Unnatural Leadership: Going Against Intuition and Experience to Develop Ten New Leadership Instincts (Jossey-Bass Business & Management) [Hardcover]

David L. Dotlich (Author), Peter C. Cairo (Author)

Book Description

Series: Jossey-Bass Business & Management | Publication Date: February 15, 2002

Written by David Dotlich and Peter Cairo-- two of the country's top executive coaches and educators-- Unnatural Leadership debunks the common notion of the natural leader as a flawless figure. The book describes the truth about being a real leader in a business environment turned upside down by e-commerce, diversity, security concerns, globalization, and matrix structures. Drawing on personal experience working with successful leaders in top-tier companies throughout the world, Dotlich and Cairo identify a style of leadership used by those who succeed in complicated business and people situations, a style that maximizes a leader's strengths and acknowledges weaknesses.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...well presented challenging ideas..." (Long Range Planning, Number 38, 2005)

Pity the CEO who thinks he can be a know-it-all micromanager and still succeed. In Unnatural Leadership (Jossy-Bass), executive coaches David L. Dotlich and Peter Cairo list 10 guidelines that today's best executives are adopting. Among them: inviting change, being approachable and considering the views of the mail-room kid with the green hair. "We tell our clients, 'You have to win your followers every day,' " says Dotlich. Some of the unnatural acts the authors recommend are: "Coach and Teach Rather Than Lead and Inspire," "Expose Your Vulnerabilities" and "Trust Others Before They Earn It." Cairo says what's missing from other leadership manuals are instructions on how to practice the techniques. So each chapter in this book ends with exercises like "acknowledging your shadow side" (the power-hungry, mircromanaging stuff) to smooth the transition from arrogance to unnatural humility. (Time Magazine, May 20, 2002)

"...there is a lot here to stimulate you to review what you think is 'natural' and consider alternative courses of action which might prove, in the long term, to be more worthwhile..." (EDGE, Autuymn 2002)

Review

"Unnatural Leadership captures the dilemmas and complexities of leading in a high-performing organization. These two executive coaches draw on their broad experience in working with some of the world's top companies to offer a compelling look at how executives think about leading in the 21st century. The book is packed with true stories from the front lines. Each page conveys what today's leader needs to do in order to achieve extraordinary results."
— Andrea Jung, chairman and CEO, Avon Products

"I've given many presentations on the connection between strong character and strong leadership. It's encouraging to read a book that recognizes this truth. It does take strength of character to break out of the comfortable, expected methods of running a company and to look a subordinate in the eye and unflinchingly say, 'I don't know.' That's what unnatural leadership is all about."
— Stephen R. Covey, author, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

"This book is unnatural . . . It delves into the challenges, realities, and contradictions of being a leader today. Dotlich and Cairo reveal what they've learned from working with global CEOs and senior leaders, and how leaders at any level can accept their strengths and weaknesses, and improve on them."
— Bill Weldon, vice chairman, board of directors, Johnson & Johnson

"Leading today is complex. Our world is becoming more and more global, interconnected, and turbulent. In Unnatural Leadership, Dotlich and Cairo offer practical ideas and useful tips for dealing with the challenges of leading in a global organization."
— Joseph Berardino, CEO, Andersen

"This book strongly reinforces my own mantra, that healthy people and healthy relationships are what make healthy companies. Dotlich and Cairo have learned that the leaders who succeed in today's workplace are those who expose their vulnerabilities, admit their flaws, embrace team members who are 'different.' As a psychologist, I applaud this trend for human reasons. As a business advisor, I acknowledge that it's a prescription for corporate success."
— Bob Rosen, CEO of Healthy Companies International and author of Global Literacies and Leading People

"Retaining and engaging your top talent is the only way to prosper in a knowledge-based economy. And it's even more crucial in our volatile times. Who else will steer you through but your smart, creative, skillful people? Give them each a copy of Unnatural Leadership, and do it immediately. That way they'll know you're serious about winning and worth their personal commitment."
— Ed Gubman, author of The Talent Solution

"In this bold, thought-provoking book, Dotlich and Cairo challenge leaders, teaching them how to rethink the old sacred cow thinking, redefine their roles, and constantly reinvent their game. A must-read!"
— Robert Kriegel, author of If It Ain't Broke BREAK IT! and How to Succeed in Business Without Working So Damn Hard

"Don t just read this book. Devour it. Put it your pillow so its message moves from your head to your heart. Unnatural Leadership is a must-read for doing business in the 21st century."
— Alan Parisse, Named one of the twenty-one top business speakers for the 21st Century

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 280 pages
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass; 1 edition (February 15, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 078795618X
• ISBN-13: 978-0787956189
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,321,951 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Unnatural Leadership, January 4, 2011

By 

Econ "Ron & Cathy" (Michigan) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Unnatural Leadership: Going Against Intuition and Experience to Develop Ten New Leadership Instincts (Jossey-Bass Business & Management) (Hardcover)

The book Unnatural Leaders starts by describing how the world has changed and that management practices from the past will not be effective in the 21st century. The authors use a cleaver narrative style; taking ten commonly accepted leadership traits and providing the antithesis of each trait they describe as instincts. The book provides anecdotal evidence of why today's leaders must do right the opposite from what their past experience and instincts suggest they should do. Unnatural Leadership is not so much a rejection of traditional leadership concepts as it is recognition that leaders today must include in their repertoire of capabilities additional traits that may appear to be counterintuitive from leadership styles of the past. The first section explains the importance of unnatural leadership followed by the challenges for the unnatural leader. The book ends with how unnatural leaders would lead teams and organizations with remedies on how to engage in unnatural acts in a changing and unnatural world.

7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Breakthrough, Compelling, Useful., April 2, 2002

By 

Pat (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Unnatural Leadership: Going Against Intuition and Experience to Develop Ten New Leadership Instincts (Jossey-Bass Business & Management) (Hardcover)

What a terrific book!

Unnatural Leadership stimulated my thinking on a number of levels. I read it on a cross-country plane trip, and came away feeling:
--A newfound sense of commitment to the work I'm doing;
--Energized about the possibilities of leveraging the principles as they relate to my own business;
--Eager to apply what I learned toward my own personal development efforts.

Not bad for a few hours where I might have otherwise plugged-in and zoned out!

Several things about the book make it stand out from the pack. First, the ideas are compelling and breakthrough. Second, it's written in a way that invites you to read it. Third, it's full of practical advice on how you can apply the principles described.

Most importantly, it's very clear that the authors have had the depth and breadth of hands-on experience to know--really know-- what the heck they're talking about. The book is not about theory. It's about what leaders really do to succeed in today's complex, rapidly changing world, as compared with what they once needed to do when their environments changed at a much slower, more predictable rate.

And there are some interesting surprises in this book. I, myself, am a management consultant, and thought I knew most of what there was to know about the latest-and-greatest ideas on the subject. Not so, I discovered when reading this book. You might say I was a bit humbled.

The bottom line is this. If you're connected to the world of Leadership Development in some way, and are interested in reading something breakthrough, compelling and really useful for a change, I suggest you read this book.

Pat

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Recommended !, March 5, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Unnatural Leadership: Going Against Intuition and Experience to Develop Ten New Leadership Instincts (Jossey-Bass Business & Management) (Hardcover)

A good and practical read about the grayer areas of leadership -- particularly apt post Eron...but applicable all the time. As I have advanced in my own leadership position I find the choice between right and right...and I search for inspiration as well as advice I can use. I especially liked the chapter on the dark side...since we all have one !