Lost and Found: The Story of How One Man Discovered the Secrets of Leadership . . .Where He Wasn't Even Looking [Hardcover]

Lyle Sussman Ph.D. (Author), Sam Deep (Author), Alex Stiber (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 3, 2004 | ISBN-10: 1400050855 | ISBN-13: 978-1400050857 | Edition: 1

Larry has worked his way up to his first big assignment as a manager. But now the work is piling up on his desk. His people can’t seem to make decisions—certainly not the right ones. His mentor has been fired. Worst of all, his boss sends him out for leadership training. Larry never thought he needed all that “people skills” stuff to perform, and spouting buzzwords doesn’t seem to work for him, anyway. I’m doing my job, Larry thinks. What does this company want from me? He truly feels lost.

After alienating his staff even more and incurring costly time delays, Larry is sent on a forced vacation, which begins with a comic but poignant fishing trip misadventure. Finally, miles from home and work, Larry opens his mind to new ways of thinking about leadership. He learns important leadership lessons in his daily life: planning a family trip, watching his son play ball, fishing with his daughter. He realizes that everyone needs to KNOW, GROW, and OWN, and that being a leader means helping and enabling people to fulfill those needs.

At last Larry has a credo that he can believe in, three powerful principles that all managers can use to get the best from themselves and the people around them.

Praised by executives and business experts, Lost & Found reveals the core of leadership through the power of an engaging and wonderfully told story. Managers will recognize parts of themselves and people they know in Larry Parks, a smart worker temporarily stymied by a new type of challenge. At the end of the book the authors provide tips for putting the KNOW-GROW-OWN credo to work in different types of jobs and in different kinds of companies and organizations. Combining inspiration and practical advice, Lost & Found will help talented workers transform themselves into great leaders.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In the tradition of Who Moved My Cheese?, Larry Parks is asked to attend a development workshop while he's in the midst of overseeing a major project. On his return, his manager questions him intently about the workshop and soon after, again presses him for feedback. In fact, Larry's supervisor is very concerned with Larry's interpersonal skills and his ability to manage effectively. Only after Larry is told to take a "vacation" does he begin to see that he has been treating his staff and his family in similar ways: "All I've taught them is to go off and focus on their own pieces of the puzzle and let me worry about putting it all together. I'll bet that some of them, like me, are so focused on the budgets and timelines related to what they're designing and building that they hardly if ever even think about the people who will use it!" The authors, management professors and consultants, use Larry's predicament to show how effective employees need to learn how to become effective leaders. According to the authors, the key "grow" question for managers to ask is "Are my team members more valuable to our team, to the company, and to themselves than they were a year ago?" It's equally important for managers to have a clear vision of the future and to treat their staff as if they're partners working toward this vision rather than "hired hands." Following the parable, the authors offer about 10 pages explaining their "know, grow and own" philosophy. The parable is entertaining and many readers are likely to identify with the character's stressed and overscheduled predicament. The question is whether readers are weary of this genre.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From the Inside Flap

Larry has worked his way up to his first big assignment as a manager. But now the work is piling up on his desk. His people can?t seem to make decisions?certainly not the right ones. His mentor has been fired. Worst of all, his boss sends him out for leadership training. Larry never thought he needed all that ?people skills? stuff to perform, and spouting buzzwords doesn?t seem to work for him, anyway. I?m doing my job, Larry thinks. What does this company want from me? He truly feels lost.

After alienating his staff even more and incurring costly time delays, Larry is sent on a forced vacation, which begins with a comic but poignant fishing trip misadventure. Finally, miles from home and work, Larry opens his mind to new ways of thinking about leadership. He learns important leadership lessons in his daily life: planning a family trip, watching his son play ball, fishing with his daughter. He realizes that everyone needs to KNOW, GROW, and OWN, and that being a leader means helping and enabling people to fulfill those needs.

At last Larry has a credo that he can believe in, three powerful principles that all managers can use to get the best from themselves and the people around them.

Praised by executives and business experts, Lost & Found reveals the core of leadership through the power of an engaging and wonderfully told story. Managers will recognize parts of themselves and people they know in Larry Parks, a smart worker temporarily stymied by a new type of challenge. At the end of the book the authors provide tips for putting the KNOW-GROW-OWN credo to work in different types of jobs and in different kinds of companies and organizations. Combining inspiration and practical advice, Lost & Found will help talented workers transform themselves into great leaders.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Crown Business; 1 edition (February 3, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1400050855
• ISBN-13: 978-1400050857
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #980,244 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Theory / Good Practice / Good Story, March 26, 2004

By 

Dr. Kenneth W. Davis (Rio Rancho, New Mexico, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lost and Found: The Story of How One Man Discovered the Secrets of Leadership . . .Where He Wasn't Even Looking (Hardcover)

Since One-Minute Manager in 1983, embedding business advice into fictional narrative has become a pervasive formula. Unfortunately, the "plot" of such books too often consists only of a young protoge (surrogate for the reader) getting advice rom a wise mentor (surrogate for the writer).

Lost and Found is different. Its plot is multilayered and compelling, and its characters more than just one-dimensional mouthpieces for reader and writer. Like other Sussman/Deep offerings, Lost and Found has sound content, presented clearly and tightly. This book, written along with Alex Stiber, takes the Sussman/Deep canon in a fruitful new direction. I'll be recommending this book to clients.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lost & Found, March 9, 2004

By 

Brad Hodges (Topeka, Kansas United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lost and Found: The Story of How One Man Discovered the Secrets of Leadership . . .Where He Wasn't Even Looking (Hardcover)

I very much enjoyed this book. Written in a "story" form, Lost & Found clearly illustrates core leadership values. From the beginning chapter, 'Why Me?' to the final entitled, 'Out of the Woods', the book's primary character, Larry Parks embarks upon a journey that many of us have either witnessed in others or have taken ourselves. Dr. Sussman and his co-authors have composed a classic that should be read by every individual in a position of leadership or who aspires to be a leader. I have purchased copies of Lost & Found for 12 others in my organization and have had rave reviews from everyone. Please do yourselves a favor and puchase this book; better yet purchase additional copies and give to your friends and colleagues.

5.0 out of 5 stars Find It And Read It, January 2, 2006

By 

El Lagarto (Sandown, NH) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lost and Found: The Story of How One Man Discovered the Secrets of Leadership . . .Where He Wasn't Even Looking (Hardcover)

If you've ever watched a furniture salesman describe an invisible sofa to a blind person, then you have a pretty good idea of the average corporate leadership seminar. Everything sounds great, but the first time the attendee stretches out in front of a ball game, there's trouble.

The authors of Lost and Found understand this well, and instead of slapping together another forgettable binder full of diagrams and shop-worn quotes, they've structured a highly readable story that illustrates key managerial concepts in a clear and memorable fashion. It is hard to imagine anyone who has labored in the corporate vineyards not understanding and empathizing with Larry Parks, a man who has backed himself into a corner because he spreads himself too thin, would rather do it himself than teach someone else, and fails to understand the distinction between true leadership and dictatorship.

Through experience that is often entertaining and frequently less than pleasant, Larry gets a dose of his own medicine. The result is beneficial for everyone involved. Unlike almost every other work of its type, Lost and Found stands on its own legs as a book, the result of thoughtful structuring and exceptional writing. From the standpoint of a managerial tool, a document designed to help fledgling (and experienced) managers grow beyond their limitations and adopt a higher understanding of leadership, it is at the head of the class.