A central characteristic of leaders is that they are learners—lifelong learners.  This is a short, annotated bibliography of some of my favorite books on leadership to add to your reading list.

Leadership is an Art, Max DePree, Dell Publishing, 1989

This is a fine book written by an experienced practitioner, which captures both the spirit of leadership, its underlying values, and some exceptional down to earth advice.  Max DePree is the former CEO of Herman Miller, one of the most innovative furniture designers and manufacturers in the world.  He comes from a family line of exceptional leaders at Herman Miller who early on pioneered, among other things, the Scanlon Plan that results in the sharing of profits with all employees.  He was among the first to capture the idea of  servant leadership in the workplace.   Well written; it is digestible in one or two nights.

Built to Last:  Successful Habits of Visionary Companies, James C. Collins and Jerry I. Porras, HarperCollins, 1994.

In the quest for “best practices” that began with Tom Peters’ In Search of Excellence, this is a book that breaks the mold.  Rather than focus on companies that are the hottest commodities at that time , the authors’ six year research effort elicited something perhaps more enduring.  Visionary companies are those that have endured over the long haul, through the ups and downs of the years, and continue to be successful.  While success is measured in financial terms it is also measured in ”clock building,” that which keeps on ticking for the good of employees as well as investors in meeting the needs of customers.  What is of particular value  is the emphasis on building something beyond a profit engine.  The underlying wisdom of this book is the central role of values, a commitment to people the power of vision and leadership that is grown within the culture.  

Managing in a Time of Great Change, Peter F. Drucker, Truman Talley Books, 1995

In this last phase of his career, Peter Drucker, the most prescient observer and thinker about leadership and management, has been turning out essays on various aspects of the challenges of today.  At the end, they are gathered into a book that focuses on particular aspect of executive life.  This collection of essays, many published in the leading journals, seeks to capture the elusive roots of change and the implications for leaders.  This is probably the best way for leaders to deeply understand the various aspects of change:  global competition, technology, social conditions, shifting demands of customers, learning, and the advent of non-profits on the national scene.  There is even a devastating critique of government reinvention and the future role of democracy in the world.  Rather than having to read several books on the subject of change, this is as literate, insightful and capsulized version how to understand leadership as a change process.

On Leadership, John Gardner, New York: The Free Press, 1990. My favorite. A classic on leadership, by a man whose life experience was unusually wide (Gardner , holder of the Presidential Medal of Freedom,  our nation's highest civilian honor, was president of the Carnegie Corporation, served on several presidential taskforces and boards of corporations, including Shell Oil and Time, Inc.)  His wide-ranging book takes stock of the nature of leadership in all areas of public life, drawing on sources from Herodotus to Gandhi to Hewlett-Packard.

Let him  speak for himself. From the Preface to On Leadership:

"Leaders today are familiar with the demand that they come forward with a new vision. But it is not a matter of fabricating a new vision out of whole cloth. A vision relevant for us today will build on values deeply embedded in human history and in our own tradition. It is not as though we come to the task unready. Men and women from the beginning of history have groped and struggled for various pieces of the answer. The materials out of which we build the vision will be the moral strivings of the species, today and in the distant past.

Most of the ingredients of a vision for this country have been with us for a long time. As the poet wrote, "The light we sought is shining still." That we have failed and fumbled in some of our attempts to achieve our ideals is obvious. But the great ideas still beckon—freedom, equality, justice, the release of human possibilities. The vision is to live up to the best in our past and to reach the goals we have yet to achieve—with respect to our domestic problems and our responsibilities worldwide."

 

High Flyers, Morgan McCall, Harvard Business School Press, 1997

Morgan McCall,  of the Executive Leadership program at the University of Southern California, puts into straightforward, palatable form the longitudinal leadership data from the Center for Creative Leadership.  As the Director of Research there for many years, McCall was instrumental in delving into the subject of how leaders actually learn leadership and exploding any notion that leaders are born not made.  The central thesis that has proved out over time is that challenging experiences that cause people to stretch and grow provide the most solid foundation for growing leaders.  In addition, the influence of other leaders (good and bad), the experience of difficult personal and career experiences (even firing and career setbacks) are also central to shaping the values and behaviors that under gird leaders.  Education and training, while somewhat important, pale in significance in comparison.  The framework for both individuals and organizations is one of understanding how to intentionally use a variety of work experiences as a leader learning approach.  This is the research that lies behind most of the cutting edge experiential learning and action learning that are the features of leader development in the top organizations in America.  This is a book that can help individuals in developing their own plan for development as well as helping organizations put in place approaches that work.

A Force for Change:  How Leadership Differs from Management, John Kotter, Free Press, 1990

John Kotter is a  leading scholars on the subject of leadership, and this book reflects his central ideas not only on how leadership and management differ, but on how inextricably linked are leadership and change.  He also does a good job explaining how leadership is carried out and also on how heredity, childhood and organizational experiences and culture shape leaders.  In less than 200 pages, Kotter captures the key thoughts that are central to understanding what leadership is about and how important it is to performance and reshaping organization culture.

Leading Change, John Kotter, Harvard Business School Press, 1996

Capitalizing on the common wisdom that about 80% of organization change efforts fail, Kotter brings together over 20 years of experience and research in identifying what a leader must do to effect far reaching organization change.  This is not a simplified “magic formula” for change but rather the product of extensive research into why change fails and what is needed to transform a culture—perhaps the central problem of the large government and private sector bureaucracies.  The long time frame and the difficulty of mounting support are daunting, but he comes back again and again to the role of the leader and the principles for change that have worked.  For those leaders seeking to effect change, this is probably the best place to start in understanding what needs to be done.

The Leader of the Future, Frances Hesselbein, Marshall Goldsmith and Richard Beckhard, eds., Jossey Bass Publishers, 1996

This is the first in what is now a series of three books published by the Drucker foundation.  The book is a series of essays from thought leaders, practitioners and consultants on various aspects of leadership as needed for the next millennium.  While the Drucker foundation is targeted specifically at building leadership in the non-profit sector, the applicability to public service is very strong.  Virtually every key thinker on leadership has weighed in and the composite is a variegated and creative look at leadership as defined in an era of significant change.  In addition to a stellar opening essay by Drucker, there are exceptional contributions from such notables as Charles Handy, Peter Senge, Dave Ulrich, Edgar Schein, Steven Covey, and David Noer.  Two particularly singular essays relevant to public service include, first, one by Judith Bardwick, “Peacetime Management and Wartime Leadership,” where she clearly defines the leadership imperative and the “wartime” conditions facing all those who would lead today.  A second, “The Leader Who Serves.” By William Pollard, CEO of ServiceMaster, the largest personal service company in the world, helps to explicate servant leadership from the view of a hard nosed businessman.  The application to public service leadership is strong.

The Reflective Practitioner, Donald A. Schon, NY: Basic Books, 1983

 If it is so important for leaders to learn, how is it possible to learn and lead at the same time? Schon's complex book covers new and exciting ground in mapping out the cognitive work behind effective leadership and the processes of development. A challenging book, but well worth the effort.
 

 

The Leadership Challenge: How to Keep Getting Things Done in  Organizations James A. Kouzes and Barry Posner, Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1996.

The difference between managers and leaders, say the authors, is like night and day. Managers like stability, control through systems, and procedures. Passion and involvement don't fit into their thinking. Leaders thrive on change, inspiration, passion, listening and equipping.

The Leadership Engine:  How Winning companies Build Leaders at Every Level, Noel Tichy, Harper Business, 1997.

For leaders looking to embed a leadership culture, this book is an excellent resource.  In many ways, this is the logical follow on to Built to Last in that it identifies the importance of a leader-centered culture as being the central “engine” for constant renewal.  It also takes Kotter’s work to the next level in pulling back the covers on organizations that consistently grow excellent leaders over time.  The key according to Tichy’s research (he was central to the leadership revolution at G.E. and is currently with Pricewaterhouse Coopers and at the University of Michigan) is the central role of the top leaders in teaching, developing a teachable point of view, telling their stories of success and failure, and the top to bottom commitment of line managers to growing the next generation.  Tichy even includes a “Handbook for Leaders Developing Leaders” for those who want to develop their own organizational effort based on these principles.  What is particularly valuable for public service leaders is the emphasis on the importance of the leader's role in developing the next generation (not the human resources function or external training programs) and on the place of strong values in developing a leader culture.

Executive Leadership in Nonprofit Organizations: New Strategies for Shaping Executive-board Dynamics Robert D. Herman and Richard D. Heimovics, Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1991

Based upon extensive studies of chief executives in nonprofit organizations,  Bob and I identified the skills and leadership strategies that distinguish the most successful nonprofit leaders. This book was our attempt to synthesize over six years of research and present our findings for practitioners and students of nonprofit organizations. 

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There is quite a market for books about leadership? Check this out. Must be  a good business.