January 2003
Volume 10 • Number 1
Contents
Book Reviews
The Future of Leadership: Today’s Top Leadership
Thinkers Speak to Tomorrow’s Leaders.
Edited by Warren Bennis, Gretchen M. Spreitzer, and Thomas
G. Cummings. 2001. San Francisco: Jossey Bass. 316 pages.
Reviewed by James B. Kohnen, St. Mary’s College
of California
This remarkable anthology is the result of a unique event
celebrating the distinguished life and career of Warren Bennis,
called a festschrift. Bennis, Spreitzer, and Cummings
gathered material for this book from 16 of the 400 distinguished
participants who discussed, debated, and deliberated issues
that tomorrow’s leaders will need to understand and resolve
in order to succeed. The result is truly a magnificent compilation
of thoroughly documented ideas that challenge every practitioner
of leadership to emulate.
Bennis and Edward E. Lawler III open with two chapters that
constitute part one of the book. In his opening chapter Bennis
presents a dozen thought-provoking questions that are directed
at the persona of the leader and the organization for which
he or she works. His idea is to project a past and present
image of a leader forward 10 years and beyond. There is little
doubt that the changing social, technological, and environmental
arenas in which we live will dramatically change the way leadership
is practiced and recognized. The same concept of projecting
past and present organizations to the future is used by Bennis
for future organizations. Except in this case, he asks that
a clear theory of organizational change be identified. He
says this must be done prior to embarking on the discovery
path. In the second chapter, Lawler examines the concept of
preparation and employment of human capital in the new generation
of organizations.
Part two addresses specifically how the organizations of
the future will appear. Charles Handy suggests that two dominant
types of organizations will emerge. One will be small, creative,
and fast (fleas) and the other large and efficiency-driven
(elephants). Thomas H. Davenport goes on to suggest that knowledge
workers will replace traditional industrial laborers. Steven
Kerr adds to the description his vision of boundaryless organizations
that freely interact with one another to achieve a common
goal. And Thomas A. Stewart concludes part two with the idea
that trust will be the overarching value that will guide the
organization. Each author presents a compelling case for his
vision, backed by a specific description of how his idea will
be implemented.
The third part of the book deals with the leadership styles
that will guide the new organizations in coping with the changes
forecasted in part two. James M. Kouzes and Barry Posner present
four lessons from the past that they claim will continue to
be important parts of the new landscape that is being prepared
for the future. One of them addresses the enduring fact that
leadership is a relationship between people. Technology can
assist, facilitate, or clarify the mechanism of communication
but it cannot create an independent thought that will inspire,
motivate, or alter behavior. His other lessons are equally
insightful. Another chapter found in this section includes
informative extracts from The Evolving Role of Executive
Leadership produced by the Accenture Institute for Strategic
Change. The book is said to be “a compendium of research
results, key findings, and recommendations designed to help
leaders understand current issues and envision future challenges,
making them better prepared to lead their organizations.”
(p. 139) One of the findings they include in the chapter is
that shared leadership at all levels of an organization is
likely to develop in the future. Another significant statement
was: “Ethical behavior was identified as a key characteristic
of the leader of the future and was thought to be sorely lacking
in current leaders.” (p. 157)
Part five includes essays by two young leaders, Tara Church
and Edward W. Headington, who present a contemporary view
of their experience in the process of developing a new approach
to the practice of leadership.
Part six is unique in that it presents the editor’s
take on the subject. Spreitzer and Cummings go beyond summarizing
the material they selected for the anthology. They make their
own contribution to the discussion by demonstrating that globalization
will foster diversity in organizations and leadership approaches,
among other things. The final chapter, “Postlude,”
is a reflection on the life of Warren Bennis by Warren Bennis
and is the most insightful part of the book. His personal
account concludes a truly remarkable presentation of each
of the contributors to The Future of Leadership.
The Heart of a Leader: Insights on the Art of Influence.
Ken Blanchard. 1999. Tulsa, Ok.: Honor Books. 157 pages.
Reviewed by Patricia M. Kohnen, ChevronTexaco, San Ramon,
Calif.
This book uses quotations and sayings from a variety of sources,
with commentary by the author to help readers master key attitudes
and actions to impact the lives of others. Blanchard is recognized
for The One-Minute Manager, which he wrote with Spencer
Johnson, and is a leading consultant to Fortune 500 companies
in the area of training and leadership.
This book can be read in one sitting or picked up and read
a few pages at a time. It provides instant motivation and
insight to help readers sharpen their skills and build personal
integrity.
A sampling of the gems in this little book include:
- “People who produce good results feel good about
themselves.” An effective leader will make it a priority
to help his or her people produce good results in two ways:
1) make sure people know what their goals are, and 2) do
everything possible to support, encourage, and coach them
to accomplish those goals.
- “Your role as a leader is even more important than
you might imagine. You have power to help people become
winners.” (pp. 6-7)
- “None of us is as smart as all of us. This quote
has become the guiding principle of our team-building work
in organizations.” (pp. 14-15)
- “If you want your people to be responsible, be responsive
to their needs. Being responsive to your people’s need
sets them free to be responsible (able to respond) for getting
the job done.” (pp. 42-43)
- “Take what you do seriously but yourself lightly.
A tendency toward grimness and seriousness can stifle an
organization’s environment and limit its creativity.
Today’s leaders must relearn the value of a smile or
they will be unable to fire up the ability of their people
to find real enjoyment in their work.” (pp. 62-63)
- “Different strokes for different folks. So what is
the best leadership style? The one that matches the developmental
needs of the person with whom you’re working.”
(pp. 72-73)
- “A river without banks is a large puddle. Don’t
send your people off on their own with no experience and
then punish them when they make mistakes. Establish clear
boundaries that will free them to make decisions, take initiative,
act like owners, and stay on track.” (pp. 86-87)
- “This is the first time in the history of business
that you can be great at what you’re doing and be out
of business tomorrow. Constant change is a way of life in
business today. In fact, to stay competitive, you must simultaneously
manage the present and plan the future.” (pp. 112-113)
- “It’s surprising how much you can accomplish
if you don’t care who gets the credit. Sharing credit
is all about self-esteem. People who have to get all the
credit and act like they are the only ones who count are
actually covering up their I-don’t-count feelings.”
(pp. 122-123)
Influence is an art. People should read this book to help
them create their own heart of a leader.
10 Natural Forces for Business Success: Harnessing The
Energy for Positive Impact.
Peter R. Garber. 2002. Palo Alto, Calif.: Davies-Black
Publishing, Inc. 160 pages.
Reviewed by James B. Kohnen, St. Mary’s College
of California
This book is a well-documented treatise based on Peter R.
Garber’s 20-year experience as a human resources professional
with PPG Industries, Inc. He names his 10 natural forces as
survival, change, communication, mission, equity, performance,
discovery, diversity, growth, and renewal. His experience
is that these forces are present in all organizations. As
such, he contends that they must be considered in both individual
and organizational planning. If they are not considered, long-term
success becomes difficult to achieve.
The metaphor that Garber has chosen to represent his idea
is a flock of 10 geese flying in a “V” formation.
Each goose is identified as a specific natural force. The
geese fly together with the least effort when one takes the
lead and the others follow and support each other as they
move toward their goal. This book covers each of the natural
forces in a chapter of the book.
Garber is a formula writer, so each numbered chapter follows
a predictable pattern that includes: descriptive material,
folksy advice, step-by-step methods to effectively use the
force, and a quick reference table. The quick reference table
has been carefully thought out and is very useful. It relates
various business elements that influence the natural force
being discussed. This influence is coupled with suggestions
for management actions and an anticipated impact on employees.
Using the “Performance” chapter to illustrate the
formula performance is seen as the natural force that sets
the standards. (p. 82) The force as seen in a capitalistic
system manifests itself in competition. Using the premise
that everyone is striving to improve, Garber suggests that
competition has the greatest influence on the standards an
organization is seeking to achieve. He reasons that this is
good externally because it drives the organization to high
efficiency, lower costs, and improved customer satisfaction.
He does caution, however, that competition can have a detrimental
internal effect on an organization if processes are not clearly
defined and/or measured correctly. His step-by-step method
is embodied in his impressive list of 12 characteristics of
top-performing organizations that ends with “luck.”(p.
93)
The book contains two unnumbered chapters: the introduction
and the concluding chapter “Planning for the Natural
Forces.” The final chapter demonstrates the importance
of harmony in an organization. Each of the forces must be
balanced to support organizational goals or they simply will
not be achieved. To assure that this balance is maintained
Garber suggests the formation of a “natural forces task
force” (p. 146) that will look for imbalance and make
the necessary adjustments to correct the root cause of the
counter force creating the imbalance. Unfortunately, all Garber
has to offer in this area is that: “This is no small
task, and to be done correctly, it requires the involvement
of the most talented people in the organization.” (p.
146)
The book does present a wide variety of experiential information
that could be useful in evaluating harmony present between
intangible elements of an organization.
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