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CESL Book List 08-1

Ralph C. Stayer and James A. Belasco (1993). Flight of the Buffalo. Warner Books, Inc.

James A. Belasco and Ralph C. Stayer have written an insightful book, the title of which derives from the authors’ vision of traditional companies as a milling buffalo herds. The book’s central metaphor follows from this vision - Modern leaders must transform their companies from buffalo herds to flocks of geese, in which each bird takes a turn at the head of the V. Their straightforward prose is peppered with real-world examples, and Belasco and Stayer display a refreshing willingness to reveal their own past leadership shortcomings in explaining the concepts that they propose. Many of these concepts boil down to a simple, and hardly original axiom: Empower your employees. But by presenting these ideas in a down-to-earth style that’s illustrated by entertaining anecdotes, the book brings life to advice that otherwise might seem clich'. getAbstract.com recommends this book to professionals new to management, and to more experienced executives looking for an accessible introduction to the rationale, theory and practice of employee empowerment.

Oren Harari (2004). The Powell Principles. McGraw- Hill Companies

Retired four-star general and former Secretary of State Colin Powell is considered one of the most respected leaders in the U.S. Author Oren Harari’s short book distills Powell’s insights about leadership. As a formidable leader who has managed battles, bureaucracies and humanitarian missions, Powell has firm ideas about how a good leader behaves. Refreshingly, some of his principles are modestly anti-authoritarian. However, Harari does not develop Powell’s background or explain how he implemented these principles during his long, varied career. Like the rules promulgated in similar books on leadership, many of these "lessons" seem arbitrary and redundant. Then again, it is interesting and useful to see how a leader of Powell’s caliber thinks. Truncated as it may be, getAbstract.com recommends this short, concise collection to aspiring leaders. It is just about enough reading material for a short plane ride, but it provides a fair share of inspiration.

Spencer Johnson (1998). Who Moved My Cheese. G. P. Putnam's Sons

"Who Moved My Cheese" is a little fable about four characters, Sniff, Scurry, Hem and Haw. The moral of the story is that change is inevitable, and we must all be prepared for change and dare to change.

Sniff and Scurry are two mice who live in a maze. Hem and Haw are two little people who live in the same maze. All four of them have found a Cheese station and they are happily eating all the cheese in the station. One day all the cheese runs out and Sniff quickly sniffs out the direction where more cheese might be found and Scurry runs in that direction. After searching in the maze for a while, they find a new cheese station. Hem and Haw, on the other hand, have become comfortable with their cheese station. They moan and groan about the loss of their cheese and stay at the station waiting for the cheese to reappear.

Finally, driven by hunger, Haw leaves the station and sets out into the maze in search of a new cheese station. Hem refuses to leave, being afraid of what lies out there in the big maze. As Haw overcomes his fear and explores the maze, he feels good about overcoming his fear and explores further and further until he finally finds the new cheese station where Sniff and Scurry are. Haw has now learnt the lesson that change is necessary, and one must adapt to change. He now explores the maze regularly in search of new cheese stations before the cheese runs out.

Read the book and ask yourself, are you Sniff, Scurry, Hem or Haw?

John C. Maxwell (2006). The 360° Leader. Thomas Nelson Publishers

Frequent author John C. Maxwell applies his career counseling formula to another aspect of leadership: how people in the middle of large organizations can add to their company's leadership equation. His popular books rely on long lists of myths, challenges, principles, rules or values. Each one is identified, numbered (Maxwell is a firm believer in the power of numerical orderliness) and accompanied by an example or uplifting story - often making it unclear whether the book is inspirational, instructional or both. In practice, will people refer to these lists, or simply draw from Maxwell's major concepts? Although leadership defies a static definition, getAbstract believes this book may come in handy for enlightened senior and middle managers, as well as for those who are involved in developing up-and-coming managers.

Jim Collins (2001). Good To Great (why Some Companies Make The Leap -- and Others Don't). Collins

Companies take shape as a small, medium or a large organization, but all Companies have to make a beginning. They are led by able leaders, have experienced executives & other personnel, but all companies do not succeed substantially. Well, it all depends. It can be taken that the performance of the companies also, follows a statistical normal curve. Many companies are doing good, but they do not reach the level of greatness, due to many reasons. This book discusses the reasons, which made some companies to leap to greatness, with the objective of communicating these findings, so that these could be applied by the companies. Author's team set benchmarks, for categorizing the companies in the good-to-great category, which had eleven companies. This small number appears to be due to the tough standards of selection, on the basis of sustained great results. Then efforts were made, through author's research project team, to find out the exact reasons of their success. However, it is no secret that some of the good-to-great companies, may have problems in future. A lot depends on the qualities of the CEO, role of the Board of Directors, the discipline in the company, & hiring of the right people for the jobs. It is possible for good companies to become great, & greatness need not necessarily come from the beginning of the company. In the opinion of the author, the integrated set of the above findings, & not a few findings alone, will help & guide other companies, in going from good to great stage.
Firstly disciplined people, the leadership, meaning thereby, that the leaders in such good to great companies were not big personalities or celebrities, but they were quiet & reserved leaders, with personal humility & professional will. Secondly, disciplined people, the right people i.e. such leaders positioned at first, the right people in the right positions & then proceeded. Thirdly, disciplined thought, i.e. never to lose faith in final success, in spite of the large no. of real difficulties to be faced boldly. Fourthly disciplined thought i.e. the company must be best in the world at its core business. However, simply doing the business for decades, does not necessarily mean that it is the best in the world. Fifthly, disciplined action, meaning that a culture of discipline (e.g. in people, in thought & in action) along with entrepreneurship, definitely leads to greatness. Lastly disciplined action, i.e. technology accelerators, meaning that such companies made applications of carefully selected technologies. Finally, the author states that such changes from good to great, did not take place in one go. It was a continuous & relentless process in one direction, obtaining breakthrough & continuing progress subsequently. These concepts, which are timeless, should be taken as the basic principles & with their application, sustained performance is achievable.

Donald T. Phillips (1993). Lincoln on Leadership. Warner Books, Inc.

Donald T. Phillips has written a solid and engaging book. It has been hailed by critics and leaders in business, sports, and every other arena as a common sense masterpiece of historical and character analysis. The book is divided into key lessons, each representing an aspect of President Abraham Lincoln’s leadership style, as revealed through his words and actions. A beautifully written intimate history, the book shows Lincoln in action. The discussion reveals clearly how any leader can apply Lincoln’s timeless principles about communication, character, endeavor, and people. getAbstract.com recommends this book to anyone interested in leadership, Lincoln, or history.

Joseph E. Persico ; Colin L. Powell (2003). My American Journey. Ballantine Books

Colin Powell is the embodiment of the American dream. He was born in Harlem to immigrant parents from Jamaica. He knew the rough life of the streets. He overcame a barely average start at school. Then he joined the Army. The rest is history - but a history that until now has been known only on the surface. Here, for the first time, he himself tells us how it happened, in a memoir distinguished by a heartfelt love of country and family, warm good humor, and a soldier's directness. He writes of the anxieties and missteps as well as the triumphs that marked his rise to four-star general, National Security Advisor, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, mastermind of Desert Storm, and now the man the country would most like to draft as President just as it drafted General Eisenhower before him in 1952. We see Powell growing up, getting into mischief, going to church with his father, working in a bottling plant, joining the ROTC. We follow him as a green young lieutenant on his first foreign posting in Germany, where his ascent is nearly aborted by a blunder on the day he is assigned to guard an atomic cannon. We go on patrol with him into the jungles of Vietnam, where he is wounded, and then, in the first surprise turn of his career, into the every-bit-as-dangerous thickets of Washington bureaucracy as a Pentagon aide in the Carter administration. We see how he handled the humiliations inflicted on him as a black soldier traveling in the Deep South and the unnerving challenges he faced as a battalion commander in Korea, where the army guarding the border with North Korea was plagued by drugs, drinking, a lack of discipline, and racial tension. We are edge-of-the-seat spectators to some of the great international dramas of our time - Desert Storm, the invasion of Panama, the dark dealings of Iran-contra with Ollie North and Bill Casey, the climactic meetings with Gorbachev. And we are present also at the encounters with President Clinton on the controversial question of gays in the military. Powell gives us behind-the-scenes portraits of Presidents Reagan, Bush, and Clinton, of Stormin' Norman Schwarzkopf, and many others. This is a book of political excitement and disclosure, but it is much more.

John C. Maxwell (1998). The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. Thomas Nelson Publishers

Frequent motivational author John C. Maxwell, a former pastor, squarely based these 21 laws of leadership on enduring values. These guidelines are meant to inspire, not innovate, as they offer techniques to make leading by principle a practical reality. Maxwell's straightforward, insightful rules are well worth the time you will spend reading them. getAbstract recommends this gem of simplicity as a game book for building stronger teams and becoming a better leader.

James Hunter (2004). The World's Most Powerful Leadership Principle, How to Become a Servant Leader. WaterBrook Press

To lead is not to be “the boss,” the “head honcho,” or “the brass.”

To lead is to serve.

Although serving may imply weakness to some, conjuring up a picture of the CEO waiting on the workforce hand and foot, servant leadership is actually a robust, revolutionary idea that can have significant impact on an organization’s performance.

Jim Hunter champions this hard/soft approach to leadership, which turns bosses and managers into coaches and mentors. By “hard,” Hunter means that servant leaders can be hard-nosed, even autocratic, when it comes to the basics of running the business: determining the mission (where the company is headed) and values (what the rules are that govern the journey) and setting standards and accountability. Servant leaders don’t commission a poll or take a vote when it comes to these critical fundamentals. After all, that’s what a leader’s job is, and people look to the leader to set the course and establish standards.

But once that direction is provided, servant leaders turn the organizational structure upside down. They focus on giving employees everything they need to win, be it resources, time, guidance, or inspiration. Servant leaders know that providing for people and engaging hearts and minds foster a workforce that understands the benefits of striving for the greater good. The emphasis is on building authority, not power; on exerting influence, not intimidation.

While many believe that servant leadership is a wonderful, inspiring idea, what’s been missing is the how-to, the specifics of implementation. Jim Hunter shows how to do the right thing for the people you lead. A servant leader or a self-serving leader: Which one are you? With Jim Hunter’s guidance, everyone has the potential to develop into a leader with character who leads with authority.

Lynne C. Lancaster and Davis Stillman (2003). When Generations Collide. Collins

For the first time in the U.S. history, we have four separate generations working side-by-side. They are the Traditionalists, Baby boomers, Gen Xers and Gen Y. While there is really no magic birth date that makes one a member of a specific generation, one's experience and sharing of history helps shape a 'generational personality' during their formative years.

With four generations in the work system, misunderstandings happen. Additionally, progressive organizations are realizing they need to modify policies, develop new procedures, create new compensation and benefit programs to attract and retain the four diverse groups in the work system. When generational collisions occur, it results in reduced profitability, presents hiring challenges, increased turnover rates, and decreased morale. Understanding the various generational identities will help in building bridges in the work environment.

The book's authors, Lancaster and Stillman, describe for the reader the four generations and provide suggestions regarding rewards/retention/motivatational techniques that appeal to each generation. Briefly, the four generations are defined:

Traditionalists were born between the turn of the last century and the end of World War II (1900-1945) and they number about 50M in population. The Traditionalists were impacted by two World Wars and the Great Depression. They learned to do without and the management style they learned came from the military - a top-down, boot-camp method. They were cautious, obedient. and spoke when spoken to. They would have never called their boss by 'his' first name. For years they had career security of life-long employment opportunities so all the downsizing of the 80s/90s initially took them by shock. They have their own preference regarding rewards and respond to different recruiting messages.

Baby Boomers: (Born from 1946-1964) represents the largest population ever born in the U.S. Their large number of about 80M created a competitive nature among them for jobs/opportunities. For the most part, they grew up in suburbs, had educational opportunities above their parents, saw lots of consumer products hit the marketplace (calculators, appliances). The television had a significant impact on their views of the world regarding equal opportunity and other human rights. They represent a great recruiting target as they 'retool' for new career opportunities for those recruiters who have the knowledge on how to attract them.

Generation X: Many members of the Generation X emerged into the workplace during the 1990s expansion and this is the smallest generation in terms of numbers (46M- due to birth control and working moms). They had a distinct competitive advantage in choice jobs 'they wanted.' The technological revolution exacerbated their successes as they are techno savvy unlike their Boomer competitors. Rather than 'paying their dues for a number of years' as previous generations did, they were able to demand that organizations adapt to their ways of doing things, creating disbelief in Traditionalist/Boomers. (Actually, the Gen Xers have made the work place a better system for all of us by demanding flex hours, telecommuting, etc). Gen Xers grew up a skeptical group due to fractured family systems, violence in the news, AIDS, drugs, child molesters and downsizings. Generation Xers are dash board diners and being latchkey kids taught them independence. They detest micro-management in the work environment and want constant feedback on how they are performing. Recruiters and HR personnel need specifics to attract, motivate and retain Gen Xers.

Gen Y/ Millennial Generation: This 75M techno-savvy, multi-tasking generation has had access to cell phones, personal pagers, and computers most of their life. They have, for the most part, led privileged lives traveling more than previous generations to world wide areas, growing up in 'fun' day care programs/activities, owning the best in technology and being included in family collaborations that involve major issues ranging from where to live, the decorations in their bedroom to vacation trips. Their parents/teachers have coached them to build extensive portfolios (for college), therefore, they will most likely be portfolio conscious and looking for career expansion opportunities. Futurists predict they will change jobs 7-10 times and even change careers 2 or 3 times. They were also taught to question parents/teachers and the status quo. They have served in school peer-court systems having a say in major decisions and this will impact how they will respond and adapt within a workplace system. The authors provide several specific recruiting/retention strategies to attract this generation.

Looking at the workplace as a system, these generational variances present recruiting, rewarding and retention challenges. Employee turnover eats up management hours and dollars spent advertising and conducting searches for, interviewing, hiring and training new recruits. Its takes up remaining employees' time covering open positions. It frustrates customers who often receive substandard or inconsistent service.

This is a must-read book as 'one-size' does not fit each generation's needs in terms of benefits, working hours, places of employment, methods of training/motivation and retention.