Building Leaders: How Successful Companies Develop the Next Generation (J-B US non-Franchise Leadership) [Paperback]

Jay A. Conger (Author), Beth Benjamin (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0787944696 | ISBN-13: 978-0787944698 | Publication Date: June 11, 1999 | Edition: 1

Base your leadership development programs on proven-to-work techniques. In Building Leaders, authors Conger and Benjamin examine the very best practices of American and foreign companies to present a comprehensive plan for developing leadership talent at every organizational level. Here, readers will find an in-depth presentation of the specific skill sets that individual managers need in order to lead. They'll also discover which organizational values promote leadership, examine successful strategic interventions, and see what a successful leadership plan looks like. Equally illuminating is the section on plans that are destined to fail, along with the section on the future of leadership that shows readers how to design development programs that are most likely to last.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A must read for all executives and managers, emerging, ascAnding, arriving, and all points beyond! Building Leaders is the single best source I know for original ideas on how to develop and retain exemplary leaders."--Warren Bennis, professor, Marshall School of Business, University of Southern California, and co-author of Co-Leaders

"Highly readable and useful, this is THE book for guiding leadership development decisions within organizations today."--Patrick Canavan, senior vice president and director, Global Leadership and Organizational Development, Motorola

"Jay Conger and Beth Benjamin bring clarity and insight to the vast, almost boundless, domain of leadership development. Building Leaders helps you both to assess the impact of current approaches and to powerfully build a strategy that will develop leadership talent at all levels of your organization."--Mike Morrison, dean, Toyota University

From the Inside Flap

Companies everywhere are searching for ways to turn effective managers into dynamic leaders. In this book, Jay Conger, named one of the Top Ten Influential Figures in the World of Business, culls the wide variety of methods being developed by top corporations around the globe. Through insightful analysis and extensive case studies, he and co-author Beth Benjamin provide the proven techniques, and common pitfalls to avoid, for building leadership talent at all levels.Based on research conducted at more than a dozen organizations—including Ernst & Young, PepsiCo, Federal Express, the U.S. Army, and the National Australian Bank—the authors identify three principal approaches to leadership education: individual skill development, instilling organizational values that promote leadership, and strategic interventions. In separate chapters, they examine the strengths and shortcomings of each of these approaches and outline their most important elements, from organizational needs assessments to effective workshops and instruction to 360-degree feedback mechanisms. Individual case studies illustrate best practices in an array of business sectors and give readers an inside look at how world-class leadership development programs are created, organized, and conducted so they can benchmark their own efforts. A special chapter studies the popular educational technique of action learning and its potential as a new paradigm for training the leaders of the twenty-first century. How will technology, new leadership requirements, and the flatter, wired organization affect trAnds in the upcoming millennium? The final chapter profiles the future of leadership in corporate America and offers insights to help organizations anticipate and train for the characteristics that will be demanded in the next generation of corporate leaders.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass; 1 edition (June 11, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0787944696
• ISBN-13: 978-0787944698
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #730,729 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well-done book on leadership training, January 20, 2000

By 

Kevin Maley (Chicago) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Building Leaders: How Successful Companies Develop the Next Generation (J-B US non-Franchise Leadership) (Paperback)

Highly enjoyed this book from Jossey-Bass because it clearly lays out the relevant issues involved in leadership development and training. It's concise and gives plenty of case examples. This would be an excellent purchase.

Also recommend a superb book our company uses for leader training - because it teaches managers very easily: "The Leader's Guide: 15 Essential Skills."

8 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An important addition to the field of leadership research!, July 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Building Leaders: How Successful Companies Develop the Next Generation (J-B US non-Franchise Leadership) (Paperback)

Stretching beyond the confines of books devoted solely to leadership theory, "Building Leaders" combines a conceptual understanding of corporate leadership development with the nuts and bolts of it all. Through impressive case studies of significant companies, Conger and Benjamin provide a blueprint for the design and execution of leadership development programs. If you are at all interested in understanding what will, in the future, distinguish those companies that survive from those that do not, you must read this book.

7 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Relevant, Very Fun, June 18, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Building Leaders: How Successful Companies Develop the Next Generation (J-B US non-Franchise Leadership) (Paperback)

Unlike a like of so-called leadership books, this one seems like it was actually written in the 1990s. No out-of-date references to "successes" like Wang computers or Saturn autos. Lot of Gen-X stuff. An easy read.