If Harry Potter Ran General Electric: Leadership Wisdom from the World of the Wizards [Hardcover]

Tom Morris (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 16, 2006

J. K. Rowling’s novels about Harry Potter and the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry have captured the imaginations of people everywhere. In If Harry Potter Ran General Electric, bestselling business author Tom Morris (If Aristotle Ran General Motors) uncovers the values and timeless truths that underlie Rowling’s hugely popular books and illuminates the lessons they offer to all of us in our careers and daily lives.

But, you say, Harry Potter lives in a world of magic. What can we possibly learn to apply to our own careers and everyday lives? Morris shows that the most difficult problems Harry and his friends face are rarely solved by the use of magic alone. Rather, they are conquered by intelligence, reasoning, determination, creativity, friendship, and a host of other classic virtues–the very qualities, in fact, that make for success in every aspect of our lives.

Blending an array of provocative examples from the novels with thought-provoking commentary on contemporary management practices, If Harry Potter Ran General Electric offers readers a master’s course on leadership and ethics, told in an engaging and insightful way.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Following his business bestseller If Aristotle Ran General Motors, former philosophy professor Morris piggybacks on the popularity of J.K. Rowling's novels, conjuring philosophical parallels between the heroics of her fictional world and success in the corporate realm. He parses her stories for what they might tell us about the importance of virtues and ethics in the business world, referring a little to Aristotle and Kierkegaard for philosophical weight, plus a dash of eloquent advice from GE CEO Jeffrey Immelt for real-life relevance. In Morris's view, Harry Potter is the embodiment of courage—"doing what's right, not what's easy"—and the author delineates five steps to this virtue (e.g., "surround yourself with support") for real-world application. A natural leader, Harry takes after Headmaster Dumbledore, an "Aristotelian figure" and "the essence of leadership," a quality Morris compares to alchemy, since good leaders "transform ordinary people into great performers." Though Morris writes with grace and imagination, this chatty meditation may feel redundant for Harry Potter fans, miss the mark with readers uninitiated to the world of the wizards and disappoint those looking for concrete discussion of real business situations. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Morris uses J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter themes and characters to provide a framework for his leadership lessons. Morris' formula for happiness is "contentment + fulfillment + pleasure + love," all illuminated with examples from the adventures of Harry Potter. Morris designates General Electric the symbol for major corporations, citing GE as a role model because it "seems to have been endowed with magic from its early beginnings." Effusive references to both Rowling and the company are woven into the text, yet it is unclear if either gave their blessing to Morris for this effort. Nevertheless, with the current popularity of the Harry Potter characters and the reputation of GE, Morris cleverly draws upon these high-profile entities to present his leadership ideas to business executives. Mary Whaley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Crown Business; 1st edition, edition (May 16, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385517548
• ISBN-13: 978-0385517546
• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 1 x 9.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #810,734 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Harry Potter - Wizard of Wisdom, May 16, 2006

By 

Ed Brenegar (Hendersonville, NC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: If Harry Potter Ran General Electric: Leadership Wisdom from the World of the Wizards (Hardcover)

If Harry Potter Ran General Electric is a bridge between the fantasy world of J.K Rowling's imagination and the world that business and professional people face every day. Both Rowling and author and public philosopher Tom Morris present us pictures of the ethical realities that both the young Harry and the rest of must address in order to be successful without losing our integrity.

Morris's book is more intentionally focused on leadership than his previous books. Whether you own a small business or staff a cubicle in a global corporation, there is something here for you. This isn't a formulaic approach to leadership. There is no leadership matrix revealed here, except that leadership is "always fundamentally a relational, interpersonal role"(p.152). Each chapter explores insights from the Harry Potter stories that illuminate the nature of leadership. Having spent two decades engaged with leaders and their development, I find Morris' perspective is right on the money. That perspective is that great leaders like Harry Potter and the headmaster of Hogwarts School, Albus Dumbledore, display the qualities of "high competence and deep character." (p.156). It is the deep character side of leadership that If Harry Potter Ran General Electric describes.

I've already bought two copies to give to young professionals who will be greatly encouraged by Morris' work. This is a book to share, discuss and celebrate.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome!, May 16, 2006

By 

David Baggett (kingston, pennsylvania United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: If Harry Potter Ran General Electric: Leadership Wisdom from the World of the Wizards (Hardcover)

This book is amazing! Morris has done it again, this time using his considerable talents to glean a ton of real-life wisdom and insight from Rowling's novels, without losing a bit of the fun. This is a top-notch philosopher who's also an obvious Potter fan, an incredible combination -- and the result is a highly readable and deeply enjoyable book. If you love either Harry Potter or philosophy, or if you want to learn a bunch of leadership principles applicable to just about any area of life, or if you just want to lose yourself in a great book and be challenged to think, you'll adore this book!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If Harry Potter Ran General Electric, June 30, 2006

By 

Ann Allyn Slessman "Annie" (Michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: If Harry Potter Ran General Electric: Leadership Wisdom from the World of the Wizards (Hardcover)

Tom Morris has done it again! His latest book, If Harry Potter Ran General Electric, is an inexpensive means of obtaining Morris's great wisdom. It is likely that Tom Morris will join the ranks of the great stoics. No wonder the book has already hit a couple of bestseller lists, including the Wall Street Journal List!

Those who thought the Harry Potter books are unfit for their children to read should see Morris' take on the books. Where some think only of the trickery of witchcraft and magic, Morris looks at the wisdom, character, and the morality to be gained from reading Rowling's works. It is a study that would make a better corporate environment for anyone who implemented Morris' lessons into their work and everyday life.

Morris touches just about every realm of the human mind with clarity. He takes into account the bad with the good and suggests a means of turning the bad into good scenarios.

My mother used to say, "Be a problem solver, not a problem maker". Apparently, Tom Morris and JK Rowling had some of the same type of education from their parents.

This book ranks six stars out of a field of five stars. Every board room in the world should have it available to their management personnel. It is a real winner. Don't miss out!