Inspiring Excellence [Hardcover]

Michael Schutzler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 5, 2009

Michael Schutzler clarifies the essentials for leadership excellence. Lay a foundation of listening, storytelling, negotiating, and making assessments. Apply those skills to the functions of assembling talent, reaching consensus, making tough decisions, and harnessing ambition. Walking the talk, Schutzler inspires with clever and relevant anecdotes the reader easily commits to memory. Simple exercises then move the reader to transform ideas into action and, with practice, into targeted results.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Inspiring Excellence is both comprehensive and insightful. I highly recommend the book for leaders who want to up their game. --Jim Wiggett, CEO, Jackson Hole Group

Inspiring Excellence is a lightning strike of clarity and simplicity. Michael Schutzler distills the profound principles of great leadership into basic and clear precepts of action and relationship. --Sandy Gould, VP Human Resources, Linden Lab -- creators of Second Life

This well-organized thoughtful book distills a broad topic down to very specific, actionable, and practical tools for sharpening leadership skills. I intend to keep a copy in the top drawer of my desk for handy reference and as a periodic reminder of the blueprint for effective leadership. --Paul Goodrich, Managing Director, Madrona Venture Group

About the Author

Michael Schutzler is a highly respected business coach for CEOs, executives, and board members around the world. He has experience providing leadership to businesses and organizations for over 25 years. Michael holds an MBA from the W. E. Simon School at the University of Rochester and lives in Seattle.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 156 pages
• Publisher: Book Publishers Network; 1st edition (May 5, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 193535910X
• ISBN-13: 978-1935359104
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 5.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,125,639 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Michael Schutzler is a successful business coach with more than a dozen years experience coaching and mentoring CEOs, executives, and board members.

Michael developed a passion for and expertise in leadership over the course of twenty-five years in a wide variety of executive and management roles in notable companies, including Harris Corporation, RR Donnelley & Sons, Classmates.com, and RealNetworks. He has travelled extensively throughout Asia, the Middle-East, and Europe.

As an independent venture investor, he has helped launch more than a dozen Internet and technology companies. Michael has also served in leadership roles in nonprofit organizations and public school committees.

He holds an MBA in Finance and Economics from the W. E. Simon School at University of Rochester and a BS in Electrical Engineering from Pennsylvania State University.

Michael is currently serving as CEO of Livemocha.com - the world's largest language learning community.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Actionable Insights!, September 13, 2009

By 

John Lusk (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Inspiring Excellence (Hardcover)

Schutzler's writing style, combined with his experience in growing companies and leading organizations, makes for a fun, informative and well-written read. So why did Inspiring Excellence take me over 3 months to read!?!? I found Schutzler's accounts, examples and insights so helpful, that I felt it necessary to immediately act on his suggestions. I made it through Chapter 4 (Listening), when I realized just what I wasn't doing in my own day-to-day work practices. And it wasn't just listening. I found myself taking time to act on insights from numerous other chapters, especially Chapter 7 (Assessing People) and Chapter 11 (Harnessing Ambition). It's an experience book, and is truly useful if you actually apply some of Schutzler's experiences and learnings to your own leadership situations. And clearly, it's served as a reference point for me, as I continue to refer back to ear-marked pages. A great read and recommended for those leaders who want to take action and improve on their abilities.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Insightful Perspective from an Experienced Operator---, June 7, 2009

By 

Jeffrey T. Seely (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Inspiring Excellence (Hardcover)

I've read a number of management science/behavior books (many!) and I found Schutzler's book to be a useful, refreshing and insightful read. He captures aspects of leadership in a clear and direct voice, and he uses great real-life vignettes to make his points in a fun and easily understandable way. This is a quick read, and unlike so many of the business books I start, I finished this one, and with a smile on my face. I recommend it to any business professional looking to refine his or her style of leadership.
Jeff Seely
CEO, Recruiting.com

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Leadership may not be easy, but it doesn't need to be complicated either, August 14, 2010

By 

James B Pickell - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Inspiring Excellence (Hardcover)

Much has been written about the difference between good managers and great leaders, including on the debate as to whether leadership can indeed be learned. Michael Schutzler provides a detailed and yet concise roadmap on the topic, one that would benefit anyone committed to making the transition from a good manager to a great leader (and even leaders dedicated to further honing their skills). Michael makes a convincing case that one can indeed learn to lead -- at least those committed to do the work.

I've found most leadership gurus' writing on the topic to be either too theoretical or, frankly, too verbose. This book is unique in that it reduces the art of leadership to several key elements with bite-sized and manageable concepts that one can easily use to practice his/her skills. While there's no implication that the path is easy, there's plenty of meaningful material to offer even the most seasoned executive the opportunity to grow and improve their leadership skills (e.g., by something as simple as practicing the art of effective listening). These opportunities are referenced in a writing style that's clear, simple and targeted. Michael Schutzler provides many real life examples to which the reader can relate, avoiding the academia that plagues so many books on the topic.

If every executive made a commitment to utilize even one or two of the practical concepts suggested by this book, at a minimum we'd benefit from a far more functional (and respectful) workplace. I suspect we'd also substantially improve productivity and the likelihood of successful execution of a business plan.