136 of 143 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Guidelines and Parameters for the Perilous Journey Within, March 1, 2002
This review is from: The Leadership Challenge: How to Keep Getting Extraordinary Things Done in Organizations (The Leadership Practices Inventory) (Hardcover)
Note: The review which follows was written on March 2, 2002. Recently, the 4th edition of this book was published and I have read it but see no reason to change any of my original review. This latest edition has some new material, notably the inclusion of more cases from outside the United States. Also, as Kouzes and Posner explain in their Preface, "we did decide we needed to go on a diet. Each succeeding edition tended to put on a little weight -- feature creep, as they say in the technology business." For those who are curious to know, nothing in the co-authors' continuing research since the first edition has as yet revealed a "magical sixth practice that will revolutionize the practice of leadership."
* * * * *
I recently re-read this brilliant book before proceeding to Kouzes and Posner's more recently published Encouraging the Heart. I highly recommend both and suggest that they be read in the order in which they were written. Those of us who presume to review books such as this one can merely indicate their breadth and depth of substance as well as their stimulation of thought about the material presented. For example, Kouzes and Posner identify what they call "five leadership practices common to successful leaders" and then suggest ten "behavioral commitments" among those leaders studied. Here they are:
Practice: Challenge the process
Commitments: (1) Search for opportunities and (2) Experiment and take risks
Practice: Inspire a shared vision
Commitments: (3) Envision the future and (4) Enlist others
Practice: Enable others to act
Commitments: (5) Foster collaboration and (6) Strengthen others
Practice: Model the way to the desired objectives
Commitments: (7) Set the example and (8) Plan small wins
Practice: Encourage the heart of everyone involved
Commitments: (9) Recognize individual contribution and (10) Celebrate accomplishments
Those who conduct "360 Feedback" programs could do much worse than to base evaluations on criteria suggested by these practices and commitments. They provide the thematic infrastructure of the material which Kouzes and Posner present within seven Parts. The first introduces key concepts and terms: "Knowing What Leadership Is Really All About." Each of Parts Two-Six is devoted to one of the five Practices. Kouzes and Posner conclude with Part Seven, "The Beginning of Leadership', followed by two appendices which enable the reader to complete "The Personal Best Questionnaire" before reviewing "The Leadership Practices Inventory."
There are dozens of outstanding books on leadership and this is one of the best. I am especially impressed by the balance Kouzes and Posner maintain throughout between theory and practice. More specifically, they introduce and explain various core concepts and then draw upon real-world situations to illustrate those concepts. Obviously, "Encouraging the Heart" (Part Six) introduces ideas which Kouzes and Posner develop in much greater depth in a sequel volume which bears the same name. They conclude this book as follows: "We have said that leaders take us to places we have never been before. But there are no freeways to the future, no paved highways to unknown, unexplored destinations. There is only wilderness. If you are to step into the unknown, the place to begin is with the exploration of the inner territory." Those who agree (as do I) with these final remarks are urged to check out David Maister's Practice What You Preach, Tim Sanders' Love Is the Killer App, David Whyte's The Heart Aroused, and Larry Davis' Pioneering Organizations.
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59 of 65 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
one of the very best leader books, January 2, 2001
Thanks to my coursework, I'm reading lots of books on leadership. I just finished this one which I'd rate the most helpful in terms of hands-on leadership of all the ones I've read so far (about 10). The style is easy to read and quick, and the points very direct, well-explained and easy to follow. Not only that, the content is CRUCIAL for any leader. It's only too easy to see from the examples they give how many seemingly easy things (like remembering to thank your co-workers and recognize their accomplishments) are NOT followed by current leaders. In case you every wondered to yourself, "But how would I do that?" enough examples are provided (very specific ones) that any leader could manage it if they WANTED to. What I liked about this book is that it recognized many facets of leadership that have been ignored like leading with your heart and not asking others to do what you yourself would not. It's not about having the nicest office -- it's about getting out on the factory floor and talking to those you lead. A terrific book both in theory and content. If you only read one, read this one.
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31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Leadership Challenge: the hardest form of management, August 17, 2001
For the past five years The Leadership Challenge has been required reading for many students getting an MBA degree, and for good reason. First, the book is highly readable. Kouzes and Posner write for real managers with serious leadership problems. They include many true stories or managers facing difficult challenges. For example, the Pat Carrigan story at the Lakewood Assembly Plant outside of Atlanta demonstrates that it is possible for management and labor to work effectively together if the leader is a person genuinely interested in people. Pat was smart enough to know that she didn't have all the answers. She turned to her rank-and-file employees for help and they responded more favorably than even she had expected. Pat broke down the barriers that typically had existed at General Motors, opened lines of communication, and helped people to take responsibility for their work. She treated her employees like adults and the good people she knew they were. Many other stories like Pat Carrigan's fill the pages of this book and these stories are an inspiration for on-the-job leaders or those aspiring for these positions.
Next, the book is filled with good ideas and suggestions for taking a leadership role in any organization. Challenging the Process, Inspiring a Shared Vision, Enabling Others to Act, Modeling the Way, and Encouraging the Heart provide a game plan for leaders to use to positively influence the behavior of others.
Typically, managers consider such stuff as Encouraging the Heart to be too "touchy feely" to be worth serious consideration. Kouzes and Posner demonstrate convincingly, I think, that such encouragement is not "soft soap," but the hardest reality on which integrity and trust are based. Without these attributes a manager is a "menace, unfit to manage" according to no less an authority than Peter Druker, the dean of management thinking and writing for the past forty years.
Finally, The Leadership Challenge is filled with suggestions for application. Leadership is a practice and anyone interested in becoming a leader must work each day at building leadership skill. Kouzes and Posner ask readers to 1. Pay attention, really pay attention to what is going on in their organization. 2. Take risks that separate them from the play it safe folks who consider hiding the safest form of management. 3. Seek feedback. As Ken Blanchard says, "Feedback is the breakfast of champions." Kouzes and Posner encourage the reader to talk across boundaries -- Pat Carrigan was a perfect example of this. 4. Accept responsibility. Harry Truman seemed like such an ordinary man, but when leadership presented itself to him, he accepted full responsiblity for his actions and became a fine president.
Forty years ago David McClelland of Harvard espoused these ideas in his book, The Achieving Society, and provided evidence that people who act on these suggestions become effective leaders. Kouzes and Posner do not write like academics such as McClelland. They are popularizers, and good ones. Many of their ideas have stood the test of time and are worth learning and applying.
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