Customer Reviews

The DNA Of Leadership: Leverage Your Instincts To Communicate, Differentiate, Innovate

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"As an 'inside' consultant, whose role it is to facilitate change within organizations, it is critical to have resources available that can be trusted, knowing that they are grounded in reality and based on the wisdom of experience Judith Glaser's second book, The DNA of Leadership, is wise, informative and effective. It is obvious that Ms. Glaser has explored deeply the true meaning of leadership and understands the critical role a leader plays in the on going health of a company.

Although every organization is unique, in my experience the people at the top, the leaders of the company, hold the key. It is their behavior, beliefs and style as well as their ability to communicate and build communities that determine their company's ongoing good health or its continual struggles, sickness and disease. The DNA of Leadership shines clarity on what it takes to be a leader and why ... it is a tremendous work that finally demystifies the myth of effective leadership.

I thoroughly recommend Ms. Glaser's book, The DNA of Leadership, to all leaders at all stages of their careers. We are all looking for answers; Ms Glaser has cleverly woven her ideas and thoughts as well as her practical tools and solutions into an easy to read, engaging book, which I believe should take its place in all business school curriculums as well as on the desk and in the briefcase of leaders everywhere. "

Creating WE, Judith's first book, was incredibly valuable in helping leaders see the difference between the I-Centric and the We-Centric leader! The DNA of Leadership goes beneath the surface to analyze the DNA make-up of a true We-Centric leader. This book has the depth and wisdom to make a positive and lasting impact on any person who aspires to be a leader. While the first book shared a revolutionary and new framework for what it means to be a We-Centric leader, in this book Judith goes into great detail with real life examples of the leadership genes that drive personal and organizational success.

C-Gene = Community ~ Leaders practice open communication where people feel included, involved in the strategy, engaged in the business, and accountable for results.

H-Gene = Humanity ~ Leaders create an atmosphere that values uniqueness and diversity; and respect the talents of every individual.

A-Gene = Aspiration ~ Instead of using overt and covert threats to meets targets; these leaders support and encourage individual imagination.

N-Gene = Navigation ~ Instead of hiding the "map," these leaders ask others for guidance in making headway toward common goals.

G-Gene = Generativity ~ Instead of micro-managing and enforcing compliance, these leaders nurture innovation that leads to inspired breakthroughs.

E-Gene = Expressing ~ These leaders encourage everyone to speak up, take risks, and to develop themselves and the organization.

S-Gene = Spirit ~ Instead of cold calculations and expectations, these individuals create an atmosphere of ongoing homage, accomplishment, and evolution so that everyone pulls together to move the organization toward the future.

The DNA of Leadership is a virtual navigational guide to any leader trying to move their organization forward through difficult and challenging changes. While reading about the practices for great leadership, I found Judith's prescriptions applicable to not only worldwide organizations, but to personal relationships as well. Whether you strive to lead your organization or your family unit into greatness - living by these practices will ensure success.

I reference Judith and her extraordinary books in every leadership discussion in which I am involved. I can't imagine being able to achieve my goals without them! Congratulations Judith on another exceptional piece of work.

Judith Glaser has written another great work that shares its DNA with her excellent "Creating We", but includes enough original material and explanation to make "The DNA of Leadership" an invaluable resource for everyone who read "Creating We" and for anyone who hasn't read it yet. She skillfully uses the metaphor of DNA to describe and explain variations in leadership styles and organizations, how leadership is transmitted and organizations correspondingly evolve, and the differential success of organizations that either harness these principles and thrive or fail to engage them and disappear.

If you are a leader or if you want to become a leader, Judith Glaser's newest book, "The DNA of Leadership" is a must read. My recommendation is to read her other books, "The Power of We", and "Creating We" at the same time.

Judith's E-centric way of looking at the world is a breath of fresh air for those in our family of coaches and leadership consultants. DNA is a book about empowering ones self and others to embrace change, to share a common vision and impact the world around us in a positive way. Through her stories, Judith provides a vision of common people who find the courage to look at themselves, and see how their behaviors have impacted others. Her stories tell us that we are just as capable of making the changes in our own behaviors, changes that allow us to become better leaders.

DNA has helped me to understand that what you say is not as important as how you make others feel.

This book has been a great reference for many of my assignments for my leadership class.

Leadership is an elusive trait. It may be a learned skill or a genetic characteristic, but either way, teaching it to someone who is not a born leader is difficult. The way this book approaches that task is part inspirational, part self-assessment and part New-Age excess. Author Judith E. Glaser's DNA leadership concept is a clever, albeit gimmicky idea, using certain "genes" to describe leadership traits. Her system, however, has problems. She holds that it is verboten to criticize or state a negative viewpoint about another person, even if it is warranted. This makes this approach difficult to use in a business setting. Moreover, her politically correct approach blames leaders for bad workplace attitudes, even when the actual causes might be low pay or poor working conditions. The book is repetitive, which limits its applicability. However, Glaser offers useful surveys and self-assessments. getAbstract acknowledges the value of good leadership, and suggests this book to HR people who want to familiarize themselves with its New-Age leadership approach.

There are hundreds of books on leadership strategies, competencies, and tools, but even after reading and applying the learning, leaders still fail to be as effective as they might be. "The DNA of Leadership" is a user manual for creating a work environment where people can thrive and achieve greatness. It is a must read for leaders wanting to be highly successful in today's world of work.

Understanding your Leadership DNA, the seven genes defined by Judith E. Glaser, will enlighten each leader as to how they express their leadership in the organization. Is the leader able to create an environment where the human spirit can thrive in the face of internal and external challenges? If the leader is not able to create this environment, even the most competent and skilled leader will miss their opportunity for leadership greatness.

The book includes a series of questions to help you define and understand your DNA, but obtaining 360 degree feedback on leader DNA will provide the needed perspective. See her website for additional information about the book and other resources.

In The DNA of Leadership, Glaser takes the reader on a journey into some of the most hidden and least explored secrets behind great leadership - the power language and of our conversations to create environments that catalyze change.

Too often we focus on "leadership characteristics" to explain why leaders are great. It's their persistence, their passion or their power to create followers. Glaser shows us that this is "old style" thinking and comes from an I-centric view of leadership. In The DNA of Leadership, she brings us into a new way of we-centric thinking that helps us see our role as partners and leaders in a very new way.

She explains how great leaders are able to change the way an environment feels - from excluding to including, from judging to appreciating, from fearing to aspiring, from withholding to sharing, from group think to innovation, form dictating to developing and from compliance to commitment to mutual success. With her skillful guidance and many shared exercises, readers learn how to foster an atmosphere of change, create a collaborative environment, and promote a constructive company ethos in any size company or team.

The benefits of her lessons are many. Since employees are valued for their contributions and gain access to others that they can learn from, they are able to grow and gain upward mobility. This creates a chain-reaction of openness, learning, and a value that change is to be embraced, not feared. Additionally, these changes energize and motivate employees. This leads employees at all levels to adopt a sense of pride, ownership and empowerment... something that other leadership books claim to teach yet often fall short of accomplishing. The DNA of Leadership, and Glaser's first book Creating WE, take us into a new dimension of change and leadership that has applicability to every leaders challenges.

These are must read books!