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INTRODUCTION
“The Chinese use two brush strokes to write the word ‘crisis.’ One brush stroke stands for danger; the other for opportunity. In a crisis, be aware of the danger— but recognize the opportunity.”
—JOHN F. KENNEDY (1917–1963), Speech in Indianapolis, April 12, 1959
Leading people has never been an easy task. And today, leaders have the immensely difficult job of forging a path into uncharted territories of global proportion. Amid a constantly changing business environment, sometimes confusing and often overwhelming information, and a requirement to please a variety of stakeholders, leaders are understandably often uncertain as to the right thing to do, the best avenue to take, the precise decision to make that will lead to success—and during some periods, especially of late, even survival.
As participants in and scholars of this world of incredible change, we put our heads together to see how we might contribute to—help forge, if you will—a path to a bright future. This contemplation on the crises of today, which leaders navigate on a daily basis, led us to consider where the opportunities lie. We discovered the opportunity in our great network of thought leaders. We decided to ask the world’s greatest thought leaders in the fields of management and leadership to give us their ideas on the current state of the world. More specifically, we asked them: In your area of expertise, what are the trends, issues, and challenges facing leaders today and how can they lead through them successfully? Their insightful and visionary answers are encapsulated in the pages of this book.
The AMA Handbook of Leadership is a timely, timeless, informative, and important book for its readers, who must continually study and explore the world, leadership, business, and management. In it, we have brought together in one collection a global group of thought leaders who have made significant contributions to the fields of leadership and management; who run major corporations; and who advise the CEOs, managing directors, and presidents of the leading organizations and countries worldwide.
The AMA Handbook of Leadership encompasses a wide range of thoughts, practices, and theories aimed at expanding the knowledge of its target audience—primarily leaders and those in positions in which they help others lead, such as organizational development professionals, consultants, and executive coaches. Middle managers and those in different parts of the organization, such as the HR manager, the head of organizational development, and the Executive Vice President of HR, will also find this book of great interest and value.
As a reader, you will find no need to follow the chapter sequence. You may start with a favorite author, a particular issue, or even a titillating title. The place to begin is with what is most important to you!
The AMA Handbook of Leadership is divided into five parts. In Part One, “Forging Ahead: The Global Picture,” our book begins with a vision of leadership for the future from Frances Hesselbein, founding president and chairman of the Leader to Leader Institute, formerly the Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit Management. This extraordinary woman’s chapter, “Diversity: The Imperative for Today’s Leaders,” brought tears to the eyes of one editor—what will it do for you? Long at the forefront of developing and implementing innovative concepts and strategies for maximizing organizational and individual potential through diversity management, Dr. R. Roosevelt Thomas follows Frances’s train of thought in his chapter, “Leadership and Diversity Management: Unfinished Business.” Maya Hu-Chan’s chapter, “360 for Global Leaders: Coaching Through a World Lens,” provides essential coaching practices and practical skills all global leadership should embrace. Rounding out Part One with “Asian and Western Executive Styles,” D. Quinn Mills, the Albert J. Weatherhead Jr. Professor of Business Administration Emeritus at Harvard Business School, and Luke Novelli, the Chief of Intellectual Capital at Leadership Development Resources Global, describe the differences in characteristic leadership styles between Asia and the West. The authors provide implications for the development of leaders who will be able to lead effectively across global regions.
Part Two, “Developing People: The Key to the Future,” begins with the insights of behavioral change expert Marshall Goldsmith. “Passing the Baton: Developing Your Successor” offers candid advice on succession from the outgoing executive’s perspective. Strategic executive development expert James F. Bolt delineates 12 characteristics or success factors that can be used to develop and implement great leadership and executive talent in organizations in his chapter, “Developing Exceptional Leaders: Critical Success Factors.” An internationally recognized authority on career issues and retention and engagement in the workplace, Beverly Kaye lays out step-by-step guidelines for facilitating the growth and development of new leaders, especially in a down economy, in her chapter, “The Leader’s Role in Growing New Leaders.” With a human resources focus on the challenges of talent management, vice president of Talent Management for Avon Products Marc Effron and PepsiCo senior manager of human resources Miriam Ort discuss the lack of status of the field of talent management and suggest ways to improve it so as to make it a more vital branch of human resources in their chapter, “Talent Pool or Talent Puddle: Where’s the Talent in Talent Management?” The final chapter in Part Two is “The Cost of Investing in People Leadership Negatively Affects the Bottom Line: Fact or Fiction?” a case study by Howard J. Morgan, Manager Director of Leadership Research Institute, and Qwest executive Paula Kruger that demonstrates the benefits of “people investment.”
Part Three, “Engaging People: The Force of Change,” shows how a leader who engages people can create the energy to compel positive change in a forward direction. On the other hand, inertia and apathy, by-products of poor leadership, suck the life force out of any potential for positive change. If a company is fortunate, a good product or service may help maintain the organizational status quo; if not, the organization will likely fail miserably. Beginning this part is “Leadership’s Silver Bullet: The Magic of Inspiration,” a chapter about the value of inspiration and motivation as effective leadership behaviors by John H. (Jack) Zenger, world expert in the field of leadership development. Highly regarded management thinker Judith M. Bardwick combines cutting-edge psychological research with practical business applications to give us a clear-cut outline for change in her chapter, “Create Awareness; Create Change.” With extensive expertise in the areas of survey research and change management, renowned psychometrician Joseph Folkman identifies behaviors that may cause employees to perceive a leader as uncaring. Folkman offers suggestions for becoming aware of and changing these behaviors in his chapter, “I Really Do Care!” Executive Education Professor of Strategic Leadership for the Smeal College of Business at Penn State, Dr. Albert A. Vicere introduces us to the “DNA model” of organizations in his chapter, “The Real Legacy of Leadership: Aligning Rhetoric with Reality.” Based on strategy, culture, and leadership, Dr. Vicere provides suggestions to leaders seeking to “align rhetoric to reality” by engaging employees at all levels of an organization. Finally, in this part, Dr. Paul Hersey, internationally renowned behavioral scientist and highly regarded authority on training and human resource development, discusses challenges that Generation Y workers pose to today’s leaders (often from the Generation X and Baby Boomer generations) in “What Do Leaders Need to Know About Generation Y in Order to Lead Successfully?” Dr. Hersey outlines the skills, education, and expectations that Gen Yers bring to the workplace and identifies some leadership techniques for channeling these most effectively.
Part Four, “Facilitating Change: The Leader’s Role,” begins with a chapter by Norm Smallwood, cofounder of The RBL Group, and top business coach Dave Ulrich, ranked #1 most influential person in HR by HR Magazine. Their chapter, “What Is an Effective Leader? The Leadership Code and Leadership Brand,” offers a clear, empirically based framework—the Leadership Code—that depicts elements that make up a good leader. Next is “Leading the Emotional Side of Change: The New 21st-Century Leadership Capability.” And, who better to explore the new challenges facing 21st-century leaders and provide a fresh approach to them based on the incorporation of emotional, not just cognitive, strategies than internationally recognized psychologist Dr. Robert H. Rosen? Introducing the interesting concept “political temperature” to describe team functioning, Dr. Gary Ranker, top executive coach, and Colin Gautrey, internationally recognized thought leader in the practical use of power and influence in the workplace, give us their ideas in “Adjusting the Political Temperature of Your Team.” With extensive expertise in leadership development, executive coach Patricia Wheeler helps smart executives become better leaders. Her chapter, “Making Successful Transitions: The Leader’s Perspective,” addresses the complicated subject of how leaders can make successful transitions from position to position and organization to organization. The final chapter in this part is by John Baldoni, internationally recognized leadership consultant, coach, speaker, and author. “A Question of Leadership: What Does the Organization Need Me to Do?” offers a fresh way of looking at leadership from the perspective of a manager’s value to the organization. Baldoni emphasizes the need to engage with subordinates and the importance of values.
Part Five, “Taking the Lead: The X Factors,” includes the ideas and philosophies of extraordinary thought leaders who “think outside the box” into realms that may hold the key to the future success of leadership, organizations, and possibly even humanity. Beginning this part is “Situational Intelligence,” by acclaimed expert in organizational transformation Laurence S. Lyons. Lyons shares the concept of situational intelligence—ensuring that a business strategy is correct for the particular situation while appreciating its wider context. S. Bronfman Chair in Management at McGill University and artist in her own right, Nancy J. Adler discusses the opportunity to use the arts for creativity, inspiration, and to develop new forms of leadership in her chapter “The Arts and Leadership.” The leading authority on client relationships and the skills and strategies required to earn lifelong client loyalty, Andrew Sobel introduces us to the concept of “client leadership,’’ distinguishes it from “organizational leadership,’’ and details its key characteristics and importance in business-to-business types of companies in his chapter, “Client Leadership: Leading in the Marketplace.” And, finally, Fons Trompenaars, foremost authority on cross-cultural management, and Peter Woolliams, senior partner with Trompenaars Hampden-Turner Consulting, complete our book with “Leading for Sustainability.” Outlining the “golden dilemmas” facing contemporary organizations, the authors explore the value of a cross-cultural approach to leadership both for individuals and for the “sustainability” of the organization.
We are confident that The AMA Handbook of Leadership will provide business leaders with the critical insights, perspectives, and frameworks to successfully navigate through today’s uncharted global business arena. We hope you enjoy this book, and we hope that you will gain more understanding of leadership as it must transform to meet with our changing times.