12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Must Read!, January 5, 2008
This review is from: Leadership Therapy: Inside the Mind of Microsoft (Hardcover)
This book is a MUST READ for anyone wishing to delve into the mysteries of why we behave the way we do at work, the often unintended consequences of our actions, and ways we can overcome the ingrained habits that can sabotage our workplace success. While based almost entirely on Dr. Rowley's experience in a private company, I found her stories and insights quite germane to my work in the public sector. Dr. Rowley's conversational style made me feel as if I was on the couch with these Microsoft managers, working through their challenges and identifying creative solutions. While I am not a big fan of nonfiction books, particularly ones that deal with private sector moguls, I found I couldn't put this one down. If you are at all interested in the psychology of workplace relationships, this is the book for you.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Must read -- even if you don't work at Microsoft, February 19, 2008
This review is from: Leadership Therapy: Inside the Mind of Microsoft (Hardcover)
Anna Rowley hits the nail on the head with this book. There are lessons that we can all take away from this book and apply to our personal and professional lives, regardless of whether you're in a leadership role.
It's well written book and is hard to put down. Even though she takes on some very big topics, she presents them in a manner that is accessible to everyone and she doesn't overwhelm the reader at all. She breaks down the problems that leaders face into chapters that are easy to digest. I haven't done the exercises yet, but I'm planning to go back to do them
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Leadership therapy at work, April 2, 2011
Before listening to the audio version of this book, I'd never heard of Short Term Corporate Therapy. First, I've never had an employer with resources for this type of benefit. But Microsoft does. Second, the idea of a therapist accompanying employees to meetings never occurred to me. This type of therapy happens in real time. Fortunately, Microsoft allowed this information to be made available.
I think methods used by Rowley hold potential lacking in many career coaching methodologies. Rowley was able to detect differences between her clients' perceptions of events and the actual events because she was present so much of the time. A career coach would need access to make observations, and certainly that is difficult if not impossible to get in most cases. Also, Rowley's access extended to the more than decade-long investment in her time to get to know Microsoft from the inside. She was part of Microsoft.
The people Rowley treated were not ordinary in that they were elites in the corporate world that is so dominant. At the same time, they came across as ordinary because they were dealing with typical personal problems. They shared the common goal of becoming more effective leaders. This was important for their careers, and anybody can relate to that.
If there is one single thing I noted that in my view might limit practitioners' use of the Rowley method (short term corporate therapy), it has to do with the direction of cash flow. Significantly, Microsoft paid for Rowley's professional services. What I'm getting at is the notion that if the subjects had paid directly, things might have been different. Rowley was incentivized to compel subjects to quickly get to the root of their problems. This was in Microsoft's best interest. The drive to deliver quarterly financial results and to dominate more and more markets was relentless. Subjects had to make corrections in how they did things and how they perceived things very, very quickly.
Microsoft seemed to have made a winning investment in Rowley's services. Individuals benefited as well since they were helped to confront personal problems on the path toward effective leadership. I think listeners of this audiobook benefit because we can see ourselves in the elite subjects at Microsoft. Also, Leadership Therapy demonstrates that personal problems can be dealt with very quickly under the right circumstances (extreme pressure) and with quality guidance.
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