The Inner Work of Leaders: Leadership as a Habit of Mind [Hardcover]

Barbara Mackoff (Author), Gary Wenet (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 15, 2000

This text focuses on "inner work" - the process of translating past relationships and experiences into "habits of mind". With more than 50 interviews with leaders, giving a behind-the-scenes study, this approach hopes to inform and invigorate leadership.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

For psychologists Wenet and Mackoff, leadership is not a role or a set of strategies. "Instead," they argue, "it is a point of view that begins with the inner work of integrating and translating past relationships and experiences into powerful habits of mind." In this intriguing if flawed volume, the authors demonstrate how successful business people use "inner work" (a process of directing their reactions to complex and challenging situations) to overcome obstacles and advance their careers. Drawing on interviews with 65 successful executives in many different fields, they provide profiles that show how each person's family influences, role models and life experiences have affected their ability to perform this inner work. For example, Shelley Lazarus, the CEO of advertising giant Ogilvie & Mather, exemplifies the habit of "attunement" to others' strengths. Lazarus, who credits her parents for cherishing her individuality, aims to make employees feel "at home." She once let a creative director work from his Texas ranch because that's where he did his best work. Though the authors provide brief explanations for the various habits of leaders, they rely primarily on the profiles to convey their applications. However, this strategy backfires because the profiles are so diverse that the process of inner work is not fully explained. After completing the book, readers may remember some anecdotes, but they aren't likely to have learned enough about the principles of inner work to apply it to their own professional lives. (Sept.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"The authors knit together... compelling and instructive stories... of leaders, prompting readers to understand the... habits they carry with them." -- The Globe & Mail

the book "offer valuable tips and insights on how you can become the leader you need to be." -- Profit Magazine

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 226 pages
• Publisher: AMACOM; 1st edition (January 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0814405908
• ISBN-13: 978-0814405901
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,560,785 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What's in There?, November 15, 2000

By 

Robert Morris (Dallas, Texas) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Inner Work of Leaders: Leadership as a Habit of Mind (Hardcover)

According to the authors, the title refers to five thought patterns which are central to the success of any leader: the capacity to examine and appraise their own behavior and impact on others; the strategy of interpreting negative events with a resilient inner narrative and response; the practice of setting aide false assumptions, reversing roles, and learning from everyone in the organization; the ability to trust, value, and speak from their own experience; and finally, the craft of counterpoint, that is, restoring perspective and renewing resources. "This book is for people who are in charge of an organization and for those who want to be. We hope that each of you will recognize your experiences in learning to lead. Whether you are a leader or a leader-to-be, this book demonstrates how to draw upon your life's rich legacy [ie the family template, the world as teacher, and the moments of meaning] and to turn the challenges in your work into opportunities for leadership."

The authors organize their excellent material within two Parts: The Legacy of Leaders, and, Habits of Mind: The Resources to Inform and Invigorate Leadership. They interviewed 65 leaders inorder to understand how relationships and experiences in each leader's past influenced her or his experience of meeting the challenges of being in charge. Responses varied of course, sometimes dramatically, but all of the leaders seem to share most (if not all) of the aforementioned five thought patterns. I was fascinated to learn (a) how each leader drew upon inner resources, (b) what the results were, and (c) what each leader learned from the process.

Although Mackoff and Wenet suggest that their book was written for leaders and leaders-to-be, I think it will also be valuable for everyone else within an organization who now claims to have no ambition to become one. Perhaps, after reading this thoughtful and practical book, at least some of them will reconsider their career objectives. I sincerelky hope many do. All organizations need effective leadership at all levels. FYI, Tichy and Cohen discuss this specific need in The Leadership Engine. I also highly recommend O'Toole's Leadership A to Z.

Mackoff and Wenet conclude with one of my favorite quotations from the works of Soren Kierkegaard: "Life is understood backward, but lived forward." The inner work of leaders is to learn from what has already been experienced so that such knowledge can be applied to whatever has yet to be accomplished. This book is not only about leading effectively...it is also about living fully, guided and informed by wisdom.

0 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars About a leader, November 6, 2000

By 

Ertan Demirbas (Ankara, TURKEY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Inner Work of Leaders: Leadership as a Habit of Mind (Hardcover)

This exiting book contains 65 characters in the Todays BIG World. There are lots of things to learn from these 65 characters selected specially. To read this guide book about the leaders of the BIG World will enlarge your view in all kind of your relation.