Customer Reviews

Learning to Lead: A Workbook on Becoming a Leader

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
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The late Vince Lombardi once asserted that leaders are made -- they are not born. "And they are made just like anything else that has ever been made in this country -- by hard effort and that's the price we all have to pay to achieve that goal, or any goal." Bennis and Goldsmith agree. Theirs is literally a WORK book. The material is organized within these seven chapters:

Leadership for a Successful Future ["Followers, who are often partners in an endeavor, look to leaders to interpret reality, explain the present, and paint a picture of the future."]

How to Use This Workbook ["We are introducing a different path to leadership development -- one that has twists and turns. It may not take a reader on a direct route to a finite end-place."]

The Leadership Crisis ["Where have all the leaders gone?...In the past two decades, there has been a high turnover, an appalling mortality -- both occupational and actuarial -- among leaders."]

Knowing Yourself ["If we have a clear awareness of who we are, we can develop the habit of staying tuned to what we say and do."]

NOTE: Bennis and Goldsmith agree with Shakespeare's Polonius ("To thine ownself be true") as does James O'Toole who, in The Executive's Compass and in Leading Change, has much of value to say on the subject of congruence of values and behavior.

Creating and Communicating a Vision ["Vision animates, inspirits, and transforms purpose into action."]

Managing Trust Through Integrity ["The leader has a vision for the organization that is clear, attractive, and attainable....has unconditional empathy for for those who live in the organization.....the leader's positions are consistent....and the leader's integrity is unquestionable."]

Realizing Intention Through Action [Those who would be leaders "need to know where you begin and where you want to go....flesh out those routes, elaborate them, revise them, and map them, complete with possible pitfalls and traps as well as rewards"....also you must "look to see if the direct route is the most sound, or whether you should make a more circuitous approach....you plan your resources and identify your allies....examine your map objectively, as if you were not its maker....Finally, when you have finished the strategy, you set out to climb the mountain."]

The authors share a wealth of their own observations and suggestions in each of the seven chapters. What sets this book apart from others which address similar subjects is its inclusion of dozens of exercises for the reader to complete within the (WORK) book. The reader is also provided with "Books on Leadership: An Annotated Bibliography" prepared by Emmeline de Pillis, Anthony Khoo, and Hyepin Im. To their excellent suggestions I would add Tichy's The Leadership Engine because, as Goldsmith observes, "Our book proposes that in our world of startling changes and overwhelming challenges, leadership is needed at every level and in every nook and corner of our organizations. We can only have the leadership we need if individuals are encouraged, motivated and supported to create themselves as leaders on a day by day basis." I also recommend Fitz-enz's The ROI of Human Capital because, without effective leadership, no organization can possibly derive greatest benefit from its most valuable asset. Again quoting Goldsmith, "The insights, theories, exercises, and tools included within our book guide leadership explorations and discoveries by staff, managers and executives at all levels of their organizations and in all areas of their lives."

For whom will this excellent book be most helpful? First, for senior-level executives who are already leaders of others and feel the need for what could perhaps be called a "tune-up" of basic principles. Also, for those who aspire to be leaders and are willing and able to complete the exercises with both rigor and (more importantly) candor. Finally, for students of business now in preparation for careers which may soon begin. (This book would be an excellent holiday or graduation gift.) Bennis and Goldsmith conclude as follows: "We hope you will continue to develop what you have begun in the learning partnership we have created here together. We look forward to knowing you more directly in the future. Empowerment leads to quality and ultimately to love of ourselves, of our work, and of life. More we cannot wish you." Nor can I.

Clarity. Simple, straight-forward, clarity. In the hustle and jive of selling leadership, this book stands out. As the authors point out, leadership has become a growth industry. In our hunger for answers to increasingly complex problems, we consume vast quantities of pretty unsubstantial literature on leadership. "Learning to Lead" brings a clarity to the matter of leadership development that is refreshing. The authors don't try to boil a complex subject down to aphorisms, but they do succeed in clarifying the route to developing leadership. They focus their efforts on exercises that will test and reinforce an aspiring leaders ability to know themselves, to create and communicate a vision, to maintain trust through integrity (couldn't a few of our leaders use that!) and realizing intention through action. Simple. Clear. Straightforward.

The exercises, although mostly paper and pencil activities that anyone could do without cooperating partners, are appropriate for the format of the book. Again they seek to clarify our vision of what we can do, even if we are not Gandhi, Martin Luthor King or Napoleon, to exercise leadership in our lives and our communities. This book is both inspirational and immanently practical. I awarded this book only 4 stars simply for the lack of graphics and visual content. It could have been more effective if it had been developed with visual learners in mind.

This is a book which is incredibly hands on and easy to access. Bennis focuses on the essentials of leadership and unlike so many others, he gives concrete tangible steps for people to take to help them discover their own leadership potential. It is useful for individuals and for groups. It has application for people from all walks of life, at all stages of life and at all stages of personal development!

Using a framework for thinking about and developing leadership talents, this workbook presents a course of study consisting of discussion and many exercises (including a leadership assessment inventory), focusing on character and core competencies. The theme is we are each capable of creating ourselves as effective leaders and can find a place on a continuum of leadership ranging from indirect support to direct leadership. This book offers a highly practical approach to leadership self-development. Reviewed by Gerry Stern, founder, HR consultant.com InfoCenter and Stern & Associates.

I'm not sure that I received any value from this book. I was certainly annoyed by the authors' unrestrained endorsement of all things on the left side of the political spectrum (i.e. Obama, Gore, global warming, etc). There wasn't a lot of heavy thought put into the writing of this book, and the use of workbook-style questions for the reader seems to have been a device by the authors for adding content to an otherwise unoriginal collection of management clichés. I recommend reading a good biography of one of our nation's great leaders such as Lincoln or Washington if you want to get concrete examples of leadership principles.

The book itself helps the individual understand what defines a good manager v. leader, and how better to understand ones' own personal style.

This workbook is filled with excellent ideas and exercises for leaders at all levels, and for those who aspire to be leaders. I use it extensively with my consulting and coaching practice. My clients really love it!

I particularly enjoyed the simple, yet subtle style how the book is written. Only when a real Master such as Warren Bennis does that, it brings home the message intended. I consider this a valuable read not only fr those that wish to become better leaders but also for those that are working in the field of management development. Here is another proof, that valuable training has often more to do with depth than with the complexity of the materials you present.

All leaders share six competencies:
- Mastering the context (understanding the big picture externally, while centered by an inner context of values, frames of reference, agendas, and ethical commitments)
- Knowing yourself
- Creating a vision
- Communicating with meaning
- Building trust through integrity
- Realizing intentions through actions.
The goal of this book is to encourage the reader to develop all six of these competencies and each of its chapters focuses on one of them. The book has a wealth of exercises, enriched with much commentary. Excellent practical learning tool.

Trouble first appeared on the front cover. A silver haired gentleman staring resolutely into the future. My next door neighbour on the train commented "he looks like a pompous ....head".

This was at it turned out. While it is actually quite short it seemed long because there was little that is not commonplace. I nearly fell asleep reading acres of mind numbing statements of the obvious.

Give it a miss, there is much better out there.