Pathways to Performance: A Guide to Transforming Yourself, Your Team, and Your Organization [Hardcover]

Jim Clemmer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 12, 1995

This book is loaded with hundreds of practical how-to's (Pathways and Pitfalls) in parallel paths—strategies for team or organization improvement and complementary techniques for personal transformation.

About the Author

Jim Clemmer is the president of The Clemmer Group, Inc., a firm that provides strategic consulting and executive development.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Consultant Clemmer (Firing on All Cylinders: The Service-Quality System for High-Powered Corporate Performance, Irwin, 1992) identifies and describes successful strategies for individuals who are "trying to initiate and guide change and improvement in a team, business or organization." Each chapter focuses on topics such as self-leadership, innovation and organizational learning, and reward and recognition. Most end with a Pathways and Pitfalls section, where Clemmer visits several dos and don'ts for the individual and the organization. The introduction warns that most of the author's ideas are not new; his purpose is to explore ideas that have worked. Clemmer avoids oversimplification and delivers a practical, funny, and sometimes inspiring book. Recommended for popular business collections.?Mark McCullough, Heterick Lib., Ohio Northern Univ., Ada
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"...A must read for any leader or aspiring leader."
—Ken Blanchard, co-author of The One Minute Manager

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Prima Lifestyles (April 12, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0761500219
• ISBN-13: 978-0761500216
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,409,926 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jim first experienced the transformational power of the personal growth and leadership principles that have since shaped his life and career - and form the key themes of his books - in a straight-commission sales job at Culligan Water Conditioning when he was 18. Applying these principles led to a meteoric rise into supervisory, coaching, and training roles.

In 1981 Jim co-founded and led The Achieve Group to become a major training and consulting company. Both were purchased by Times Mirror and merged with California-based Zenger Miller, Learning International, and Kaset, to form AchieveGlobal. In the past few decades, he's delivered over two thousand highly acclaimed keynote presentations, workshops, and retreats, as well as consulted to and coached executive teams in hundreds of major companies, the public sector, universities, family businesses, and healthcare organizations. This has been a rich source of experiences, perspectives, and practical applications for his writing.

Jim's books have sold nearly 400,000 copies in dozens of languages. He holds the Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) designation. This is the highest earned designation in professional speaking awarded by the International Federation for Professional Speakers. Jim is also a Practitioner in Residence for the masters (MASc) and doctoral (PhD) students in the University of Waterloo's Industrial/Organizational Psychology program.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Engaging, October 14, 1999

By 

Julie Gil (Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pathways to Performance: A Guide to Transforming Yourself, Your Team, and Your Organization (Hardcover)

I really enjoyed this book. It helped put leadership into perspective -- the fact that in order to change or influence an organization, I need to change myself. I appreciated Clemmer's ideas around working at becoming a better leader ("leaders are made, not born"), and the importance of continued, continuous learning. It is an easy read, with humor, lots of quotations, examples, and simple suggestions to begin *being* a better leader in all aspects of your life. It has made me stop, reflect, and write notes about what I am going to do to incorporate some of these ideas into my life. The idea of "victimitis" and recognizing the "Catch 22" of the poor-me syndrome was particularly pertinent. This book covers the entire spectrum of home life and career, which is why I find it so helpful -- many management books don't concentrate enough on the improving all aspects of life. It especially hits home the need for the leader to establish his/her own personal values and direction and to lead by example. I've purchased copies for people close to me that I'm sure will find value in this book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An inspiring companion to Gil Amelio's ''Profit from Experience: The National Semiconductor Story of Transformation Management', October 16, 2006

By 

Lee Say Keng "KNOWLEDGE ADVENTURER/TECHNOLOGY... (Ho Chi Minh City/Singapore) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Pathways to Performance: A Guide to Transforming Yourself, Your Team, and Your Organization (Paperback)

I highly recommend this wonderful book as an inspiring companion to Gil Amelio's 'Proft for Experience: The National Semi-Conductor Story of Transformation Management', which I have reviewed earlier. Both books were published around the mid-nineties, but the relevancy & practicality of their lessons & insights have not faded.

It draws its intellectual cues from three principal strands of high performance: organisational, leadership & personal effectiveness. In some way, it builds on the author's two earlier books, 'The VIP Strategy: Leadership Skills for Exceptional Performance' & 'Firing on All Six Cylinders'. I have read the latter book, which has a primary focus on service/quality improvement.

What I like about this book is the author's introductory premise: Before you try to change anyone else, you have got to change yourself. Self-leadership is at the heart of effectively leading others. Self-improvement is the beginning point to team or organisational improvement. The author is also candid about his book: Many of the principles & insights are not new. In fact, they have been with us for decades, if not centuries. But we continually need to rediscover them for ourselves; repackage them for our times; & to make them relevant for today. The author is obviously driven by what works. He argues that, when dealing with personal & people issues, the fundamentals of what works have remained fairly constant through the years.

Additionally, I also like the presentation format of the book: each chapter starts with a 'Pathways' section, covering success strategies that really work, but also ends with a 'Pitfalls' section, where the author visits several Do's and Don't's for the individual as well as for the organization.

For readers who are seeking more real-world perspectives in initiating & guide change & improvement in a team, business or organizational setting, this book is definitely worth pursuing.

I have enjoyed reading this book, together with Gil Amelio's book, & I am confident readers will feel likewise!

5.0 out of 5 stars A guide for our Team Leader/Managers, October 14, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Pathways to Performance: A Guide to Transforming Yourself, Your Team, and Your Organization (Hardcover)

"Pathways to Performance" provides a valued sense of direction and reference for those struggling to behave differently and lead more effectively. Jim pulls together the many facets of leadership and management and shows how they fit to make the whole. It will become a guide for all our Team Leader/Managers.