Product Description

Discusses the core issues that lie at the heart of leadership and our relationship to the work of those leaders. DLC: Leadership.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #179740 in Books
• Published on: 1999-03-18
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 184 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780875848976
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
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Amazon.com Review
"After conducting fourteen formal studies and more than a thousand interviews, directly observing dozens of executives in action, and compiling innumerable surveys, I am completely convinced that most organizations today lack the leadership they need," contends John P. Kotter, the Konosuke Matsushita Professor of Leadership at Harvard Business School. "And the shortfall is often large. I'm not talking about a deficit of 10%, but of 200%, 400%, or more in positions up and down the hierarchy," he writes in the opening essay to John P. Kotter on What Leaders Really Do, a collection of his most notable articles on the topic for the Harvard Business Review. Kotter isn't known to pull punches, and these pieces--falling into two categories, those concerned with "Leadership and Change" and those focusing on "Dependency and Networks"--are no exception. The articles in the book sensibly point out the difference between management and leadership; they advocate setting a direction rather than planning and budgeting, and motivating people rather than controlling them. They are tied together effectively by the aforementioned new essay, in which Kotter presents his "Ten Observations About Management Behavior" to summarize the concepts he has developed over a 30-year career. --Howard Rothman

Review
"Offers a convenient one-volume resource to this noted expert's views on leadership." -- Choice, October 1999

"This book is thankfully short on theory and is instead filled with practical, often common-sensical, advice. For anyone who wants to be a leader when they grow up, Kotter's book is required reading." -- CIO, June 15, 1999

About the Author
John P. Kotter is the Konosuke Matsushita Professor of Leadership at the Harvard Business School and a frequent speaker at top management meetings around the world. He is the author of the bestselling book Leading Change (HBS Press) and the content expert for Realizing Change, an interactive CD-ROM program developed by Harvard Business School Publishing.

Customer Reviews

A useful collection of Kotter's articles
Six of Kotter's articles published between 1979 and 1997 are prefaced by a substantial introduction under the title of Leadership at the Turn of the Century. The six articles are arranged in two groups of three, the first three grouped under Leadership and Change and the second under the heading Dependency and Networks. The first part contains the famous articles "What Leaders Really Do" and "Leading Change: Why Transformation Efforts Fail", which was the article behind the author's subsequent book "Leading Change".

I seem to be in a minority in thinking that Kotter's views of leadership are over-rated. Although his commentary recognises complexity, his prescriptions seem to me to be instrumental, linear and unduly inwardly focused. He takes a very analytical view of an intensely human art. One of the central features of successful leadership is passion, and another is a strong and well articulated sense of values. The author recognises both, but does not appear to be engaged by them. They appear to be treated as merely two more ingredients in the mix. Above all, it does not ask the questions that are becoming so dominant - questions about societal values, about balancing the need for profit with issues of sustainability and even about the role of the corporation in a globalised world.

Having said that, there is a lot of good material available. His '8 steps' are sufficiently well known not to need repetition, and the article "What Leaders Really Do" is a good summary of the distinction between leadership and management concerns.

The introduction is written largely around ten 'observations', which add up to saying that leadership and management are different, that high complexity and high rates of change make leadership increasingly important, with a large part of the leadership role being concerned with building vision, providing inspiration and building networks of relationship.

The analytical person's guide to leadership
I look at the other reviewers comments and realize that there's another perspective. One that I think I may share with others who are not the other reviewers.

There's a niche of people out there who are "intuitive / analytical" people. The works of other leadership / management "gurus" seem, well, mystical or overwhelmingly positive.

I personally understand and practice the passion of leadership but personally had a hard time understanding the framework of human relationships and motivations that lead to most management hierarchies. In traditional management hierarchies, passionate people are also labelled as "over the edge". immature, unrealistic.

From an analytical engineering / scientist approach, what occurs in executive management just doesn't seem to make sense. Frankly, I'm blown away by the rampant "peter principle" in executive management. I've not understood why I who have significant leadership skills haven't made it into "the higher echelons".

John Kotter is the first author I've encountered who has been able to layout for me the framework of human interactions. He's the first author who feels to me like he is looking over my shoulder giving me useful guidance, not just pumping me up.

The article on "Leading Change, Why Transformation Efforts Fail" included in the book landed in my lap at a time when I'm attempting to lead cultural changes.

The chapter on "Managing and Power" helped me understand how my independent / contra-dependent leanings might actually be hindering me in a management hierarchy of over dependent managers.

I've gotten more condensed information from Kotter than from any other source to date. However, in this case, I must concur with one of the other reviewers: I'd like greater depth of information on how to better adapt.

Still, Kotter's terse, analytical perspective has been phenomenally valuable in giving me insights into my behaviors (that I'm not the only person who acts, feels, or believes in the things that I do) and a framework for understanding the behaviors of others.

Only time will tell if I've been able to take away anything of any real value and apply it successfully.

A MUST Read for Anyone in Management
I bought this book on second thought because I was also buying "Leading Change" by Kotter. However, I picked up this book and could not put it down. As a long-time leader, this book validates much of what I already know and do. However, it also brings a lot of insight into the differences between leadership and management. The author really analyzes the complexity and interdependency and interrelationships that are faced by, and must be overcome or managed by leaders and managers. I liked what and how Kotter says it in this book that I bought one for each of my managers (I'm a CEO). I am hoping that this easy-to-read, and understandable book brings a lot of insight to them. I highly recommend this book to all current leaders and managers, and anyone hoping to go into leadership or management or both.