Nothing's Impossible:: Leadership Lessons from Inside and Outside the Classroom [Hardcover]

Lorraine Monroe (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 4, 1997

A legendary African-American educator offers her leadership lessons to guide and inspire all those who struggle to succeed amid seemingly impossible situations. Last October (1966) Lorraine Monroe appeared on television's 60 Minutes. A firm believer in unselfish hard work, Monroe's leadership style is tough yet compassionate. Publisher promo.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

This self-described "maniac leader" has written a delightful guide to becoming boss, whether it be in business or your own life. In this case, Lorraine Monroe's line of work is public education--and she possesses some pretty impressive credentials. As founder and principal of Harlem's Frederick Douglass Academy, she turned a wreck of a school into an inner-city success story, raising it to a third-place ranking among 180 New York public schools for student achievement. But her down-home tome of inspirational lists, autobiographical anecdotes, and thoughts on leadership transcends the schoolyard. Many of her tenets, collectively called the "Monroe Doctrine," could apply to management in most any field.

Monroe pulls no punches in her passion, even when describing her own life. She takes issue with the best and worst teachers from her own education, and portrays her parents, particularly her father, as imperfect but inspiring individuals as part of a symbolic lesson about adopting the best traits of those who surround you. Written in a wholesome, conversational style, her sound-bite nuggets of advice come across like a collection of Mom's best words of wisdom. "Worthwhile work is rarely done from 9 to 5," she advises. "Avoid people who envy, complain and drain." Her one-woman pep rally ranks up there with Trump: The Art of the Deal and basketball coaching legend Pat Riley's The Winner Within as a recipe for success. --Jodi Mailander Farrell --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Dr. Lorraine Monroe has over thirty years of experience as a teacher and administrator in the New York City public schools, most recently as principal of the Frederick Douglass Academy, widely hailed as a model of effective inner-city education. She is currently director of the School Leadership Academy, a new program to teach strategies for innovation and excellence to principals and school administrators, at the Center for Educational Innovation.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 236 pages
• Publisher: Crown Business (November 4, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812929047
• ISBN-13: 978-0812929041
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,831,889 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Monroe Doctrine for success !, December 7, 2000

By 

Darren Burton "virtualbloodhound" (Ogden, Utah United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Nothing's Impossible: Leadership Lessons From Inside And Outside The Classroom (Paperback)

I found about Dr. Lorraine Monroe on 60 minutes. She took one of the worst public schools in Harlem, New York and turned it around to the point that it is one of the top three public schools in New York and 96% of it's students are accepted into college. I believe that her insights and strategies can be used to improve any workplace or organization. Remember, she isn't some theorist - she actually has dramatic results in the real world -under some of the toughest odds imaginable!

She has some great strategies that can help anyone. Here is an example:

"I developed the habit of never asking my superiors at the Board of Education for permission to carry out any innovation or other "risky" venture. I felt that if I asked, they would usually say no. After all, they were cautious, conservative people, interested in keeping their present jobs or moving up within the heirarchy. Taking risks isn't a good way of accomplishing either goal.

.....My supervisor would come to the school for periodic visits, and I'd either tell him about our latest venture or let him see it for himself. I figured that it would be hard, even for a dyed-in-the-wool bureaucrat, to try to stop a program that was already running successfully. This approach worked like a charm; the supervisor was generally pleased to realise that the successful new program, whatever it was, had been started under his administration. As the saying goes. "Success has many parents." When something is working, people are always ready and eager to bless it and share the credit."

Some more of the Monroe Doctrine:

"I learned from Mr. Littwin that it's impossible to run any organization from behind a desk in an office. You've got to walk around, watch people work, schmooze with everyone, and make yourself visible. It's the only way to really know what's going on and to have a true impact on the operation."

Pick up this book to get some inspiration on how you can make a dramatic difference in your organization.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Student's Praise, July 20, 1999

By 

"lawanda86" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nothing's Impossible: Leadership Lessons From Inside And Outside The Classroom (Paperback)

Dr. Lorraine Monroe was my principal at the Frederick Douglass Academy. I was one of the students recruited from other Junior High schools to attend the Frederick Douglass Academy. I have read "Nothing's Impossible" and I enjoyed it. I love understanding the mind that developed FDA. I am one of the products of FDA. According to this book, Dr. Lorraine Monroe and her small band of teachers and faculty goal was to make sure that minorities from Harlem, Bronx, and Brooklyn were able to get into the colleges of their choice. We did just so. I am currently at New York University's Stern School of Business looking towards completing my masters and a career in business. Thank you Dr. Monroe for teaching me how to be a leader.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Leadership Lessons for All, January 20, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Nothing's Impossible: Leadership Lessons From Inside And Outside The Classroom (Paperback)

This book is wonderful. Dr. Monroe inspires all readers to believe that all children are capable of excellence. The role of educators in our country are highly undervalued. Dr. Monroe reminds us that teaching is "holy work". Teachers have the ability to transform lives. The "Monroe Doctrine" is a standard that all schools should have in place. 5 stars for a book, not only directed toward educators, but directed toward all potential leaders. As a mother, I understand that I can lead my children to success.