The Leader's Edge: Six Creative Competencies for Navigating Complex Challenges

I am an organization development consultant who specializes in innovation and have been using the practical tools that Palus and Horth highlight succinctly in this book with clients such as Exxon/Mobil, Los Alamos National Laboratory and others. Without exception, leaders in these organizations have found the tools insightful and enlightening when applied to unique, complex challenges. Based on long years of research from the Center of Creative Leadership, the authors have truly put their learnings into a book that is refreshing and easy to read. This is a must read for anyone who is looking for novel ways for groups and teams to interact-- by putting something different "in the middle"--in order to breakthrough (to understand this, you'll have to read the book!) Powerful favorites for me have been "visual connections" and new ways of looking at R & D scorecards. Have fun with this book and most of all-- experiment!

As a leadership development consultant, I found this book a refreshing break from current best sellers that emphasize and glorify the characteristics of individual leaders--I read it cover to cover, word for word. Using long term research and case studies as support, Palus and Horth describe 6 competencies needed to go beyond traditional leadership as we typically know it in order to handle today's complex challenges. The 6 competencies are quite different from those we are familiar with, even opposite of what we often hear: paying attention, personalizing, imaging, serious play, co-inquiry, and crafting. Recognizing that much leadership of complex challenges occurs in a variety of ways-within individuals, between individuals, and within groups, when Palus and Horth give advice on developing the competencies, they discuss developing your own, other people's, and what these competencies look like at the group level. They include two more neat ideas that fit in well with the point they are trying to get across in the book. If you are skeptical about any of the competencies, they invite you to experiment and expand. Second, they include discussions regarding when these competencies are important and when they are not--recognizing that not all situations call for these competencies. I can't wait to incorporate these ideas into my own leadership and into my development of others.

It is refreshing to read a book on contemporary leadership which finally addresses the reality that leadership requires creative competencies. This books reminds us that effective leadership has more to do with asking the right questions, rather than having all the right answers.Asking the right questions requires leaders to explore, develop and integrate creative competencies into their actions and behaviors. Complexity in business and our world today challenges traditional logic, analysis, judgement. A new edge and benchmark are required in order for us to develop effective leadership acumen and the Six Creative Competencies for Navigating Complex Challenges is an excellent platform for contemporary leadership.The Leader's Edge reminds us that the best leaders are also artists and the best artists are also leaders. Thank you for this inspirational contribution to the understanding, practive and development of whole person leadership!

The "Leaders Edge" is a unique book telling the story of the development of a "leading creatively" program and some of the major outcomes and findings. I was priviledged to experience part of that process and it literally changed my life.The process and this book have you sampling the creative parts of yourself, and believe me, you do have them. Prepare to come away quite amazed. It is not only what you've tried but what you've discovered about yourself and how you might now be thinking a little bit more creatively and approaching problems with more of a whole brain bent instead of the more often left brain mode so prevalent in business these days. Quite useful concepts and tools are presented in this book to help facilitate that process. The creative journey depicted is interesting and practical. The book is most representative of the main thrusts of the course, still available at the Center for Creative Leadership. All you need do is take the stuff from the book, suspend your disbelief for a week, and add a whole lot of fun. Highly recommended for those looking to widely broaden horizons and creative solution seeking.

The "Leaders Edge" is a unique book telling the story of the development of a "leading creatively" program and some of the major outcomes and findings. I was privileged to experience part of that process and it literally changed my life.The process and this book have you sampling the creative parts of yourself, and believe me, you do have them. Prepare to come away quite amazed. It is not only what you've tried but what you've discovered about yourself and how you might now be thinking a little bit more creatively and approaching problems with more of a whole brain bent instead of the more often left brain mode so prevalent in business these days. Quite useful concepts and tools are presented in this book to help facilitate that process. The creative journey depicted is interesting and practical. The book is most representative of the main thrusts of the course, still available at the Center for Creative Leadership. All you need do is take the stuff from the book, suspend your disbelief for a week, and add a whole lot of fun. Highly recommended for those looking to widely broaden horizons and creative solution seeking.