On Leadership

Gardner's first sentence of his introduction, "Why do we not have better leadership?' is first answered by his initial definition of leadership attached to a disclaimer: "attention to leadership alone is sterile--and inappropriate. The larger topic of which leadership is a subtopic is the accomplishment of group purpose" [italics original]. This purpose, he says, is furthered by people other than individuals traditionally identified by leaders, such as "innovators, entrepreneurs and thinkers." He did not intend "to deal with either leadership or its related subjects comprehensively" but wanted instead to "illuminate aspects of the subject that may be of use in facing our present dilemmas--as a society and as a species" (p. xvi). His book accomplished his purpose by highlighting, in vignettes, what by the 1990s had become the standard topics of leadership--traits, contexts, leader-follower dynamics, and so forth. In this sense, Gardner's book, with a flavor made particular by his extensive political examples, is in the genre of classic leadership textbooks, and his answer to the question posed in his first sentence was the book-length elaboration of the final sentence of his introduction: "We can do better. Much, much better" (p. xix). His contributions to the field of leadership studies include his discussion of "dispersed leadership," which is woven through the text, his thoughts about renewal, and his discussion of how leadership and followership can release human potential. His extended definition of leadership, found on the first page of the first chapter, stated "Leadership is the process of persuasion or example by which a leader (or leadership team) induces a group to pursue objectives held by the leader or shared by the leader and his or her followers" (p. 1). His book is a goldmine of aphoristic insights into leadership: * The concept of accountability is as important as the concept of leadership. (p. xviii) * The first step is not action; the first step is understanding. (p. xviii) * Many people with power are without leadership gifts. (p. 2) * Many writers on leadership take considerable pains to distinguish between leaders and managers. In the process leaders generally end up looking like a cross between Napoleon and the Pied Piper, and managers like unimaginative clods. This troubles me. (p.3) * Values always decay over time. Societies that keep their values alive do so not by escaping the process of decay but by powerful processes of regeneration [italics original]. (p. 13) * Indeed, one could argue that willingness to engage in battle when necessary is the sine qua non of leadership. (p. 16) * Leaders are invariably symbols. (p. 18) * Achieving a goal may simply make the next goal more urgent: inside every solution are the seeds of new problems. And as Donald Michael has pointed out, most of the time most things are out of hand. No leader enjoys that reality, but every leader knows it. (p. 22) * Executives ar

John Gardner opens with the question that I have often pondered myself, "Why do we not have better leadership?" For me, the following question is 'how did these people obtain their position?' Of course the latter question is outside the scope of Gardner's text. Gardner does explain the attributes of a leader, basic components of leadership and its placement & utilization in large-scale organizations. The author enlivens this academic material by breathing politically historical examples to illustrate its application. The discussion comes full circle when Gardner segues into leadership development, motivating, and the release of human potential. Personally, I relished absorbing and will emphasize the value of Chapter 13, 'Sharing Leadership Tasks'. Up until this point, most of the material colorfully delivered has been the foundation of leadership in its academic sense and you can find most of these precepts in any leadership text. But in Chapter 13, Gardner ties the principles together and hold all parties responsible. Leaders must be accountable for their actions & outcomes and conversely, the subordinates/constituents are responsible for holding their leader accountable. Gardner does not gloss over the role and responsibility of the subordinate/constituent because they act as a check & balance component for their leader. Furthermore, Gardner challenges the leader to trust, empower and hold his or her subordinates/constituents accountable for their jurisdiction and involve their energy & ideas. Gardner left me with the impression that any person at any level accepting responsibility and sharing in leadership tasks can have a positive ripple effect on those with whom s/he come into contact. Gardner sells well the 'power of one' in terms of taking responsibility, be an active participant, and growing to be a better human being. As a leader, we should teach responsibility through empowerment and encourage initiative by eliciting participation, embracing various perspectives, and learning from less-than-desirable results. Lastly, Gardner proposes leadership development may begin as early as birth as a result of proactive parenting or latently unlocked and unleashed through carefully crafted conduct, circumstantial crises or happenstance. Whenever the leader in one emerges, it is the necessary renewal in the leadership process. I was very pleased with this read and recommend it to anyone interested in understanding the fundamentals of being a leader, the expectations of leadership, and measures you can take to become more leader-like in your daily living.

This is one of those books filled with big words, written by an obviously brilliant man. There are only one hundred-ninety nine pages, yet it took me some time to get through this book. As the author states at the first of the book, this is not a how-to book, rather, it is a compillation of a lifetime of observation by this highly intelligent man. The word leadership is difficult to define, and every author/expert has a different definition. Gardner points out the many qualities, and qualifiers which define a leader, and he does it better than any author on the subject I've read yet. I enjoyed this book a little less than Covey's "Principle Centered Leadership", yet it does hold it's own. Anyone aspiring to the leader/manager level would do well to read this and other books on the subject.

Gardner has done it again by writing an engaging and thought provoking guide on leadership principles. When you compare Gardner to the other great philosphical writers, such as Drucker or Bennis, Gardner's outline and nine principals fill in the gap. Leadership is not power but it includes power. Leadership is not status but it may include status. Leadership is a constant self-evaluation.

This is a book from one of the great observers of leaders in our country. Gardner emphasizes shared values and community building as the basis for great leadership. He also spends a great deal of time discussing renewal and how a leader must renew himself and his organization. Buy this book and Howard Gardner's Leading Minds.