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Summary: Leadership is about making a difference
Review: Jim Kouzes and I wrote THE LEADERSHIP CHALLENGE because we realized that leadership is everyone's business, it's not about being in a leadership position but about having the courage and spirit to move from whatever place you're in to make a significant difference. This book isn't about leaders per se. It's about leadership and how ordinary people exercise it -- and in the process become leaders who get extra-ordinary things accomplished. The leaders we've worked with and learned from have asked and been asked many questions, such as: What are my strengths and weaknesses as a leader? Where do I need to improve my leadership ability? What's required to recognize opportunities and put risk in perspective? How can I inspire and motivate others toward a common purpose? What skills are needed to build a cohesive and spirited team? What's the source of the self-confidence required to lead others? How can I put more joy and celebration into our efforts? This book is designed to help anyone to answer these questions. The principles and practices described are based solidly on research, and the examples, illustrations, and applications have been field-tested by real people. You'll find stories of regular people, from all walks of life, who got bigger-than-life results; it's not about bigger-than-life celebrities and corporate saviors. There are five fundamental practices of leaders -- Challenging the Process, Inspiring a Shared Vision, Enabling Others to Act, Modeling the Way, and Encouraging the Heart -- and the book introduces you to each practice, chapter by chapter, with a motivating example of a person thoroughly engaged in this leadership behavior. The body of each chapter presents the research (ours and others) on why this leadership behavior makes sense, how it works psychologically and pragmatically and we've provided lots of examples of how to put these essentials into practice. If all you want are the applications, then turn to the last section of each chapter for the "how to" and "next steps" in strengthening your leadership capability. The Leadership Challenge needn't be read in its entirety, nor in any particular order, to be useful. Start with any chapter, or topic, or application that interests you. Remember that ultimately leadership development is a process of self-development.
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Summary: Essential For Everyone in Leadership Positions!
Review: Kouzes and Posner do a fantastic job defining and explaing the essential elements of leadership. This book is a useful tool for people of all ages, backgrounds and occupations and it serves as a guide to futher leadership experience and knowledge. The principles outlined in the chapters of this book are basic thoughts that can be used by anyone in everyday situations.I would reccommend this book to anyone who wants to develop their leadership abilities and experience personal growth in their everyday life.
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Summary: Too Long to Remember
Review: Kouzes and Posner offer wonderful information but way, way too much of it. They should rewrite this book, chapter by chapter, making each chapter one book. I recently read "To Lead is to Empower" by Shar McBee, where she presents profound and useful information about leadership in a way that busy executives like me can use. Truth is simple.
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Summary: Too Long to Remember
Review: Kouzes and Posner offer wonderful information but way, way too much of it. They should rewrite this book, chapter by chapter, making each chapter one book. I recently read "To Lead is to Empower" by Shar McBee, where she presents profound and useful information about leadership in a way that busy executives like me can use. Truth is simple.
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Summary: A Course In Leadership
Review: One of the well written "how to" books on leadership. Great practical insights for pro and novice alike. If you couple the practical approach of this book with the basic "philosophy of leadership" approach presented in the book "West Point" by Norman Thomas Remick, you will have the veritable home study course on leadership that can help catapult you to bigger and better things. I know "men" in the ranks who are going to stay in the ranks. Why? Simply because they havn't the ability to become leaders. Don't be one of those. Study "The Leadership Challenge".
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Summary: GREAT!!!
Review: probably the best book I've ever seen on leadership. The authors do a great job at differentiating leaders and managers. I highly recommend it to people who are interested in becoming leaders!!!
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Summary: Students of Leadership
Review: SO MUCH TO SAY SO LITTLE SPACELet's see if I am able to keep it short.
All too frequently books on the subject of leadership tend to be in the first person and read more like self-help books. Kouzes and Posner, base a number of their observations upon hard analysis or the analysis/study conducted by others. The endnotes and references could offer students of "Leadership" a roadmap to further study and discovery.
The case studies taken from interviews and seminars offered by the authors provide a "true-to-life" feel to the text, which helps distinguish it from the many, many, others that write on the subject. The authors have some experience as leaders, though rather than summarize personal experience, the reader is taken on a journey of discovery with the story of leadership being told by others. The authors are really more like guides than writers.
Thankfully we are provided a framework by which to measure leaders. "The ten traits...., or the "five characteristics....., help the student of the subject record in a systematic way the behaviors associated with leadership. That perennial question faced by all students is once again explored, albeit through the authors' eyes, "Are leaders made through dint of strife and the crucible of fire or are they born full blown as natural creatures rare and beautiful?"
Many books on this subject would be better listed under "Biography" rather than Leadership. All too frequently we encounter a recital of individual accomplishment over adversity or even success upon success. That is not the case here. This text could serve as the foundation to a course of study as it provides the "carcass" or "foundation" for a course of study. The instructor need only add antidotes, personal experience, current events and a case study or two and the "adventure" would be complete.
GTO
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Summary: LEADERSHIP DAY
Review: Sunday, 1st of October 2000 was a cloudy day and it was drizzling outside. The weather was pleasant. I was alone. My entire family was out of station. This was a very congenial atmosphere for reading. I thought of reading some book and I saw the book 'Leadership Challenge' by James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner on the table. I started reading the book.
I was sitting on the chair with the book and reading. Slowly I got up. I was standing and reading. Then I started walking and reading. I understood that I was very much excited and some kind of transformation started in me. Probably Buddha also experienced the same kind of transformation under the Bodhi tree.
The book started to challenge my style of leading. It made me feel the need to enhance my competence to greater heights as a leader. Having spent all my years in becoming an able leader, I understood the vacuums in my thinking. The book started educating me and enlighten me on my ignorance.
The book inspired and liberated the leader in me to form my 'VISION'. The book modeled the way for me to act immediately and draw out an Action Plan. Exploration of self was initiated and I started climbing the leadership ladder.
I read the book for almost 12 hours without a break which I have never done before. The book started interacting with me by answering the points that sparkled in my mind and developing me. The book is so inspiring, educating, challenging, well structured and very very human.
I confess the book itself is a Leader.
Every year 1st October will be observed as Leadership Day by me and my team.
