The Kuczmarskis, a pair of business consultants, trainers and authors, deliver a lackluster primer on the personal and managerial strategies of 25 people from many walks of life. A few are famous, such as Dean Kamen (inventor of the Segway scooter), Craig Newmark (founder of Craigslist, the Internet classified ad service) and actress Susan Anton. Most are less well-known CEOs, political activists, educators, arts administrators and someone who calls himself an esoteric healer. But for such an eclectic group, there are few unusual insights. Most of their ideas come across as platitudes about the importance for leaders of such traits as humility, compassion, transparency and inclusiveness. Many of the anecdotes and inspirational homilies are retreads, though a few are intriguing—for example, the story of how Rep. Jan Schakowsky got started in public life as a crusader for freshness dating on food packages. But even interesting stories often lack a compelling point—Schakowsky's tale, for example, appears in a chapter about encouraging one's colleagues. This attempt to offer chicken soup for the leader's soul provides thin gruel.
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“An effective case for risk-taking within a framework of humanity.” —
Business Week
“The Kuczmarskis, innovation consultants and teachers, provide 25 values-based leaders—mostly fresh faces—to discover a new model of leadership for the 21st century.” —Fast Company
“In this quick but insightful read, the authors outline the six critical values needed to lead and succeed in today's workplace. Their roadmap is based on extensive interviews with 25 pioneering leaders who embody these values… The book also succeeds in terms of its relevancy to today's business environment. Leadership, or the lack thereof, is one of the most pressing issues facing organizations today. …At a time when too many corporate leaders are still reading Sun Tzu's The Art of War, this book offers an important alternative approach to leadership. While it might not be the catalyst that finally sparks the revolution, it should at the very least prompt readers to think about the type of individual they are and the type they want to become.” —John A. Challenger, Chicago Sun-Times
“Apples Are Square, well written in a simple style, presents a new model of leadership that is based on leaders serving their constituents rather than vice versa….To know how the new model works, you need to read about the inspiration behind the book’s title: an anecdote that Christopher Zorich, a former defensive lineman for the Chicago Bears and the Washington Redskins, loves to narrate.…Just as Chris’s mother took rotten apples and literally reshaped them into something edible and appealing, we, as a society, need to take bruised work environments and reshape them into dynamic, inclusive, and collaborative organisations, explain the Kuczmarskis. Persuasive analogy.” —The Hindu Review
From the Back Cover
“Apples Are Square presents the model of leadership necessary to move from the information age to the knowledge-based and ultimately, to a wisdom-based culture. The future depends on the survival of the wisest and on leadership that is based on inner values.”
—Deepak Chopra, author of Book of Secrets
“A rare and powerful book that provides a window into the views, thoughts, and soul of exceptional leaders in simple yet compelling language.”
—Dr. Surinder Kumar, Chief Innovation Officer, Wm Wrigley Jr. Company, author of Riding the Blue Train
“Apples Are Square is the key to the next frontier of corporate performance and productivity. The Kuczmarskis challenge us to move past the numbers and quarterly reports to what really matters—the leadership principles that guide our companies and our people.”
—David Palfenier, President, Grocery Foods, ConAgra Foods, Inc.
“Tom Kuczmarski doesn’t have a patent on innovation, but he should have.”
—Charles P. Carey, Chairman, Chicago Board of Trade
“A work of great substance and relevance that provides not just an entry point for talking about models of leadership, but real profiles of those who have used these models to transform their own organizations and the people within them.”
—Donald P. Jacobs, Dean Emeritus, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University
