The Communicators: Leadership in the Age of Crisis [Hardcover]

Richard Levick (Author), with Charlie Slack (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 26, 2010 | ISBN-10: 0975998536 | ISBN-13: 978-0975998533 | Edition: 1

The Communicators: Leadership in the Age of Crisis redefines the professional strategies and personal qualities that this current age of incessant crisis demands of leaders in corporate C-suites, boardrooms, courtrooms, and in the corridors of political power. Drawing on dozens of extensive interviews with prominent leaders who describe and reflect on their most significant experiences, Richard Levick and Charles Slack underscore the heightened challenges and instantaneous risks that confront global managers in an age of digital media and intensified regulatory pressure. The book is designed for executives who want to learn from the best practices of others who have so ably responded to the conflicting demands of multiple audiences and stakeholders. In an age defined by crisis and its four horsemen - speed, transparency, media by sequel, and exorcised regulation - the book serves as a survival guide for business leaders and public figures in the eye of the storm. As Steve Forbes points out in his foreword, leadership today is tied as never before to effective communications and to how we respond to crisis. By setting the tone at the top, today's leaders are the stewards of capitalism.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

RICHARD LEVICK, ESQ. is the President & CEO of Levick Strategic Communications, which represents countries and companies in the highest-stakes global crises and litigation. His firm has directed media strategies on Guantanamo Bay; the Catholic Church; the Wall Street crisis; major recalls; and the largest environmental, regulatory, corruption, and merger matters in the world. Twice honored on the prestigious list of The Most Influential People in the Boardroom, Mr. Levick has been named to multiple professional Halls of Fame for lifetime achievement. He and his firm have received top honors and awards for Crisis, Litigation, Investor Relations, Public Relations and Food Crisis communications, among others. CHARLES SLACK is an award-winning business journalist and author of several previous books. Hetty: The Genius and Madness of America s First Female Tycoon, was awarded the 2005 Connecticut State Book Award for Biography and the Elle Magazine Reader Prize for Biography, and is in development for film by Edward Pressman, producer of Wall Street. Noble Obsession was named one of the 25 best Books to Remember for 2002 by the New York Public Library. Blue Fairways was a finalist for the 2000 USGA International Book Award. Mr. Slack writes and edits for some of the nation s largest business firms. His mainstream business journalism has appeared in Esquire, Reader s Digest, Fortune Small Business, and other publications.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 220 pages
• Publisher: Watershed Press; 1 edition (October 26, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0975998536
• ISBN-13: 978-0975998533
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #272,830 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A choice pick for anyone who wants to call themselves a leader in business, December 3, 2010

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Communicators: Leadership in the Age of Crisis (Hardcover)

The day to day grind can be done without saying much. It's when the machine stops working well where the great leaders emerge. "The Communicators: Leadership in the Age of Crisis" is an inspirational business read from Richard S. Levick as he provides advice and wisdom from the great leaders in business who have taken a down period and turned it into truly something special for their people. With a foreword from billionaire Steve Forbes, "The Communicators" is a choice pick for anyone who wants to call themselves a leader in business.

5.0 out of 5 stars Effective leadership as demonstrated by mindset-guided and values-driven behavior, September 4, 2011

By 

Robert Morris (Dallas, Texas) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Communicators: Leadership in the Age of Crisis (Hardcover)

Written by Richard Levick with Charles Slack, this is definitely not an "easy read" but, that said, it generously rewards those who read it with appropriate care and especially, those who then re-read it, as I did. Levick organizes his material within nine clusters of "rules," each cluster serving as a theme or dimension of leadership. Each of the 40 "rules" is an obvious point of emphasis or affirmation. For example, "Leadership is visible motion" (#4), "Exercise good faith management" (#8), "Knowledge is power" (#18), or "When facts don''t natter, forget the facts" (#35). Merely listing several by no means diminishes their value. There are reasons why aphorisms, bromides, etc. endure for centuries: they concisely express an essential truth. Levick anchors each in a modern context.

He frames the clusters and their respective "rules" within a framework that presupposes the inevitability of a crisis. I agree with him that able leaders respond effectively to a crisis; great leaders either avoid crises or take full advantage of them to unleash new opportunities. (In The Art of War, Sun Tzu says that the greatest leader is he who has the wisdom and temperament to avoid a battle. He also said that every battle is won or lost before it is fought. Anticipate and prepare for everything.) I commend Levick on his brilliant use of real-world situations that illustrate the wisdom of various rules that serve as insights, guidelines, and (with modification) as strategies or tactics. A few of his exemplars were familiar to me; most were not. There are valuable lessons to be learned from them.

With regard to the title, great leaders throughout history demonstrated their skills as a communicator when confronted by crises of immeasurable peril. Passion and conviction were even more important than eloquence when President Franklin Roosevelt broadcast his "fireside chats," for example, and Winston Churchill spoke frankly to the English people during their nation's "darkest hour."

As Levick explains so well, great leaders have a unique mindset that guides and informs their decisions, to be sure, but also their behavior when in a crisis. They attract and retain support because they have earned the respect and trust of those whom they feel privileged to lead.

To conclude this brief commentary, I share my favorite passage from Lao-Tzu's Tao Te Ching

"Learn from the people
Plan with the people
Begin with what they have
Build on what they know
Of the best leaders
When the task is accomplished
The people will remark
We have done it ourselves."