Putting Our Differences to Work: The Fastest Way to Innovation, Leadership, and High Performance (Bk Business) [Hardcover]

Debbe Kennedy (Author), Sally K. Green (Illustrator), Joel A. Barker (Foreword)

Book Description

Series: Bk Business | Publication Date: June 1, 2008

Putting our differences to work means creating an environment where people, naturally unique and different, can work more effectively in ways that drive new levels of creativity, innovation, problem solving, leadership, and performance in the marketplaces, workplaces, and communities of the world. Debbe Kennedy shows how to make all the dimensions of difference tremendous sources of strength.

Kennedy draws on the latest research and a wealth of real-world examples to offer compelling evidence showing exactly how putting our differences to work accelerates innovation and contribution. She identifies five distinctive qualities of leadership that leaders must add to their portfolio of skills to make differences an engine of success. And she provides a detailed six-stage process for making the most of differences in the workforce, combining first-person best-practice stories and strategic with tactical ideas to help you put each step into action.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"The dangers of `groupthink' are painfully apparent across our world. That's why diversity, broadly understood, is so essential to innovation and progress - as Debbe Kennedy reminds us in this pragmatic and wise guide for leaders."
-Mike Wing, Vice President, Strategic Communications, IBM

"Personal, reflective, insightful and inspirational. Full of great ideas and a very powerful story that shows how we need to redefine leadership and diversity in order to help make the world a better place. Needs to be widely read - urgently!"
-Dr. Bruce Lloyd Emeritus Professor of Strategic Management London South Bank University

"The power of Debbe Kennedy's storytelling helps us all see our own accomplishments in a new light. At the same time, the stories encourage us to take our leadership to a new level. The six steps she offers provide a roadmap to leaders and organizations on how to effectively put differences to work."
-Emily J. Duncan former Vice President, Culture and Diversity, Hewlett Packard Emily Duncan Consulting

"Debbe teaches us how diversity accelerates innovation to everyone's advantage. This is a win-win-win book in which you and your people win, your organization wins, and the world wins."
-Excerpt from Foreword by Joel A. Barker Futurist, filmmaker and bestselling author of Paradigms: The Business of Discovering the Future

"Leaders must find new sources of growth more than ever today. After questioning what leadership means while reading Putting Our Differences to Work, I found myself focused on one thing: I, the leader, must first harness our people's rich and diverse experiences, cultures and perspectives to attract growth." Debbe Kennedy compels us to see the source of unimagined growth that is locked within the people in our organization. Unlock, innovate and win... together."
-Lane A. Michel Executive Vice President Quaero Corporation Accelerating Marketing Performance

"We know that to create a sustainable, peaceful, and socially just world, we must change our attitudes toward relationships and the ways we conduct business. Debbe Kennedy's Putting Our Differences to Work spells this out eloquently. It blazes a trail down the path to this new paradigm, offering us guidelines, solutions, and hope. A book for this amazing time of challenges and opportunities!"
-John Perkins author of Confessions of an Economic Hit Man and The Secret History of the American Empire

From the Inside Flap

Putting our differences to work means creating an environment where people, naturally unique and different--diverse by nature and experience--can work more effectively in ways that drive new levels of creativity, innovation, problem solving, leadership, and performance in the marketplaces, workplaces, and communities of the world. Debbe Kennedy shows how to make all the dimensions of difference--such as thinking styles, perspectives, experiences, work habits, and management styles, as well as more traditional diversity considerations like gender, race, ethnicity, physical abilities, sexual orientation, and age--tremendous sources of strength.

Kennedy draws on the latest research and a wealth of real-world examples to offer compelling evidence showing exactly how putting our differences to work accelerates innovation and contribution. She identifies five distinctive qualities of leadership that leaders must add to their portfolio of skills to make differences an engine of success. And she provides a detailed six-stage process for making the most of differences in the workforce, combining first-person best-practice stories and strategic with tactical ideas to help you put each step into action.

Kennedy has written both a personal and a practical guide that changes the prevailing rules of how to think, behave, and operate as a leader, connecting four diverse elements of business and society that have traditionally been siloed: innovation, leadership, diversity, and inclusion. She and futurist Joel Barker also look at how new discoveries, including Web 2.0 technologies, can draw us closer together in previously unimagined ways.

"Debbe Kennedy teaches us how diversity accelerates innovation to everyone's advantage. This is a win-win-win book in which you and your people win, your organization wins, and the world wins."
--Joel A. Barker, from the foreword

"Personal, reflective, insightful and inspirational. Full of great ideas and a very powerful story that shows how we need to redefine leadership and diversity in order to help make the world a better place. Needs to be widely read - urgently!"
-Dr. Bruce Lloyd, Emeritus Professor of Strategic Management, London South Bank University

Learn more, get inspired, and add your perspective.

* Putting Our Differences to Work Blog
* Dialogues with Debbe--live online conversation
Monthly scheduled dialogues to talk about your issues and learn from others at Debbe's online collaborative conference room
* Wisdom Collection Wiki
A unique index of the quotes, anecdotes, and stories in Putting Our Differences to Work; add your favorites or related wisdom to the collection
* Reader's Resources
Links and access to studies, articles, videos, and strategy tools, including Joel Barker's related resources
* Videos, podcasts, articles, event schedule, contact information, and more

Front Cover Design and Artwork by Sally K. Green

The design incorporates blown glass, a first-century innovation enriched by twenty-first century technology, creating a new symbol of innovation, reflecting our differences working together.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers (June 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1576754995
• ISBN-13: 978-1576754993
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #567,974 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

My newest book, Putting Our Differences to Work: The Fastest Way to Innovation, Leadership and High Performance is a **2010 Axion Business Book Award Winner** - BRONZE | Human Resources and Employee Training. I'm also the author of ACTION DIALOGUES: Meaningful Conversations to Accelerate Change (Portable boxed book/cards)

My life and work has included a mix of fortunate twists and turns and some undeniably great opportunities for which I remain grateful. By worldly standards, this all opened the way for me becoming an author, and founder, president, and CEO of the Leadership Solutions Companies, an award-winning woman-owned enterprise since 1990, specializing in custom leadership, organizational, and virtual communications solutions.

It's been an interesting journey. Here are a few highlights that have made it rewarding...

* One of my passions has been becoming pioneer and innovator of people-focused leadership-employee communications in virtual space, including creative uses of Web 2.0 technologies, and other social media. This was a differentiator in our work and growth as a company.

* Formerly, I had a distinguished leadership career with IBM Corporation for over than twenty years, which gave me a solid value-based foundation for the work that has followed way beyond what I ever imagined. It was a memorable 1st career filled with opportunity and promise.

* I remain deeply grateful that Frances Hesselbein, author, president and ceo of Leader to Leader Institute (formerly Peter F. Drucker Foundation), who has been my mentor, teacher, role model, and friend since I was a young leader with IBM. My book, Putting Our Differences to Work, includes insights and stories from my treasure-chest of lessons learned from her. Visit the Knowledge Gallery at the Global Dialogue Center to listen to my interview with her: http://www.globaldialoguecenter.com/exhibits/frances/index.shtml

* My newest book, Putting Our Differences to Work: The Fastest Way to Innovation, Leadership and High Performance (Berrett-Koehler 2008)is one am very proud to share. It is both a personal and practical guide for leaders and innovators at every level. It changes the prevailing rules of how to think, behave, and operate in the twenty-first century. Most of all, it has great real-life, first person stories and practical tools, processes and tips to apply what you learn. I see it filled with highlights, post-its, underlines as a reference for anyone wanting to lead at any level.

* HONORS: My work and newest book are featured in futurist Joel Barker's 2009 film, "Innovation at the Verge." Joel wrote the foreword for my book and we also collaborated on two chapters in the book on INNOVATING at the verge. What I didn't expect is that Joel also surprised me by creating a special VIDEO BOOK PRIMER about the my book, because he wanted to tell more about it than his film allowed. SEE BELOW. Joel talks more specifically about the value of the book to leaders and innovators in the twenty-first century, gives a mini-innovation lesson, and takes you on a personal tour inside the book. SEE THE VIDEO BOOK PRIMER BELOW my picture.

* EXPANDING MY GLOBAL REACH...
In 2004, I founded Leadership Solutions Companies' first online entity, the Global Dialogue Center (GDC). This distinctive virtual gathering place for people throughout the world has an intentional focus on leadership, professional, and personal development. It has been an expression of passion for the value of social media in connecting us around the world. The Global Dialogue Center is built on the belief that by thinking, questioning, exploring ideas, and talking with one another, we can become better leaders in our organizations, communities, and in our families --- creating a better world.

Our company commitment to expand opportunities for inclusion throughout the world was the inspiration behind the Global Dialogue Center's 2005 addition of Women in the Lead, a unique resource center for women. In 2006, GDC again expanded its offerings to include the Global Dialogue Center Online CONFERENCE CENTER, providing an array of opportunities for conversation, creative problem-solving, professional development, and INNOVATION in virtual space.

Follow me on...
Facebook: http://profile.to/debbekennedy/
Linked-In: http://www.linkedin.com/in/debbekennedy
Twitter: @debbekennedy and @onlinedialogues

Learn more...
http://www.puttingourdifferencestowork.com/about-debbe.html
http://www.globaldialoguecenter.com

Contact me...
http://www.puttingourdifferencestowork.com/email-us.html

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally somebody got it right, June 10, 2008

By 

Charles Decker (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Putting Our Differences to Work: The Fastest Way to Innovation, Leadership, and High Performance (Bk Business) (Hardcover)

This is just a wonderful book. The topic of diversity is one fraught with land mines, but Debbe Kennedy has figured out a way to discuss the issue without stepping on any of them. She makes it clear, for the first time I think, that it's not just about skin color but about how people see things in different ways and how others can profit by looking from various angles. The stories in this book are particularly rich and should resonate with both managers and employees in every size company. But don't think it's just for the workplace; I think it can also be valuable for everyday interactions at home and in the community as well.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Relevant, August 25, 2009

By 

Michael Gooch "Management Consultant-HR" (Washington, Indiana) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Putting Our Differences to Work: The Fastest Way to Innovation, Leadership, and High Performance (Bk Business) (Hardcover)

The author, Debbe Kennedy has written an excellent book in an area where modern industries and services need a tremendous amount of help. As a corporate director of human resources, I can attest to the strengths that an organization will acquire by following the edicts in this book. The book's goal is to create an environment and culture where naturally different people work together more effectively as they attain - and surpass - the organizational goals in leadership and performance.

Debbe Kennedy shows how differences can mean much more than just the solidified categories such as race and sex. Her use of real-world examples of varying experiences and styles of management drive home the point that the area of diversity should never be shunned or viewed as a mere consequence but rather as the source of strength for future growth and excellence. In addition, I greatly appreciated the amount of research that went into this tome. This research lends an authorative tone to the work and makes it a compelling study in diversity.

In today's age of hyper-blending of cultures, this book will be a great asset to those who approach the subject with an open mind and implement the ideas generated in this book. Diversity is the current situation and will grow by leaps and bounds as time progresses. For us to progress, we must learn to tap into this growing well of strength. Those who don't are sadly doomed to fail.

I would also like to recommend Don't Bring It to Work: Breaking the Family Patterns That Limit Success and High Altitude Leadership: What the World's Most Forbidding Peaks Teach Us About Success (J-B US non-Franchise Leadership). Both are excellent managerial material.

I hope you find this review helpful.

Michael L. Gooch, SPHR

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Why diversity matters and how to manage it strategically, August 12, 2008

By 

Leslie K. Evelalnd (Los Altos, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Putting Our Differences to Work: The Fastest Way to Innovation, Leadership, and High Performance (Bk Business) (Hardcover)

Too often diversity programs are seen as extraneous to the core business of the organization. In this powerful book, Debbe Kennedy offers convincing evidence that managing diversity is key to an organization's ability to innovate and adapt to a rapidly changing world. Using diversity as a strategic advantage requires that we know how to "put our differences to work" --how to align our different ways of thinking and seeing the world to create breakthrough products and solutions. The "Putting our Difference to Work Model" that Debbe describes and illustrates in this book can be applied by any leader in any organization. The examples and case studies she sites ground the model in the real world. She offers tools and techniques that help people with different ways of thinking come together to get things done. The "how to" information in this book is useful and easy to apply, but it is the explanation of why diversity matters that makes this book so compelling. Debbe makes it clear that putting differences to work is the key task of today's leader.