Leadership in a New Era [Paperback]

John Renesch (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 30, 2002

"Leadership in a New Era" is a collection of vision and wisdom for tomorrow’s business leaders, presented by a group of outstanding men and women in a joint collaboration. This rare combination of business executives, professional consultants, successful authors, and leadership scholars has come together with a common theme: new times call for new leadership. Their collective voice calls for a fundamental transformation in the way we lead, the way we see leaders, the way we allow ourselves to be led, and how we think about leadership. Topics include: Difficult Issues and Challenging Times, The Leader’s New Responsibility, Leadership in an Era of Paradox, New Thinking for New Leaders, and Implementing New Leadership.

Contributions by such successful authors on the subject of "New Leadership" as Warren Bennis ("Leaders" and "On Becoming a Leader"), Margaret Wheatley ("Leadership and the New Science"), James Autry ("Love & Profit" and "Work & Life"), Max DePree ("Leadership is an Art" and "Leadership Jazz"), and Ann Morrison ("The New Leaders" and "Breaking the Glass Ceiling") highlight this rich collection of essays, which is edited by John Renesch, business futurist and author of "Getting to the Better Future." This book was created for the individual who recognizes that he or she could be doing more to improve or even transform their own role in their organizations, or their organization’s role in the world. Whether the reader is a middle manager, a CEO, a sales rep, or an accountant, he or she will find incredible value from the treasure chest of ideas shared by these authors.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Leadership in a New Era is a must-read for any serious student or practitioner of leadership today!" -- Darrell J. Brown, president and executive editor, Leaders Magazine

"Leadership in a New Era is a veritable feast of wisdom." -- Jim Kouzes, co-author,

"The perspective of this book exemplifies the new leadership by feeding the soul of the reader." -- William E. Halal, professor of management, George Washington University

"What a gem! There is no other collection on leadership like this." -- Dr. Michael Ray, Professor Emeritus, Stanford Graduate School of Business

About the Author

John Renesch is a San Francisco-based business futurist, commentator, and the creator of several progressive business books, including "Learning Organizations, New Traditions in Business," "The New Bottom Line," and "Getting to the Better Future: A Matter of Conscious Choosing." He publishes a free monthly newsletter—Better Future News—from his website. He is also an international keynote speaker.

Product Details

• Paperback: 328 pages
• Publisher: Paraview Press (October 30, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1931044406
• ISBN-13: 978-1931044400
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,854,712 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Author, Getting to the Better Future: A Matter of Conscious Choosing, and over ten business anthologies, business futurist, writer, commentator, publisher, "John Renesch's Mini-Keynote" monthly newsletter (free from http://www.Renesch.com) and private coach/mentor for senior executives.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A great compilation of different voices, August 26, 2006

By 

F. Galea "frank-galea.blogspot.com" (San Francisco) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Leadership in a New Era (Paperback)

Disclosure: I know John Renesch socially, although I don't believe it has influenced my star rating, it's only fair to tell the reader.

Leadership is hard to define in these changing times where organizations are evolving to become flatter and more fluid as the marketplace becomes more global and information-based. This compilation of 23 essays, organized into five thematic sections, does an amazing job of bringing a diversity of viewpoints, concerns and approaches to such an amorphous, but no less critical, topic.

Although some of the essays make specific recommendations, this is not a step by step "how-to" book like so much of the literature on business topics. As Stephen Covey points out, management and leadership are distinct skills - this book is NOT a management text. Rather, it is a spark of inspiration to light your own leadership fire and prompt reflection wherever you might be stuck. Many of the articles emphasize the role of a spiritual dimension in business and in leadership. Authenticity, listening, cultivating awareness and personal growth are recurring themes throughout the essays.

In places, some readers may find the essays too "new age" or contradictory. I'd encourage them to remember that ambiguity and paradox are the very challenges that most require leadership and adaptation without reliance on the hard, proven, old certainties. By contrast, the fourth essay, Ann Morrison's "Diversity and Leadership Development", takes a very precise and hard-nosed approach to a topic that I've seen most companies attack with a flurry of fluffy symbolic lip-service and inept half-measures. Morrison describes a model for how leaders develop, identifies the challenges faced by "nontraditional" candidates in that model, and, outlines specific steps companies can take to avoid common pitfalls if they are truly committed to building diversity at the top and throughout the organization.

My favorite single quote, which should give the reader a good feel for the overall book, is the following by James Autry in the first essay: "Or could it be that those who believe in the greed of the marketplace have just found a convenient excuse for their own greed or for their own unwillingness to concern themselves with the human spirit?"