The Power of Invisible Leadership: How a Compelling Common Purpose Inspires Exceptional Leadership / Edition 1

by Gill Robinson Hickman, Georgia J. Sorenson

Overview

A powerful force draws people to leadership in countless businesses, nonprofits, government agencies, and social movements—we call it invisible leadership. Invisible leadership embodies situations in which dedication to a compelling and deeply held common purpose is the motivating force for leadership. The Power of Invisible Leadership: How a Compelling Common Purpose Inspires Exceptional Leadership, by Gill Robinson Hickman and Georgia L. Sorenson, is a readable, research-based book that shows readers how invisible leadership exists in the space between leaders and followers, artists and subjects, and purposes and people. Rather than reinforcing the idea that leadership is embodied in celebrity leaders or in gifted and charismatic individuals, this insightful new book identifies "charisma of purpose" as the motivating force for invisible leadership.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781412940177
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Publication date:	02/27/2013
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	120
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.80(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

Dr. Gill Robinson Hickman is professor emerita in the Jepson School of Leadership Studies, University of Richmond. An inaugural faculty member of the Jepson School, she participated in its institution building and course development and has held positions as dean, professor of Public Administration, and Human Resource director. She has published several books and numerous articles/book chapters in the field of leadership studies. Her experience has led to invitations as presenter at the China Executive Leadership Academy Pudong (CELAP), Shanghai, China; the Leadership in Central Europe Conference at Palacky University in Olomouc, Czech Republic; and a panel member at international conferences in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Guadalajara, Mexico, and Canada. She was a faculty presenter at the prestigious Salzburg Seminar in Salzburg, Austria and at the University of the Western Cape in South Africa where she presented a conceptual framework for leadership and transformation for regional governments in South Africa.

Dr. Georgia Sorenson envisioned and launched the James Mac Gregor Burns Academy of Leadership at the University of Maryland—the first academic program devoted to public leadership—more than twenty years ago. Currently she is Visiting Professor of Leadership Studies at the Carey School of Law at the University of Maryland..She has served as a board member of the Leadership Learning Community, the Kellogg Fellows Leadership Alliance, the Academy for Educational Development’s New Voices, the Asian Pacific American Women’s Leadership Institute, Learning to Lead, and many other leadership organizations in the United States and abroad. Sorenson is the author of several books, including Dead Center: Clinton-Gore Leadership and the Perils of Moderation with James Mac Gregor Burns, published in 1999 by Scribner. Sorenson is co-editor, with George R. Goethals and James Mac Gregor Burns, of the four-volume Encyclopedia of Leadership, published by SAGE in 2004. She has published in professional journals, such as the Harvard Educational Review, Signs, and Psychology of Women Quarterly, and is a frequent contributor and commentator on leadership and social issues in the popular media. Sorenson’s experience has led to numerous international consultancies and teaching appointments. She was adjunct professor at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, Korea, serves as professor and advisor to China’s National School of Administration, and was on the international board of the Tokyo Jogakkan College in Japan. Previously she served on the advisory board of the Thierry Graduate School of Leadership. Before launching her career in academia, Sorenson was a senior policy analyst for employment issues in the Carter White House and later worked as a consultant to the Executive Office of the President. During her White House tenure, she served on the White House Productivity Council and on Vice-President Mondale’s Youth Employment Council. She continues to be politically active and has served as a speechwriter or consultant to three presidential campaigns.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
1. Unmasking Leadership
2. Illuminating the Secrets of Ancient, Hidden, and Modern Wisdom
3. Exposing the Ethics of Invisible Leadership
4. Lighting the Path: The Invisible Leadership Study
5.Seeing the Unseen: Experiences With Invisible Leadership
6. Leading Invisibly: The Common Purpose as Leader
Appendix: Invisible Leadership Survey
Index
About the Authors

Editorial Reviews

"Hickman and Sorenson's concept of ‘invisible leadership,’ that is, a passionately held common purpose that inspires people to commit themselves to its accomplishment, is exactly what has been missing (maybe, just invisible) from the field of leadership. This brilliant insight extricates the study of leadership from the morass of focusing on narcissistic, power-driven individuals. Instead, "invisible leadership" rivets our attention on that ineffable phenomenon we often mistake for human leaders’ individual qualities or accomplishments. Hickman and Sorenson have broken new ground! What a joy to read! "

Jean Lipman-Blumen

“…[The Power of Invisible Leadership] addresses a key component that every leader should consider. It draws effectively upon past work and provides a basic framework for understanding.”

Douglas Davenport

“The Power of Invisible Leadership explores leadership in a way that will prove useful to all leaders and followers, of all ages and backgrounds. Everyone can benefit from [this] insightful book.”

Angela Nicole Scott

“The foundation of this text is grounded in traditional and contemporary leadership philosophies and practices, and emphasizes invisible leadership from a variety of perspectives.”

Bryan Patterson

“Understanding invisible leadership enables you to lead using the most effective form of power—intrinsic motivation of your people.”

Dr. Gert W. Meijer

“When you read a musical composition you see the formal notes but the power of the music comes from the space between them, from the invisible notes. Hickman and Sorenson, using this metaphor (and others) explore leadership inspired by a common purpose. Invisible Leadership is a composition filled with innovative concepts and practical examples grounded in established theory and their own research—A must-read for scholars and practitioners interested in the study and practice of leadership.”

Cynthia Cherrey

"Hickman and Sorenson′s concept of 'invisible leadership, ' that is, a passionately held common purpose that inspires people to commit themselves to its accomplishment, is exactly what has been missing (maybe, just invisible) from the field of leadership. This brilliant insight extricates the study of leadership from the morass of focusing on narcissistic, power-driven individuals. Instead, "invisible leadership" rivets our attention on that ineffable phenomenon we often mistake for human leaders' individual qualities or accomplishments. Hickman and Sorenson have broken new ground! What a joy to read!"--Jean Lipman-Blumen, PhD (1/31/2013 12:00:00 AM)

"...[The Power of Invisible Leadership] addresses a key component that every leader should consider. It draws effectively upon past work and provides a basic framework for understanding."--Douglas Davenport (1/31/2013 12:00:00 AM)

"The Power of Invisible Leadership explores leadership in a way that will prove useful to all leaders and followers, of all ages and backgrounds. Everyone can benefit from [this] insightful book."--Angela Nicole Scott (1/31/2013 12:00:00 AM)

"The foundation of this text is grounded in traditional and contemporary leadership philosophies and practices, and emphasizes invisible leadership from a variety of perspectives."--Bryan Patterson (1/31/2013 12:00:00 AM)

"Understanding invisible leadership enables you to lead using the most effective form of power--intrinsic motivation of your people."--Dr. Gert W. Meijer (1/31/2013 12:00:00 AM)

"When you read a musical composition you see the formal notes but the power of the music comes from the space between them, from the invisible notes. Hickman and Sorenson, using this metaphor (and others) explore leadership inspired by a common purpose. Invisible Leadership is a composition filled with innovative concepts and practical examples grounded in established theory and their own research--A must-read for scholars and practitioners interested in the study and practice of leadership."--Cynthia Cherrey (1/31/2013 12:00:00 AM)

From the Publisher

Understanding invisible leadership enables you to lead using the most effective form of power—intrinsic motivation of your people.

Doctor - Gert W. Meijer