And Dignity for All: Unlocking Greatness with Values-Based Leadership

Rating:
Summary: Should-be-required-reading
Review: First when our children are young we read them "The Little Engine That Could". This book, "And Dignity For All", is the adult version of that inspirational classic. This book should be required reading for every high school student. This knowledge could help everyone through life.

Rating:
Summary: Executive Coach
Review: I have been working with executives for years and this story reflects so many of my experiences. I've coached a lot of undereducated CEOs that worked very hard, impressed the right people, and got lucky. This book was a page turner, a genuine retrospective that touched my heart. I identified with Mr. Despain on a personal level and was encouraged by his transformation from admitted tyrant to open-minded, respectful, empowering, and appreciative. When the corporate landscape is a minefield of scandals and ethics violations, it's invigorating to think the needed change is as simple as sharing values, defining standards for behavior, and giving people the freedom to exercise their talents and ideas within a shared cultural context.

Bravo on a good read and an important reminder to leaders who have forgotten their own roots, who don't appreciate the fragile nature of the human ego, or who simply take their own power too seriously. Try to see yourself through the eyes of those around you. You set the tone for your own culture. If you commit to change, apologize when you falter, and create an atmosphere of trust and respect...people will respond!

Rating:
Summary: A Community of Butterflies in East Peoria
Review: We all know that what we (really really) believe and believe in determines what our values are; they in turn determine at least our voluntary our behavior. (It is human nature to resent being required to act against our beliefs and our values. Some people have died rather than doing so.) If you agree with me so far, then perhaps you will agree that the meaning of "values-based leadership" depends almost entirely on what a given leader believes. Moreover, her or his leadership behavior will be determined by certain values. They could include greed, arrogance, and contempt for others; or they could include generosity, humility, and respect for others. All this seems pretty basic, indeed obvious to me. Throughout history, the range of leaders is wide and diverse. Evil leaders in the 20th century obviously include Hitler and Stalin. Other leaders contemporary with them obviously include Churchill. All three had very strong beliefs, were committed to quite specific values, and behaved accordingly. I mention all this by way of suggesting the context of the remarks which follow.

What we have here is a profile-narrative (rather than a biography) which focuses on the life and career of James Despain up to, of course, Converse's completion of this book's manuscript. Like most of those who read this book, his parents and childhood experiences had a significant impact on his values as he worked his way through the Caterpillar organization, rising to a senior-level executive position while marrying and then starting a family along the way. Of special interest and value to me are the the lessons he learned while attempting to change the culture of the workplace in which he and his associates struggled to achieve the objective set for them by management. In time, he became an important part of the same management structure (in and of itself a culture resistant to change) and learned other lessons from his involvement with it.

The Appendix (pages 189-198) offers a series of summaries of key points. As Despain learned to his dismay, frustration, and occasional disappointment, it is far easier to formulate lists such as "Our Common Values" and " Our Common Values Leadership Guide" than it is to (a) achieve a consensus of agreement on the points listed, (b) effectively engage everyone in a collaborative commitment to the values, and finally (c) to sustain that shared commitment over an extended period of time, especially when there are serious problems to be solved. My own rather extensive experience with culture change has convinced (and perhaps Despain) that the single greatest barrier is what Jim O'Toole characterizes as "the ideology of comfort and the tyranny of custom."

Although there are no cutting-edge ideas in this book, it does offer a comprehensive explanation of how and why effective leadership focuses on people; also and more importantly, how and why the process of value-based leadership -- if the values affirm trust, mutual respect, teamwork, empowerment, prudent risk taking, a sense of urgency, continuous improvement, and commitment to the highest quality of customer service -- can enable any organization (regardless of size or nature) to achieve "unbelievable, sustainable performance and the personal joy it brings." I agree with Despain that value-based leadership so defined can thus unlock greatness in every individual and thereby ensure dignity for all.

Those who share my high regard for this book are urged to check out David Maister's Practice What You Preach: What Managers Must Do to Achieve a High Achievement Culture, O'Toole's Leading Change: The Argument for Values-Based Leadership, Ronald Heifetz's Leadership Without Easy Answers, and Danny Cox's Leadership When the Heat's On (Second Edition).