know the best practices, we just need to give them an opportunity to work together, develop mutual support and implement them. The problem is that, on a practical level, this is a hard thing to do in an evironment where scheduling conflicts and self-contained teaching is the norm. What would be nice is to have authors who say more than "this is difficult but you must do it" and instead give some practical suggestions on how to do it. There are some here but not enough.
Perhaps the editors would have been better off authoring the entire book themselves. Some of these essays only pay lip service to PLCs as they wander off into theories that are more personal. I respect Michael Fullan's work on sustainable systems but he didn't seem to really fit here, as did some of the other authors with their own axes to grind.
Still, if a reader goes into this book with eyes wide open, then there are things of value to be found. And, in the tough world of education, anything of value is worth considering.
On Common Ground.......2006-05-30
As the processes of school improvement shifts from regulatory compliance to authentic work in schools, it is essential to build a broad understanding of decades of thinking on school reform. This book offers a strong summary of the concepts most likely to bring real change in the only place that matters, the classroom. We have spent decades talking about change and the learning community concept has the potential to be the catalyst of change.
On Common Ground can build a broad foundation of knowledge however; other resources are needed to detail the specifics. The best highlights include:
1) Michael Fullan on building collective capacity.
2) Doug Reeves on anaylsis of student work and feedback.
3) Rick Stiggins on assessment for learning.
4) Jonathon Saphier on motivation.
5) Mike Schmoker on urgency.
6) Larence Lezotte on shared leadership.
If your goal is to building common understanding about contemporary thinking in the area of school improvement, On Common Ground provides a great starting point.
How Many Ways..........2005-11-15
In how many ways are we going to have to hear that the unexamined methods in which our schools have been organized, structured, staffed, and departmentalized work against our best efforts to create real, sustainable learning communities? The following items were a collection of thoughts on behalf of educators working at the Butte County Office of Education that gathered to discuss this book as part of their professional reading series.
This book offers one of the most comprehensive, candid, and clear calls for reforming the ways in which we approach and engage students each and every day in our schools. By combining the ideas and research from today's most prominent thinkers on the development of effective environments for learning, this book serves as a wonderful, concise compass leading those of us in education who pick it up and care to pay attention to its guidance.
Some guiding points of interest included:
Assessing for Learning vs. of Learning
Focus on the Positive Outcomes of Learning vs. the Punitive Consequences of Not Learning
Collaborative Agreement of Essential Learning vs. Individual, Departmentalized Development of Learner Expectations
Modeling Elements of the Learning Community vs. Merely Proselytizing those Elements
It just isn't that good.......2005-09-22
I wanted to like this book. After agreeing to lead a book study for On Common Ground, I *needed* to like this book. I believe in Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) and think very highly of the work that the DuFours have done in that regard, but I just couldn't get into the book.
The problems are many. Section 1, by Richard DuFour, is nice enough. It gives a good overview of the PLC structure and how it should work, thought chapter 2 was printed earlier in the ASCD's "Educational Leadership" magazine and can thus be found for free. In section 2 we start going downhill in a hurry, particularly in chapter 4 by Rick Stiggins. By the time you get to section 4, where they talk about taking PLCs into a broader, district context, you're completely out of the realm of the schools and into the work of researchers and administrators.
That's the major problem I have with On Common Ground--impracticality. There are good ideas here, but they aren't useable. Many of the authors talk in grand, eloquent language about their topics, but you have to work incredibly hard (believe me, I did) to make the book practical.
If you're looking for a book on PLCs I recommend "Whatever It Takes" or "Professional Learning Communities at Work." They're far more useful.
Average customer rating:
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The Nibble Theory and the Kernal of Power: A Book About Leadership, Self-Empowerment, and Personal Growth
Kaleel Jamison
Manufacturer: Paulist Press
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Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0809141876 |
Book Description
Like a snowflake or a fingerprint, we are all one of a kind and have a special contribution to make. The late Kaleel Jamison, one of the first women to enter the field of management consulting, experienced what she described as "nibbles," little bites that life takes out of you--really attacks on your self confidence. Her longtime best selling book, The Nibble Theory, is a process for dealing with the world that moves the reader toward personal power and growth arising out of the unique values and strengths of each person.
Customer Reviews:
honest and simple.......2006-10-23
I keep coming back to the 'nibble theory' and am still searching for another as good (and short!). Recently I read the art of possiblity and ... it reminded me AGAIN of the kernel of power.
Kaleel, gets the message across with love and compassion and in a minimum number of pages plus there are lots of drawings :-)
My colleagues, friends and children love it ... I wish there were more books out there like it!!!
It's both inspiring AND fun.
Book Description
Combining the rational, logical instincts of the left brain with the passionate and artful skills of the right brain, this book offers a leadership approach that is both highly effective and deeply inspirational. Perfect for anyone assuming a leadership position, it presents simple solutions on such topics as effective collaboration, achieving goals, leadership styles, team-building, inspiring people to success, and more.
Customer Reviews:
weLEAD Book Review by the Editor of leadingtoday.org.......2007-06-17
Simple Solutions is a book that will help you to solve a riddle. What do you get when you cross a successful C.E.O. with a highly influential attorney? You may be expecting a humorous punch line but the real answer is you get an insightful book that brings you back to the basic principles of real leadership.
Thomas Schmitt is a senior executive at FedEx including C.E.O. of FedEx Global Supply Chain Services. Arnold Perl has been a practicing attorney for over 30 years and is a partner of the employment firm of Ford & Harrison LLP. Arnold's accomplishments would read like a "Who's Who" listing due to his personal and community achievements. As Chairman of the New Memphis Arena Public Building Authority he helps to oversee the construction of the FedExForum, home to the Memphis Grizzlies, a franchise team in the NBA. Independently, in their leadership roles they had developed concepts of simplicity, tools and passion to motivate their teams to accomplish important tasks. Time and chance would bring them together in forums and civic meetings in Memphis. This relationship led to the writing of this book
Simple Solutions is based on a powerful yet simple concept. You can apply simple solutions to complex challenges. As it states in the introduction, "We believe that simplicity is the fundamental foundation for management. It is such an important concept in leadership that we devote the first chapter to that subject alone. Amid all the complexity of modern business, it is sometimes tough not to get bogged down in details and complexity." Furthermore, this book emphasizes that leadership can be learned, is a powerful way to build relationships, and that it gets results.
Each chapter of Simple Solutions discusses a key attribute of the author's effective leadership philosophy. Using the analogy of a balanced scale defined as "simplicity", five practical tools of left-brain approaches to leadership are matched with creative right brain approaches. For example, the left-brain tool of time management is balanced with the need for focus, a passion that is considered a right-brain approach. Each chapter is informative, easy to read and flavored with the author's personal experiences and examples.
Simple Solutions is a unique book that ties together many acknowledged qualities and principles of leadership together to create a picture for success. The interrelationship of the tools and passions discussed in this book is fascinating and will give you a more connected perspective of what it takes to lead others to accomplish great things. So... what do you get when you cross a successful C.E.O. with a highly influential attorney? You get a book worth reading, and one that attempts to make leadership a little simpler to understand and practice.
Not a bad read for first time managers.......2007-04-25
Are you a first-time manager, new to leading others? If so, you could do worse than to read "Simple Solutions: Harness the Power of Passion and Simplicity to Get Results." The book will do a good job of giving you an overview of the skills and passions the authors believe are key to leadership success.
Have you been leading for some years? If so, you don't need this book.
Schmitt and Perl believe leadership success depends on five tools and five passions. Their visual model is an old-fashioned balancing scale, with the five tools on one side and the five passions on the other, and Simplicity as the base.
The tools they believe are key are:
"Management savvy: Work smarter, not harder."
"People Skills: Making people the top priority."
"Collaboration: Think 'one big team.'"
"Time Management: Align your time with the right goals."
"Execution: Do it! Don't sacrifice good for better."
And the passions they focus on are:
"Ambition: Be ambitious for your people and the cause."
"Leadership: Leave a place better than you found it."
"Vision: Imagine the possibilities."
"Focus: Use a laser, not a floodlight."
"Determination: Stick to it."
The strength of the book is that it pulls all these concepts together into a short, readable volume. That's great if you are a brand new manager. For anyone else, though, it suffers from three weaknesses.
The first weakness will be evident from the lists above. None of these concepts are new or novel, and any manager with a bit of success will already know that these are pretty important.
The second weakness, at least in my eyes, is the lack of evidence to prove that these are actually the keys to leadership success. The book amounts to a collection of anecdotes and opinions, and none of us should be satisfied with that.
Finally, the book is fairly light on how to apply these ideas in the day to day work of leading people. I wish the authors had provided a directed reading list to expand on each of their ideas.
Who knew it could be this simple?.......2006-12-16
As a retired member of management for a large manufacturer, all I can say after reading this book is "Where were you when I needed you?"
The authors of this very easy-to-read guide to clear thinking really do make it look easy. But their principles aren't limited to those in the corporate world or legal profession. Keeping it simple is a philosphy to apply to any project, large or small.
Thank you Mr. Schmitt and Mr. Perl for sharing your wonderful book and for helping us back up and take another look at things. Balancing the right and left brains is a concept too long forgotten. Considering only the left brain as "smart" and the right brain as "arty" is all too common, with the value of intuition and vision of the right brain often ignored.
If only more more business people understood this.......2006-12-09
Simple works. It's that simple. The authors of this newly published management guide don't do simple work. Schmitt is a senior executive in FedEx supplying solutions to complex logistical problems and Perl is an attorney who has practiced before the Supreme Court. Yet they've found that they can break down complex problems into simple components and solve them. Applying that principle of simplicity to business and government they demonstrate in this accessible guidebook how any manager can work more effectively and efficiently. They incorporate "tools" and "passions" that draw on both sides of the brain to not only analyze problems, but to find ceative solutions to them. You don't need an MBA to figure out that they're on to something.
Book Description
Twenty-five years ago Robert Greenleaf published these prophetic essays on what he coined servant leadership, a practical philosophy that replaces traditional autocratic leadership with a holistic, ethical approach. This highly influential book has been embraced by cutting edge management everywhere. Yet in these days of Enron and what VISA CEO Dee Hock calls our "era of massive institutional failure," Greenleaf's seminal work must reach the mainstream now more than ever. Servant Leadership helps leaders find their true power and moral authority to lead. It helps those served become healthier, wiser, freer, and more autonomous. This book encourages collaboration, trust, listening, and empowerment. It offers long-lasting change, not a temporary fix and extends beyond business for leaders of all types of groups.
Customer Reviews:
The Pattern of Superperforming CEOs.......2007-10-23
To my amazement and delight, I have found this to be the pattern of Superperforming CEO. Without a fundamental love for people and for the company, it is impossible to create the nuclear reactor of Superperformance. Robert Greenleaf has left us a monumental touchstone for the leadership pattern you will find in all the great leaders, from Ernest Shackleton to George Washington to Herb Kelleher. The servant leader is authentic, unselfconscious and emerges from within, from who someone is, not from some adopted style.
Also read Superperformance
Still Ahead of Its Time.......2007-07-07
Even after 30 years, this book is still decades ahead of its time. Corporations and individual leaders are just beginning to understand the power that is bestowed upon them by using these concepts and are even slower to react. For the time being, this book will have to reside in the philosophy section since it's practical use is limited to individuals, not entire cultures; corporate or otherwise.
This book is recommended since it will challenge you to change your focus of leadership from self to subordinate, from getting power to sharing it, and from clique to community. "Primus inter pares" (first among equals) is the central theme running throughout the book and although the theoretical construct is worth exploring, the cultural change necessary for it to gain a foothold is immense and will take decades if not centuries to overcome.
Greenleaf is of the opinion that for this cultural change will happen, it will most likely happen within the confines of large corporate atmospheres, not churches, foundations, or universities. Unfortunately, it's like a scale with greed and hunger from power on one end and servant leadership on the other. I'm not sure "The Prince" will lose his weight anytime soon.
Servant leadership is a hopeful dream that will take a lot of work to be popular in practice instead of in an MBA program or on a large scale. Until then, it will have to be one person at a time. The question is, will it be you?
It's only communication if the message is received.......2007-02-23
I found the ideas in this book rather interesting. However, it's a tough book to get through. Greenleaf's writing style is difficult to follow, this is not an easy read. I would not recommend Servant Leadership to someone who is looking for quick practical advise on honing their leadership skills. In my opinion, this book is better suited to those who have an academic interest in the subject. Additionally, it's been ~30 years since this book was published, many of Greenleaf's ideas have filtered into more contemporary texts. I compare it to the music of Jimi Hendrix. While he is the brilliant innovator of a genre of music, 30 years later today's broad audience doesn't understand the context of his work, but can find and enjoy his influence in the music they relate to today.
Not For the Weak of Heart.......2006-06-08
Servant-Leadership is rapidly becoming a popularized term and a popular concept to bandy about in many circles.
This is the book that started that trend.
Published originally in 1977, it contains articles and concepts that found their germination in the turbulant decade of the 1960's. While you might imagine from the term "Servant-Leader" that the ideology of this book stems from religious conviction and it certainly does include that, you may be surprised to read in the first chapter of the book that it finds its inspiration in literature. Specifically, the Servant-Leader who captured Greenleaf's imagination and catalyzed the writing of this book was the fictional character Leo in Herman Hesse's "Journey to the East."
More surprises remain in store throughout this book that challenges concepts seemingly ingrained in human nature and counter-intuitively argues for several revolutionary premises, not simply on the basis of morality, but rather effectiveness and societal need.
In particular, Greenleaf argues that the advent of big business, large institutions, and corporate growth requires a paradigm shift in the view of leadership. Contrary to the anti-authoritarianism so ingrained in the 60's, Greenleaf argues that large organizations hold tremendous promise to accomplish correspondingly large results. What is needed are leaders who will embrace the organizations and see them almost as separate entities, living organisms as it were, love them, care for them and serve the population within and without through them.
The qualities that Greenleaf profers as indicative of such growth and service are:
1. Do those served grow as persons?
2. Do they, while being served become healthier wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants?
3. What is the effect on the least privileged in society?
4. Will they benefit or at least not be further deprived? (Greenleaf 1977/2002 p.27)
In practical terms Greenleaf argues strongly for such Servant-Leaders to rise up and shake off the traditional trappings of leadership within archaic and dusty organizations and equally archaic leadership models, where the emphasis has been upon elevating managers to de facto leaders of these institutions and instead, elevating Trustee's and Board Chairpersons to reject passivity, reject the role of a rubber stamp and exert leadership that embraces values, takes risks and empowers people.
It is a clarion call to activist leadership that feels very much a derivitive of the 60's altruism, yet rejects the across the board discarding of all institutions as irretrievably corrupt and inherently in need of dismantling.
This 25th anniversary edition issued in 2002 comes after the fruits of this call have culminated in Servant-Leadership's adoption as a legitimate and growingly influential leadership model in both academic, private and public sectors.
The influence of this concept and the leadership institutions that are adopting the model in their training and operations is remarkably going beyond its author who passed away in 1990.
Notable as well for its forward by Stephen Covey and an afterword by Peter Senge, this edition should be a welcome addition to the leadership library of every student and participant in the leadership melieu. Whether you accept and adopt the premises contained, there is wisdom and insight for all who wish to read. Answers in some context are given, but more importantly, tools are provided with which to frame the question for those moving forward.
I highly recommend this book as an indispensible tool for understanding the leadership issues and needs of this generation.
A Challenging Read.......2002-07-18
If you are looking for a leadership book with a different approach from the usual leadership book, and one that is intellectually stimulating and thought-provoking, then you should definitely read this book of collected talks, essays, and articles from Robert K. Greenleaf.
Armed with varied and extensive civilian leadership experience, Greenleaf boldly took me on "a journey into the nature of legitimate power and greatness." This journey challenged me early on when Greenleaf stated that the traditional hierarchical leadership used in most organizations, one person in charge as the lone chief atop a pyramidal structure, is the likely cause of most of our leadership problems. Greenleaf favored another, less frequently used tradition where the principle leader is "primus inter pares" - first among equals.
Throughout the book, Greenleaf made a compelling case that "primus inter pares" exists in important places with conspicuous success. With my leadership experience rooted in the traditional military hierarchical structure, at times it was difficult to understand Greenleaf's perspectives on the first or second read.
Greenleaf's insights into the servant as leader (one who makes sure that other people's highest priority needs are being served) in the first chapter lays the foundation for his subsequent chapters: the institution as servant, trustees as servants, servant leadership in business, servant leadership in education, servant leadership in foundations, servant leadership in churches, servant leaders, servant responsibility in a bureaucratic society, and America and world leadership.
With all the recent attention focused on moral and ethical breakdowns within some large and powerful institutions (Enron, WorldCom, Arthur Anderson, the Catholic Church, etc.), this book's continued relevance is obvious. Overcoming my challenges in reading this book was definitely worth the effort.
Book Description
Arguing that the power in America is concentrated in large institutions, this book studies the people at the top of these institutions—who they are, how much power they wield, and how they came to power. Tom Dye has chronicled the national leadership since the Nixon-Ford years, each edition featuring the current president and his staff. The seventh edition focuses on the new Bush administration and the contrast it will bring to Washington following 8 years of Clinton dominance. The commentary is supported by years of data analysis involving more than 7000 institutional elites, which includes governmental and corporate leaders. This edition describes the return of the Bush dynasty to power. It includes a new chapter on “The Money Elite”, describing the power of the banking and financial community as well as the Federal Reserve Board; Chapter 7 now covers important issues concerning elite interlocking, recruitment, social characteristics, class, and factionalism; the discussion of “How Institutional Leaders Make Public Policy” has been expanded greatly in Chapter 8; several discussions have been added, including “The Globalization of Economic Power,” “The Battle for IBM,” “Alan Greenspan: Ruling over Money,” “Hillary Clinton: Power and Ambition,” and “Liberal and Conservative Factions among Elites”.
Customer Reviews:
Elite View of American Politics.......2003-05-04
Pretty good book about political elites in the United States. Its strongest point is its empirical discussion of personalities and of groups that have a lot of power in America. Even though the book has been through seven editions, including one following election 2000, some information needs to be updated. This is true, for example, of the discussion about the richest people in America.
The theoretical model I found a bit tangled and not one hundred percent persuasive. I am on the side of the author as far as the major thesis, but I think theoretically this is not the last word on the elite theory of American politics, nor is the book astonishingly creative from the theoretical standpoint.
I also needed more persuasion as far as some specific hypotheses. For example the role of endowments and foundations was presented as a truly major role. Most textbooks on American politics do not even mention endowments and foundations that support academic and scientific research. Much less do most textbooks on the subject consider endowments and foundations to be key players.
Nevertheless, it is a clear no-nonsense book and easy to read, especially if you are interested in politics. I thought it had a nice introductory chapter, paying homage to some of the early great elite theorists, such as Vifredo Pareto, Robert Michels, and Gaetano Mosca.
I recommend it to undergraduate students in American politics and political theory.
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Books Index
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