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Title: The Leader of the Future: New Visions, Strategies, and Practices for the Next Era (The Drucker Foundation Future Series) by Frances Hesselbein, Marshall Goldsmith, Richard Beckhard ISBN: 0787909351 Publisher: Jossey-Bass Pub. Date: September, 1997 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $18.00

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Average Customer Rating: 4.6

Rating: 3
Summary: There's definitely a theme here
Comment: "The Leader of the Future" from the Drucker Foundation and edited by Frances Hesselbein, Marshall Goldsmith and Richard Beckhard is a management "sampler," comprising essays from academics and corporate CEOs about leadership, or specifically the kind of leadership that will be required for success of organizations in the future.

Clearly, the writers do not believe in "closed" management (the direct and control sensibility of the days of yore). To a one, they advocate investing in those below you, creating leaders in all sectors and at all levels, trusting, collaborating and "leading with vision." Some particularly interesting essays were "Leading from the Grass Roots" by Sally Helgesen, "Leadership and Organizational Culture," by Edgar H. Schein, the "father" of organizational psychology, and "The Ultimate Leadership Task: Self-Leadership" by Richard L. Leider. In general, the section with essays entitled "Learning to Lead for Tomorrow," which was about education and executive training and development was the most engaging for me.

I bought this book because I read a very engaging portrait of Marshall Goldsmith in the New Yorker in April, who is a very successful "executive coach," helping executives with personal problems in their organizations turn their relationships around. The book overall had a kind of hypnotic effect, as it repeated the same message throughout. Here's a representative excerpt:

"The challenges ahead will require leaders to identify, promote, reinforce, and live as role models of key core values; inspire diverse groups to common, shared action in which they trade some of their autonomy for a long-term greater common good; and give their best efforts in pursuit of that common good." This is from an essay by George B. Weber who is listed as the secretary-general of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

It's mildly interesting. I would recommend reading it in bits between other, different books.

Rating: 5
Summary: A Well Articulated Roadmap--By Those Who Have Been There
Comment: This book is an outstanding compilation of 31 articles, by current and past organizational leaders, futurist, authors, etc., who share their knowledge and experiences. As they point out, the leader of the future must be serious about communication and not just pay it lip-service, they must share as much of their power, as possible, with members in the organization to make it a more powerful organization. This open communications and power sharing leads to a learning organization, that is inculturated to adapt to the changing enviornment and more importantly help "lead-turn" the organization to ensure a sustained competitive advantage.

Rating: 5
Summary: "Leadership must be learned and can be learned"
Comment: 'The Leader of the Future' adresses a significant and timely topic. It should be on every manager's must-read list.

Peter F.Drucker writes in his foreword, "Leadership must be learned and can be learned-and this, of course, is what this book was written and should be used for." And hence, he defines simple but basic characteristics of effective leaders:

1. The only definition of a 'leader' is someone who has 'followers.' Some people are thinkers. Some are prophets. Both roles are important and badly needed. But without followers, there can be no leaders.

2. An effective leader is not someone who is loved or admired. He or she is someone whose followers do the right things. Popularity is not leadership. 'Results' are.

3. Leaders are highly visible. They therefore set 'examples.'

4. Leadership is not rank, privileges, titles, or money. It is 'responsibility.'

After this excellent foreword, Frances Hesselbein, Marshall Goldsmith and Richard Beckhard divide this seminal book into four parts. Here, they note that "These parts have been chosen in a somewhat arbitrary manner. We deliberately gave the authors a free hand, and our revisions have been only mirror. The authors are all experts in their own right, and we wanted you to hear their views in an unfiltered form."

It is a great chance to read never before published essays of 37 distinguished authors under one roof.

Highly recommended.

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