Head, Heart and Guts: How the World's Best Companies Develop Complete Leaders [Hardcover]

David L. Dotlich (Author), Peter C. Cairo (Author), Stephen Rhinesmith (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0787964794 | ISBN-13: 978-0787964795 | Publication Date: May 10, 2006 | Edition: 1

This book reveals the three most important capabilities leaders must demonstrate today: the ability to set strategy, empathize with others, and take risks—all at the same time. In Head, Heart, and Guts, leadership experts David Dotlich, Peter Cairo, and Stephen Rhinesmith—who teach and coach CEOs and executive teams throughout the world—argue that to be successful in a complex, matrixed, fast-moving world, “whole” leaders must set strategy, develop trusting relationships with others, and consistently do the right thing based on personal values. “Partial” leaders, often the product of traditional executive programs, may be successful in the shortrun, but their companies lose over time. Filled with case studies of companies such as Bank of America, Johnson & Johnson, Novartis, and UBS, Head, Heart, and Guts, lays out specific steps and actions for leaders who want to grow beyond their “leadership comfort zone” and an action plan for companies that want to move beyond tried-and-true leadership development in order to develop “whole” leaders throughout their leadership pipeline.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

The authors, all consultants, offer a fresh perspective on leadership. They contend that while analytical abilities continue to be the important focus for executives (the head), successful leaders now also need emotional intelligence (or heart) and the ability to evaluate and take risks (or guts.) We learn that an executive with all three capabilities is termed a mature leader, and while everyone has a natural style, a mature leader is flexible in considering options outside his comfort zone. Since most company cultures are head-oriented and have management depth with cognitive ability, executives often need development in emotional and risk-taking skills. Dotlich, Peter C. Cairo, and Stephen H. Rhinesmith suggest hiring practices that consider all three talents and force executives to engage in learning experiences in a wide range of assignments, including some before they are ready to handle them. This is clearly an infomercial for the authors' consulting activities, yet it contains useful ideas for leadership in today's complex business world. Mary Whaley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"balanced, progressive view of leadership." (CPO Agenda, September 2006)

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass; 1 edition (May 10, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0787964794
• ISBN-13: 978-0787964795
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #148,271 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Willingness to Put One's Beliefs on the Line!, January 1, 2007

By 

Thomas M. Loarie (Danville, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Head, Heart and Guts: How the World's Best Companies Develop Complete Leaders (Hardcover)

Dotlich et al's "Head, Heart and Guts" and Ram Charan's "Know-How" serve as perfect bookends to all that has been written over the years on leadership philosophy and practice.

In "Know-How," Charan constructs a more complete leadership theory integrating "know-how" with personality traits, psychological orientation and cognitive architecture. In "Head, Heart and Guts," Dotlich et al recommend a second new perspective on leadership and a fresh approach to leadership development with a focus on the integration of the head, the heart and guts. "Guts" as an umbrella term for a willingness to do the right thing, no matter how difficult that is - a willingness to put one's beliefs on the line!

The authors point out that we have been focused on "partial leadership" with an emphasis on cognitive skills and/or, until recently, on emotional skills. But leaders today are encountering decision points for which there are no "right" solutions and these skills alone will not assure successful leadership. They confront paradoxes and need to manage them rather than resolve them. They will need to act counter-intuitively at times and to trust instincts (know-how) in other instances. The need today is for "whole leadership."

Whole leaders balance people and business needs and risk/reward, motivate people from diverse backgrounds, and create real trust through unyielding integrity and transparency. Whole leaders, based as much on instinct and relationships as their analytical skills, are comfortable operating in an ambiguous environment and are able to make risks pay off.

Dotlich et al identify three reasons for singular leadership failure:

1. A disconnect between what you know you should do and what you actually do.
2. Misdiagnosis - a poor understanding of the type of leadership that is required in a given situation. Working globally requires a great of understanding of various cultures.
3. Creation of false expectations. Feel leader is manipulative.

Their recommendation for today's complex and uncertain world is a new leadership development approach which includes:

1. Hire based on criteria related to head, heart, and guts.
2. Encourage people not to be prisoners of their own experience.
3. Involve them in action learning experiences that force them to take on new and challenging assignments.
4. Place people in jobs before they are ready to handle them.
5. Provide them with coaching and other tools that facilitate learning from experience.
6. Develop leaders with the head, heart, and guts traits in mind.

Readers will find the discussion on "guts" of particular interest. The authors point out leaders or those aspiring to leadership roles must have a point of view, understand their values, and have the courage of their convictions. These strong people will hang onto their values and they, in turn, will be the ones who strengthen us and our organizations. Unfortunately, today, while the workplace is an opportunity to model good values, the workplace suffers due to the lack of modeling. Dotlich et al point out that our MBA schools, management development programs and consultants have all contributed to this problem. "Head, Hearts and Guts" provides a systematic way to rectify this.

This is an excellent read and is filled with case studies from companies such as Bank of America, J&J, Novartis, and UBS. The authors are senior executives who now serve as principals with Mercer Delta Executive Learning Center. David Dotlich, PhD, is President of Mercer Delta Executive Learning Center and former EVP of Honeywell, Inc. Peter Cairo, PhD, is the former Chairman of the Department of Counseling and Organizational Psychology at Columbia University. And Stephen Rhinesmith is a former ambassador to Russia and former president of Holland America Line. All teach and coach CEOs and successful management teams around the world.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Compelling case for leaders with a soft side, August 7, 2007

By 

Rolf Dobelli "getAbstract" (Switzerland) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Head, Heart and Guts: How the World's Best Companies Develop Complete Leaders (Hardcover)

In this presentation of the potentially exciting topic of executive leadership, authors David L. Dotlich, Peter C. Cairo and Stephen H. Rhinesmith stress the nuances of theory, perhaps at the expense of showing additional, powerful human examples. Maybe that comes from the authors' perspectives as consultants who often must disassemble a topic to present it in their own way. While the book has a compelling basic theme - developing leaders who become effective by learning to be compassionate and brave, as well as savvy - that insight gets a bit mired in the presentation. The book offers worthwhile guidance, and supplies almost too many clipboard processes and checklists of symptoms, problems and techniques. We find the book's concept contemporary and intriguing. While its procedural guidance may be helpful, its wisdom resides in its discussions of mature leadership.

5.0 out of 5 stars Authentic Leadership, February 2, 2007

By 

Rebecca Johnson "The Rebecca Review" (Washington State) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Head, Heart and Guts: How the World's Best Companies Develop Complete Leaders (Hardcover)

"Everyone has a natural leadership style, and a tendency to lean on intellect, emotion, or courage doesn't change with maturity. What does change is a willingness to consider options that don't fit with one's natural style. What also changes is a capacity for trying new ways of leading others and thus expanding the personal leadership capabilities." ~ pg. 207

David L. Dotlich, Peter C. Cairo and Stephen H. Rhinesmith present the idea of "complete leaders" who posses strong analytical abilities, have a high level of emotional intelligence and are willing to take the needed risks to see their businesses grow and expand.

All three authors teach and coach CEOs and executive teams. Through their work they help leaders grow beyond their comfort zones to become authentic leaders of the twenty-first century. This book will encourage leaders to set high standards, inspire trust, motivate people and create meaningful relationships. From the beginning of the book they address pertinent issues and problems that seem to have logical solutions if only leaders relied more on all three: head, heart and guts.

"...our leaders often rely exclusively on a single quality - head or heart or guts. Unfortunately, when you do that you ignore other aspects of what is required to be successful." ~ pg. 2

Head, Heart & Guts presents how the world used to be and explains why business leaders must embrace a new idea of what it means to be a leader due to the changing needs of society and employee expectation. Some of the highlights of this book include:

Finding a Fresh Perspective
Reframing the Boundaries
The Five-Step Process to Develop a Point of View
Guide People Through Vision and Values
Developing Compassion
Overcoming Personal Derailers
Balancing Risk and Reward
Mature Leadership

~The Rebecca Review