Leadership Development in Balance: Made/Born [Paperback]

Bruce J. Avolio (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 080583284X | ISBN-13: 978-0805832846 | Publication Date: November 30, 2004

This book, written by a leading scholar in leadership, takes readers through a very realistic look at what it takes to develop leadership competencies. Focusing on four major goals, this text:
*provides the reader with a broader and deeper understanding of what constitutes authentic leadership development;
*challenges a very basic notion that leaders are born versus made;
*talks about the elements that comprise leadership development so readers are informed to ask the many providers of leadership development the right questions; and
*develops full leadership potential.

There are numerous case examples used throughout the book: high-tech executives, community leaders, correctional service supervisors, bank managers in Canada, and platoon commanders in Israel. Each example is used as a general basis for discussing how people develop their leadership potential, and as models of training and evaluation.

Leadership Development in Balance: MADE/Born is intended for graduate or undergraduate students of leadership, project managers, supervisors, senior executives, school principles, health care officers, or legislators.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"He presents a multilevel view of  leadership development, characterizes four transformational leadership styles, and provides extensive supporting research. This volume is an excellent adjunct to leadership, leadership development, and human resource management/development courses. Highly recommended."
—CHOICE

"Throughout the book, the author takes a personal journey with the reader....Perhaps, though, this is the sign of a good book--you are left wanting to keep going on the journey...the book could be very helpful in executive coaching sessions with leaders who seriously want to improve and agree to take a thoughtful approach....the author's communication style is engaging and enlightening. He has prepared a book that is a must-read for those who really want to move to the next level of leadership as well as those of us who create the programs to help them along the way."
—PsycCRITIQUES

"The hallmark of this book is its in-depth treatment of the subject. Leadership Development in Balance is loaded with rich content. This is a masterful work on a complex subject."

—Stern's Management Review Online

"...this book should be a 'must read' for anyone who provides or receives executive coaching. The content of the book provides a framework to support the ongoing learning process that an executive coach should provide. This book is well written and is based on considerable research....It simply explains many fundamental issues about developing leadership in people that could be helpful for anyone who wants to lead others."
—The Psychologist-Manager Journal

"...an important book and one that clearly adds to our knowledge about leadership development and leading in changing, complex organizations. It addresses many critical, personal development issues that include perception and perspective building, reflection-in-action, communication skills, and leadership tactics and styles. His book should be required reading in courses and programs in leadership and leadership development."
—Academy of Management Learning & Education

"Bruce J. Avolio has created something that does not currently exist: a guide to individual leadership development that is solidly grounded in research on leadership development (scanty as it is) authored by one of the leading empirical researchers in the field....Established leaders (or prospective leaders) who want to rise to the next level will find that following this guidebook is the best way to get there."
—Ronald Riggio
Director, Kravis Leadership Institute, Claremont McKenna College

"Avolio's writing style is highly personal. Reading the book is like sitting down with the author and hearing him explain his views about leadership. Grounded in the author's research and years of practice, the writing is clear and accessible to executives, managers, and aspiring leaders."
—Manuel London
State University of New York at Stony Brook

About the Author

Bruce J. Avoliois the Clifton Chair in Leadership at the College of Business Administration at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. In addition, he is also Director of the Gallup Leadership Institute, Co-Director of the UNL and Gallup MBA/MA program in executive leadership, and Director of the Ph.D. program with a specialization in leadership at the College of Business Administration at UNL. He is a division chair at the Academy of Management, a fellow of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, and has an international reputation as a researcher in leadership. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 248 pages
• Publisher: Lawrence Erlbaum (November 30, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 080583284X
• ISBN-13: 978-0805832846
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #636,871 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A MASTERFUL BOOK ON LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT!, April 12, 2005

By 

Gerry Stern "Stern's Management Review Online" (Culver City, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Leadership Development in Balance: Made/Born (Paperback)

At the outset, Avolio asserts that leadership is both made and born; a person's beliefs about leadership can, however, become self-fulfilling and self-limiting. Learning and leading must go hand in hand for a person to achieve his/her full leadership potential. Thankfully, this author believes that the development of authentic leadership is more profound than a listing of do's and don'ts; he is true to his ambition. In each chapter Avolio discusses one main concept that makes up an overall model of leadership development with the aim of conveying a new model for the reader. The context of the model is each person's life stream-events that shape their views, used to lead others. The key elements are 1) a person's self and possible self (perspective of self), 2) perspective of others, 3) using feedback to adjust behavior, 4) mistakes and trust, and 5) the merging of leadership and technology. Avolio then looks at the state-of-art of leadership development today, examines strategic leadership development, and presents a model that predicts performance and can be used for development. The final chapter provides supporting research for each preceding chapter. The hallmark of this book is its in-depth treatment of the subject. It is loaded with rich content. This is a masterful work on an complex subject.

2 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Nice book but..., October 14, 2005

By 

A Reader (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Leadership Development in Balance: Made/Born (Paperback)

This book is typical of what is coming out of the Ivory Tower these days; soft, lukewarm mush, served up by the 50-something virtuecrats too acquiescent to challenge the reigning bobble-heads of the Status Quo and their minion of Thought Police. Albeit well written and somewhat engaging, Leadership Development in Balance Born/Made is conditioned to ignore the historic implications that hard core idealism and practical application are mutually exclusive.

The book's overall compass points leadership development towards a holistic direction (e.g., positive self-absorptions relating to self and other; AAR, perspectives, perceptions, debriefing, reflections, etc., for the good of the collective whole). However, one becomes discerningly aware that it is geared only towards the elite who, as suggested throughout the book, seem effectually challenged by the growing complexities of today's global economies, diverse cultures and social systems. Avolio stresses altruism and selflessness as the cornerstone of leadership development and although a fetching concept, it will be some time before beneficent leadership trends emerge such as leaders nailing themselves to the corporate cross for the good of their followers, organizations, and communities. Perhaps only a minute fraction submits to the idea of output without incentives as being above the bottom line, but in almost all cases, selflessness is an abstraction which goes against the constructs of the human genome in spite of what the idealists will tell you (remember, they are the ones earning the 6-figure incomes!).

Some of the ideas presented in the book sounded familiar, while many are still in the same old, same old mode-and that is too bad. Certain points could have been fleshed out to produce cutting edge initiatives, yet I hesitate to elaborate on their specifics since it appears, allegedly, that the author's Well of Originality has hit rock bottom; an inevitable outcome characteristic of anyone involved in one discipline for an extended period of time.