Radical Change, Radical Results: 7 Actions to Become the Forge for Change in Your Organization

As a coach for leaders of Fortune 500 companies I have read many books on culture and leaderhip. I have not found any that are better than this one. Ludeman and Erlandson deal with core issues and give practical, concrete steps for change and growth. Their ideas are fresh and innovative and not common or talked about in other places. I find that I use their ideas and practices both personally and professionally on a daily basis and to me that is the real test of the value of a book.

These authors really know the corporate world and what creates "sludge" for teams. They don't offer slick, quick fixes but rather thoughtful, effective tools for transforming a sluggish organization into a world class one. If you manage a team or work as part of one, read this book. You'll get great skills and an enjoyable read.

Books on leadership development and organizational change are a dime a dozen. If you read only one this year, make it Radical Change, Radical Results. Ludeman and Erlandson are obviously highly experienced executive coaches who take us to the heart of the issues in organizations today with their intimate style, compelling coaching vignettes, and thought-provoking development models. This material makes a science out of what many of us intuit or experience in ourselves or our organizations all the time but don't know how to identify, much less address. This book gave me information and tools that I was immediately able to use personally and can clearly imagine applying on a larger scale in my organization.

A friend gave me a copy of this book as a gift. Quite honestly, I thought I'd skim through it so I could tell him I read it but once I started it, I found myself pulled in. In fact, after the first few pages, I grabbed a highlighter to begin noting concepts that were especially compelling. I continued highlighting throughout the entire book, it was that good. In summary, the authors expound on the seven principles that, if embraced, can radically change you and through you (and your coworkers), your organization to be more nimble, dynamic and successful. The bonus of reading this book was that many of the principles can be used in your personal life, particularly parenting skills when dealing with school-age children. The authors have great academic credentials, but that would mean absolutely nothing to me unless it was backed up with lots of real-world experience. There is no shortage of experiences over long and dynamic careers where these various principles were utilized with success. What really sets this book apart from your standard "I can help you" book is the writing style. It is authoritative yet relaxed. Businesslike yet entertaining. The authors strike a balance between being helpful without being dull. As a leader, manager or employee, this book has impact and I highly recommend it.