From the Inside Flap
The investment industry has enjoyed nearly twenty years of extraordinary prosperity, during which time good leadership skills were not vital to success. Now that the industry is entering a new and more competitive era, the future of firms will depend on good leadership–and managing the firm will become as important as managing the money. So, how do leaders create winning cultures that result in the most successful investment firms? How do leaders fully leverage the talent in a company to obtain positive results?
Investment Leadership: Building a Winning Culture for Long-Term Success clearly identifies those elements of leadership that significantly contribute to an investment firm’s sustainable success. Combining an in-depth knowledge of the investment industry with time-tested, research-based concepts and tools in the areas of leadership and culture, author Jim Ware, with the help of Beth Michaels and Dale Primer, reveals the secrets of long-term success in the investment industry.
Divided into five information-rich parts, Investment Leadership provides you with the tools to:
- Understand the leadership factors that contribute to sustainable growth
- Diagnose a firm’s culture and understand why it is important
- Replicate best practices from leading firms
- Communicate more effectively across all asset classes
- Identify which nonfinancial firms will be outstanding performers
- Assess investment managers and compare them to one another
Whether you’re an outstanding investment leader such as Jack Brennan at Vanguard or a newcomer to the investment industry, understanding investment leadership is now more important than ever. This comprehensive resource will prepare you for a variety of investment leadership and corporate culture issues through coverage of the behavioral descriptions of leadership and culture, explanations of how you can quantify the people side of the business, and discussions of how to improve your firm’s goal setting, compensation, and succession planning.
In light of the collapse of Enron and other recent corporate failures, many investors are left wondering what roles leadership, culture, and values play in today’s financial industry. With the help of diagnostic tools, practical advice from industry leaders, and real-life case studies, Investment Leadership sets out to explore these issues and answer many of the pressing questions facing today’s investment professional.
From the Back Cover
"Marshals a prodigious quantity of theoretical and empirical insights into the investment industry . . . "
–Theodore Aronson
Chair of the AIMR Board of Governors
Praise for Investment Leadership
"Investment Leadership presents an insightful and intelligent description of the cultural issues in the investment industry. This work is a must-read for investment professionals as it provides a thought-provoking shift from ‘what we do’ to ‘how we do it.’"
–E. David Coolidge III, Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
William Blair and Company
"We all know, intuitively, that the investment managers who don’t care about their people, don’t care about their clients, or don’t care about new ideas and innovation are destined to fail eventually. Investment Leadership is the first book to rigorously study the corporate cultures that can form a foundation for success in investment management. I view it as ‘must-reading’ for anyone who seriously wants to succeed in institutional investment management."
–Robert D. Arnott Chairman, First Quadrant, LP
and Editor, Financial Analysts Journal
"In the midst of a challenging environment for investment firms, the authors strike at the very core of the industry’s issues with culture. With common sense backed by analytical research, Investment Leadership exposes the myths that have characterized corporate America for too long–identifying the core values of successful companies and thereby redefining the future of an industry."
–John W. Rogers Jr., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Ariel Capital Management, Inc./Ariel Mutual Funds
"Investment Leadership highlights many issues which are at the heart of managing an investment firm. It is very hard to get these core organizational values right and keep them relevant over time. This book has given me a number of tools which will help me in my role."
–Glenn R. Carlson, CFA, Co-Chief Executive Officer
Brandes Investment Partners, LLC
"Investment Leadership fills a big void in the industry by providing us with an understanding of the key ingredients of investment leadership. It is a must-read for all investment professionals who aspire to a higher standard of leadership."
–Harry Marmer, Senior Vice President, Institutional Investment Services
Franklin Templeton Institutional
