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Summary: one of the very best leader books
Review: Thanks to my coursework, I'm reading lots of books on leadership. I just finished this one which I'd rate the most helpful in terms of hands-on leadership of all the ones I've read so far (about 10). The style is easy to read and quick, and the points very direct, well-explained and easy to follow. Not only that, the content is CRUCIAL for any leader. It's only too easy to see from the examples they give how many seemingly easy things (like remembering to thank your co-workers and recognize their accomplishments) are NOT followed by current leaders. In case you every wondered to yourself, "But how would I do that?" enough examples are provided (very specific ones) that any leader could manage it if they WANTED to. What I liked about this book is that it recognized many facets of leadership that have been ignored like leading with your heart and not asking others to do what you yourself would not. It's not about having the nicest office -- it's about getting out on the factory floor and talking to those you lead. A terrific book both in theory and content. If you only read one, read this one.
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Summary: Kouzes and Posner captured the essence of leadership.
Review: The good news is that everyone can be a leader. Kouzes and Posner did a very good job of making the case that leadership is a set of learned practices, skills and behaviors. They provide a structure to what most people seeking to be leaders have tried to do intuitively or by modeling what they see from leaders they admire. The roadmap is there in the book for students of leadership or those who have been thrust into a position that requires not just management, but real inspired leadership to meet the challenge. Their characterization of leadership as a "performing art" is both descriptive and instructive. This is a great book for anyone aspiring to get extraordinary results from those they lead.
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Summary: One of the best books on Leadership out there
Review: The Leadership Challenge by Kouzes and Posner remains one of the best leadership books in circulation today. The one thing that I love about all of Kouzes and Posner's books is that the principles that they espouse can be broken down into a number of practices and are thus made easier to remember. For instance, in this book, the Leadership Challenge I remember the five practices of leadership through the Acronym MICEE as in (1) Model the Way (2) Inspire a Shared Vision (3) Challenge the Process (4) Enable others to act and (5) Encourage the heart.
These are practical principles that all leaders can live by. If you don't have it, get it, you won't regret it.
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Summary: A superbly recrafted tome!
Review: The Leadership Challenge has been one of the "standard" texts for students of leadership in both business and academia since its First Edition arrival in 1987. The Third Edition is a totally new piece of work, building on the past, but, not surprisingly, with a unique perspective. Instead of just repackaging and updating references and stories, Kouzes and Posner have recrafted their work, incorporating new knowledge, providing a voice for a new generation of leaders, and at the same time validating their original and continuing research.Noting that the content of leadership has not changed while the context has changed dramatically, they have re-ordered the five practices of exemplary leadership, moving from a descriptive to a prescriptive telling of the leadership tale. This is truly a "field guide for leaders" to help steer a journey of individual and organizational transformation. Students have responded most positively, citing the grounded nature of the work, its readibility, and its challenge to see leadership development as personal development. Studying theories, exploring models, applying processes and looking at leadership only from the outside in isn't enough to comprehend what leadership is. Kouzes and Posner pull it all together, and richly articulate the need for self-knowledge and self-development as fundamental to what leadership can be. If you've only got time to read one leadership book, this should be it. If you have already read either the First or the Second Edition (or both!), you will find the Third Edition to be familiar, but also totally new. The Leadership Challenge has withstood the test of time and now fuels unparalleled possibilities for the future. As Jim Kouzes always says, "love 'em and lead 'em." About this book: "read it and love it." You owe it to yourself.
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Summary: THE must have book for anyone's leadership library
Review: The Leadership Challenge just makes sense. I was placed in a leadership position and discovered I didn't know how to be a leader or how to get anyone motivated. I started reading some leadership books that were too "techy" or too boring or full of impractical advice. Then I came across this book. It brought everything into focus. It is an easy to ready step-by-step practical guide on what leadership is and how to be an effective leader. The great thing about it is that this was thoroughly researched and actual cases studies are used to show how what is being taught is already being used sucessfully. Plain and simple, this is a plain and simple practical guide that anyone wanting to know what a leader is and how to be one needs to have. Period.
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Summary: Leaders of the future, Listen Up!!!
Review: This book has changed my life and the way I interact with others at work and at home. Leadership is a tough challenge requiring skills that Posner and Kouzes explore. It's full of real life examples that are enriching and fascinating. Managers who want to improve thier leadership skills will benefit from this book. Must read for anyone and everyone in a leadership position in any profession.
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Summary: The Leadership Challenge, 3rd Edition
Review: This book was used in my Master's program Leadership Class, and it is excellent! Very practical applications of leadership skills, interesting antedotal lessons and easy reading text. Would recommend this book to anyone intested in improving their leadership abilities. Better than any other "leadership" books I have read.
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Summary: Great book on leadership!
Review: This incredibly detailed book, and sometimes, lengthy is a great study on the concepts of leadership and management. One of the best I've read. If you're interested in leadership, this should be a book you take a look at. I also highly recommend The Management Masters Series Corporate Culture if you liked this one.
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Summary: A wonderful thesis on the leadership practices
Review: This is a book about bringing out the best in oneself and in the other people. A must read for anyone trying to achieve self-fulfillment and improve their impact on the world. Most other books on this topic talk about well-known personalities, but this one focuses on the underlying leadership practices using examples of ordinary people as the leaders, in turn emphasizing that each one of us can choose to become a leader. Some books are for a sail-through reading while others are for digesting. "The Leadership Challenge" requires slow chewing and a deliberate assimilation of the teachings and research presented, for the new learnings to become an acquired habit or a second nature. My top-most learning is that leadership is not a place or a peak to be conquered, but rather a skill with which the journey through one's life can become far more fulfilling. The Leadership practices as presented are independent of one's position in an organization, and can be exercised at all levels. It is about interactions, relationships and what one does to inspire others for uplifting their performance and efficiency. Similarly, it talks about practicing leadership skills in one's own personal life by credible communications, setting standards and expectations, and following fair means to achieve these. Leadership is indeed everyone's business, to seek continuous improvements and not become stagnant in one's life. "The Leadership Challenge" book stands apart from others by giving examples of ordinary people who overcame their own adverse circumstances to make a differences to others around them. If everyone learns and practices the art of Leadership as presented, it will provide an inner fulfillment by realizing one's own full potential while improving the overall state of affairs in the world.
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Summary: In the pursuit of excellence in leadership!
Review: This is an incredible book from an incredible team. I have heard Kouzes in person. He is dynamic. The book is even more powerful because it goes in depth about the 5 key principles in leadership. Anyone who has been dealt the task of taking an organization into the next century should and must incorporate the 5 qualities of leader in their everyday lives.
This is a powerful, life altering book.
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