Leaders Make the Future: Ten New Leadership Skills for an Uncertain World (Bk Business) (Hardcover)

~ Bob Johansen (Author)
Key Phrases: commons creating, winning proposition, dilemma flipping, Maker Faire, Safeco Field, Immersive Learning Ability (more...)

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Product Description

What future forces will affect a leaders ability to lead in the next year, 5 years, 10 years?

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Product Details Hardcover: 194 pages Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers; First Edition edition (May 1, 2009) Language: English ISBN-10: 1605090026 ISBN-13: 978-1605090023 Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1 inches Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies) Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews) Amazon.com Sales Rank: #219,205 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Surprise Me!

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Inside This Book (learn more)

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
commons creating, winning proposition, dilemma flipping, external future forces, maker instinct, mob organizing, meme warfare, smart mobs, forecast map, social profit

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Maker Faire, Safeco Field, Immersive Learning Ability, Army War College, United States, Ten-Year Forecast, Constructive Depolarizing, Smart Mob Organizing, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, The Mariners, Scott Jenkins, The Book of Provocation, New Orleans, Scott Dye, British Airways, Quiet Transparency

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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Surprise Me!

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	94% buy the item featured on this page: Leaders Make the Future: Ten New Leadership Skills for an Uncertain World (Bk Business) 3.6 out of 5 stars (41) $17.79
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Customer Reviews

41 Reviews 5 star:  (12) 4 star:  (9) 3 star:  (14) 2 star:  (4) 1 star:  (2)           Average Customer Review 3.6 out of 5 stars (41 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews 3 of 3 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Not just another leadership book..., June 13, 2009 By  Kanishk Rastogi "the reviewer" (Albany, NY United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)       (What's this?) When I started reading this book, I thought it will be just like another leadership book with the same skills as available in plenty of other texts, repackaged with new definitions and different examples. However, it turned out to be a really useful book with an apt focus on the leadership skills required for our uncertain and improbable world. (As appropriately mentioned in the title). Author provides the following three basic assumptions about our world and bases the new skills around them: 1. The VUCA world of volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity will get worse in future. 2. The VUCA world wlll have both danger and opportunity. 3. Leaders must learn new skills in order to make a new future. In his Introduction, he tells us about the forces of future which will shape the future. There is also a "forecast Map" in the inside flap whic links the new leadership skills with these forces of future. It is a nice visual to learn & understand these new dynamics. Each chapter then is devoted to these new skills with everyday examples, definitions, and examples from companies. I won't delineate these skills separately, as other reviews here have covered them. Overall, it is a recommended read. 2 of 2 people found the following review helpful: 4.0 out of 5 stars An interesting read, not for everyone though, July 24, 2009 By  Gaijin "on the rock that spews lava.." (Hilo, HI United States) - See all my reviews    (What's this?) This book was a little different from what I expected. Assuming it just another leader/management type book, I went in with certain expectations. WHat I found was a very interesting and unique book with a lot of what makes a good leader not by bullet points, but more by philosophy. The skills presented are a step forward in seeing ahead, and definitely are a departure from the normal things you see in these types of books. I wonder if many people will accept what the author is trying to say, as this book touches on what is to come, instead of what is in the now. Many people don't or can't see past the present, or if they do, only look ahead a short while. This is a very good book, if you can put aside pre-conceived notions and ideas. 4 of 5 people found the following review helpful: 2.0 out of 5 stars Challenging..., March 29, 2009 By  D. Kanigan (CT, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)       (What's this?) Bob Johansen is the former President and a current Board member of the Institute for the Future (IFTF) - an independent nonprofit think tank that has produced an annual ten-year forecast for over 40 years. Johansen explains that in a world of increasing volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity (VUCA), leaders must learn new skills in order to make a better future including: 1) Maker instinct (leaders approach their leadership with commitment of a job and energy of a passionate hobby) 2) Clarity (leaders being clear about what they are making but flexible about how it gets made) 3) Dilemma Flipping (turning problems that can't be solved into opportunities) 4) Immersive Learning (learning by doing) 5) Bio-empathy (understand, respect and learn from nature) 6) Constructive depolarization (calming tense situations and bringing people from divergent cultures towards constructive engagement) 7) Quiet transparency (ability to be open and authentic about what matters to you without self-promotion) 8) Rapid Prototyping (ability to create early versions of innovations) 9) Smart mob organizing (creating, engaging and nurturing social networks) 10)Commons creating (stimulate, grow and nurture shared assets that can benefit other players) While the preface and introduction had me looking forward to reading on, I found getting through the book challenging. The author does an effective job in explaining the "what" and the "why" but not the "how." He uses a patch work of lightly connected examples throughout the book...rather than bringing color to the leadership skill, the examples often tended to be a distraction. Johansen concludes with a solid recap - questions you may ask yourself in evaluating your level of competence for the new leadership skills along with a self-assessment rating system. Unfortunately, getting from the introduction to chapter 10 takes some doing.		Ad feedback   Most Recent Customer Reviews 3.0 out of 5 stars Leadership for uncertain times, some good food for thought. There are multitudes of books written on leadership and many of those recent books have focused on charting the uncertain territory of present times when the stocks have dipped... Read more Published 24 days ago by Anjana Nigam 4.0 out of 5 stars Tools to help you build your own future While not groundbreaking, Johansen's focus on core philosophies as opposed to activities offers true value for the reader if they can turn theory into reality. Read more Published 1 month ago by Shane O. Laake 3.0 out of 5 stars A challenging, forward-thinking leadership guide Bob Johansen's "Leaders Make the Future" is a different kind of leadership book; readers looking for a Dale Carnegie or John Maxwell-type tome likely will be disappointed... Read more Published 1 month ago by J. Kim 3.0 out of 5 stars It's still hard to turn some of these into concrete, measurable skills... I received an advanced readers copy of the book Leaders Make the Future: Ten New Leadership Skills for an Uncertain World by Bob Johansen. Read more Published 2 months ago by Thomas Duff 3.0 out of 5 stars New ideas for a new time I am a Trainer/facilitator by trade, working with educational leaders. Needless to say, helping people lead in uncertain times requires a new look at the dynamics of leadership... Read more Published 2 months ago by N. Caruso 3.0 out of 5 stars Compelling and Thought Provoking But Short on Detail The authoris is very convincing in conveying his "VUCA" (volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity) model of issues facing leaders will only increase in the future. Read more Published 2 months ago by Stuart Gardner 3.0 out of 5 stars Application We are in a fast world. News tomorrow morning could change your life as you know it; many people's lives. Read more Published 2 months ago by K. Lin 4.0 out of 5 stars Predicting the Future or Making It? There's an irony to the title of this book: leaders, we're told, make the future but Bob Johansen is already describing it for us! Read more Published 2 months ago by C. Taylor 5.0 out of 5 stars refreshing approach to futures work As a fellow futurist but a different breed than most, I was pleasantly surprised to read how a professional colleague with such stellar credentials in futures work could point to... Read more Published 3 months ago by John Renesch 3.0 out of 5 stars Good Bones but Hard to Read As a college professor that teaches leadership development, I looked forward to reading this book and considered using it for my class. Read more Published 3 months ago by M. Bruner Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 194 pages
• Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers; First Edition edition (May 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1605090026
• ISBN-13: 978-1605090023
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #219,205 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not just another leadership book..., June 13, 2009

By	Kanishk Rastogi "the reviewer" (Albany, NY United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

(What's this?)

When I started reading this book, I thought it will be just like another leadership book with the same skills as available in plenty of other texts, repackaged with new definitions and different examples. However, it turned out to be a really useful book with an apt focus on the leadership skills required for our uncertain and improbable world. (As appropriately mentioned in the title).

Author provides the following three basic assumptions about our world and bases the new skills around them:
1. The VUCA world of volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity will get worse in future.
2. The VUCA world wlll have both danger and opportunity.
3. Leaders must learn new skills in order to make a new future.

In his Introduction, he tells us about the forces of future which will shape the future. There is also a "forecast Map" in the inside flap whic links the new leadership skills with these forces of future. It is a nice visual to learn & understand these new dynamics.

Each chapter then is devoted to these new skills with everyday examples, definitions, and examples from companies. I won't delineate these skills separately, as other reviews here have covered them.

Overall, it is a recommended read.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An interesting read, not for everyone though, July 24, 2009

By	Gaijin "on the rock that spews lava.." (Hilo, HI United States) - See all my reviews

(What's this?)

This book was a little different from what I expected. Assuming it just another leader/management type book, I went in with certain expectations. WHat I found was a very interesting and unique book with a lot of what makes a good leader not by bullet points, but more by philosophy. The skills presented are a step forward in seeing ahead, and definitely are a departure from the normal things you see in these types of books. I wonder if many people will accept what the author is trying to say, as this book touches on what is to come, instead of what is in the now. Many people don't or can't see past the present, or if they do, only look ahead a short while. This is a very good book, if you can put aside pre-conceived notions and ideas.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Challenging..., March 29, 2009

By	D. Kanigan (CT, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

(What's this?)

Bob Johansen is the former President and a current Board member of the Institute for the Future (IFTF) - an independent nonprofit think tank that has produced an annual ten-year forecast for over 40 years. Johansen explains that in a world of increasing volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity (VUCA), leaders must learn new skills in order to make a better future including:

1) Maker instinct (leaders approach their leadership with commitment of a job and energy of a passionate hobby)
2) Clarity (leaders being clear about what they are making but flexible about how it gets made)
3) Dilemma Flipping (turning problems that can't be solved into opportunities)
4) Immersive Learning (learning by doing)
5) Bio-empathy (understand, respect and learn from nature)
6) Constructive depolarization (calming tense situations and bringing people from divergent cultures towards constructive engagement)
7) Quiet transparency (ability to be open and authentic about what matters to you without self-promotion)
8) Rapid Prototyping (ability to create early versions of innovations)
9) Smart mob organizing (creating, engaging and nurturing social networks)
10)Commons creating (stimulate, grow and nurture shared assets that can benefit other players)

While the preface and introduction had me looking forward to reading on, I found getting through the book challenging. The author does an effective job in explaining the "what" and the "why" but not the "how." He uses a patch work of lightly connected examples throughout the book...rather than bringing color to the leadership skill, the examples often tended to be a distraction.

Johansen concludes with a solid recap - questions you may ask yourself in evaluating your level of competence for the new leadership skills along with a self-assessment rating system. Unfortunately, getting from the introduction to chapter 10 takes some doing.