Leaders Make It Happen
Books Worth Reading
December 2007 / January 2008
Volume 5 Number 6
Leading at a Higher Level
Dramatic changes have altered the workplace over the course of the past 25 years, however, many executives still stick to outdated scripts even as corporate directions shift. Fortunately, Ken Blanchard, author of Leading at a Higher Level, provides insightful coaching exercises that give leaders new ways to proceed. Written in straightforward language, the book also includes templates, examples and guidelines for employee education, performance reviews and promotions.
Blanchard laments many corporations' narrow-minded fixation with the bottom-line. He recommends that companies should aim for three strata of success: becoming the "provider of choice" for customers, the "employer of choice" for workers, and "the investment of choice" for stakeholders. Try the following tips to achieve this hat trick: Create a high level of enthusiasm among your customers and turn them into an unpaid sales force. Treat your employees fairly so that they treat your clients fairly as well. Empower your staff to make on-the-spot decisions, thus giving them the ability to instantly improve customer satisfaction. Enlist your workers in this effort—€”treat them like your business partners, thereby making them feel that they have a stake in the company. Avoid being an autocratic micromanager or a wishy-washy supervisor by remembering the four key actions of a top manager: direct, coach, support and delegate.
The reader may become impatient with the repetition of key points and with Blanchard's slightly jarring habit of referring to himself in the third person, but despite these minor annoyances, this book is an excellent primer about modern leadership roles. In fact, the One Minute Manager guru promises that it "pulls together the thinking from the Ken Blanchard Companies for the past 25 years." This leadership overview should rank high on the list of managers, board members, team leaders and any employee in a cubicle who aspires to reach higher levels.
Ken Blanchard. Leading at a Higher Level: Blanchard on Leadership and Creating High Performing Organizations. Pearson Prentice Hall, 2006. List Price: $24.99. ISBN 13: 978-0132347723.
Citizen Marketers
Much like the cyberculture events that authors Ben McConnell and Jackie Huba cherish, their book is fun, jazzy and almost habit-forming. Citizen Marketers contains tale after tale of individuals and communities that are doing new and exciting things online, demonstrating just how much the emerging "social media" movement has changed the media landscape. Citizens of cyberspace expect to be able to link to the media, rework it and play an active role in its evolution.
These e-enthusiasts fall into several categories, including: avid fans or critics who want to spread the word, good Samaritans who want to share problems and solutions and those who simply want to be a part of a virtual community.
Online aficionados have an array of channels at their disposal: Audio podcasts have cut into the audience for traditional radio, and the most popular video podcasts, available by subscription, already outdraw almost all local television news in the U.S. Web communities such as MySpace function as electronic outgrowths of personalities, especially for teens. To succeed, any new medium must be responsive to its community, easy to use and personalize, and transparent in communicating data.
Citizen marketers are also changing the relationship between individuals, corporations and the market. To keep up, you must embrace democracy and let users or customers have their say. Try the following techniques: Hold contests and reward ideas, slogans or photos of your product; invite users to help you create images, as some record companies do to promote music videos; ask dedicated users to test new products, as Lego does; start an online community where customers can post comments and questions—€”and answer them honestly.
The authors do a great job of outlining the new movement. However, their analyses aren't as strong as their descriptions—€”in part because the movement is still emerging, and also because of their genuine enthusiasm for its activities.
In particular, they take an uncritical view of the forces driving social media.
That caveat aside, this book will be of interest to old-media communicators who want to understand the latest cyberculture developments and apply them to their own businesses.
Ben McConnell and Jackie Huba. Citizen Marketers: When People Are the Message. Kaplan Publishing, 2006. List Price: $25.00. ISBN-13: 9781419596063.
The Essential Wooden
Under basketball coach John Wooden, UCLA's teams won 10 NCAA championships in 12 years, setting lasting and legendary records. Their successes included 88 consecutive winning games, however the way Wooden's players behaved was even more impressive. Never arrogant, the Bruins epitomized self-control and teamwork. Coach Wooden always taught them that basketball was merely a vehicle for learning about life and what really matters. The Essential Wooden, written by the sportsman himself and Steve Jamison, contains many of his maxims and insights. Above all, he says, success is the peace of mind you get from knowing you did the best that you could do.
The author credits his father for instilling his sons with his core beliefs —€”integrity, honesty and courage in the face of adversity. Wooden believes that good leaders should encourage proper values and nurture each person's character.
They should treat all team members equally, maximize each individual's potential, try hard, and accept setbacks and defeats gracefully. Complaining, placing blame and playing favorites have no place on his court. Consider these words of wisdom: Have a sound strategy, prepare properly and execute your game plan. Recognize mistakes as learning opportunities. Perfection is always elusive, but striving to achieve it is worthwhile. Be wary of offering too much praise—€”after a while, it becomes ineffective.
Each page in this inspiring book offers nuggets of wisdom from one of the greatest college basketball coaches of all time. Wooden never chased fame or fortune, yet he considers himself a rich man because of his experiences.
Although he doesn't offer any new, innovative thoughts on leadership, his sincere view of success is worthwhile reinforcement. His guiding principle is that the journey is important, not the championship titles. To that end, his book contains lessons for everyone, no matter what game you play or lead.
John Wooden and Steve Jamison. The Essential Wooden: A Lifetime of Lessons on Leaders and Leadership. McGraw-Hill, 2006. List Price: $19.95. ISBN-13: 978-0071484350.
Rolf Dobelli is chairman of getAbstract, the leading provider of business book summaries, with more than 4,000 titles covered. www.getabstract.com
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