The Leadership Engine: How Winning Companies Build Leaders at Every Level

"A major part of my job has always been figuring out what works and what doesn't. Several years ago, however, the great disparity between the track records of the corporate winners and losers prompted me to step back and specifically tackle the broader question: Why do some companies succeed while others fail? The answer I have come up with is that winning companies win because they have good leaders who nurture the development of other leaders at all levels of the organization. The ultimate test of success for an organization is not whether it can win today but whether it can keep winning tomorrow and the day after. Therefore, the ultimate test for a leader is not whether he or she makes smart decisions and takes decisive action, but whether he or she teaches others to be leaders and builds an organization that can sustain its success even when he or she is not around. The key ability of winning organizations and winning leaders is creating leaders" (from the Introduction).In this context, Noel Tichy divides his book into ten chapters. After defining what he means by 'winning' in Chapter 1, in the rest of the book, he talks specifically about what winning leaders do that makes them winners and how they develop other winning leaders at all levels of their organizations. In order to help reader, he emphasizes following 30 main themes that emerged in the book:* Winning is about leadership,* Leaders have ideas, values, energy and edge,* Without leaders, organizations stagnate,* Leaders manage through times of change,* Leaders make things happen,* Leaders are revolutionaries,* Great leaders are great teachers,* Winning leaders make teaching a personal priority,* Winners have a 'teachable point of view,'* Winning leaders draw from their past,* Leaders' stories reveal their teachable points of view,* Everyone has a usable past: Leaders just use theirs better,* Winning organizations are built on clear ideas,* Leaders make sure the ideas are current and appropriate,* Ideas are the framework for actions at all levels,* Winning organizations have strong values,* Winning leaders live the values-privately and publicly,* Values are a key competitive tool,* Winning leaders are high-energy people,* Winning leaders create energy in others,* Times of transition: Teachable moments,* Winning leaders never take the easy way out,* Categories of edge,* Edge isn't cruel, it's honest,* Winning leaders portray the future as an unfolding drama,* Winners' stories create scenarios for success,* Leaders' stories are dynamic and motivating,* Winning leadership is about building for the future,* Success is achieved by developing other leaders,* The best leaders know when it's time to leave.Finally, he says that "Organizations that have a Leadership Engine win because they have leaders at every level who teach others to be leaders. Teaching and learning are at the heart of these organizations."Highly recommended.

The subtitle suggests the book's objective: To explain "How Winning Companies Build Leaders at Every Level." According to the authors, there are certain "fundamentals" common to winning organizations: "First, leaders with a proven track record of success take direct responsibility for the development of other leaders. Second, leaders who develop other leaders have teachable points of view in the specific areas of ideas, values, and something I call E-cubed -- emotional energy and edge....Third, leaders embody their teachable points of view in living stories....Finally, because winning leaders invest considerable time developing other leaders, they have well-defined methodologies and coaching and teaching techniques." Together, these "fundamentals" create the central metaphor in the book: a machine.As a "machine", an organization consists of separate but interdependent parts; requires lubrication and fuel as well as constant maintenance; and functions best when utilized to serve the specific purposes for which it has been designed.Almost half of The Leadership Engine consists of a "Handbook for Leaders Developing Leaders." In it, the authors provide a cohesive and comprehensive answer to the question "How to create a Leadership Engine?" One useful approach to the "Handbook" is to think of it as a "super" hardware store and you have an empty toolbox. Examine everything available. Select only what is most appropriate for your own organization. Then work with others to assemble the "machine" your organization needs. In doing so, you and they are providing leadership. Your shared obligation is to involve as many others as possible, helping them to become leaders also. If help is needed along the way, it is reassuring to know that the authors have created the equivalent of an operator's manual to help ensure maximum performance of your organization's "leadership engine." Whenever it's time for a "tune-up", you will have the guidance you need.This is a superb piece of work.

The GWU/Richmond book club gave this book a thumbs up. It was easy to read, but full of clear examples of the leadership qualities under discussion. Leadership was demonstrated not just as a quality of the top execs, but for all levels. The handbook at the end was occasionally simplistic, but overall very usable & useful. Worth your investment of time and money.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I found the message clear and understandable, as well as applicable to my job. The countless interviews with true leaders of winning companies were especially interesting and informative. I got dozens of ideas for my job from the book and have started to implement them just as the book suggested. Sometimes I have found management discussions abstract, vague, theoretical or not directly applicable; but this one was just the opposite: clear, focused, practical and right on target. I highly recommend it.

This book has cemented in my mind that all of the other management techniques are usless if you cannot be a true leader. If you are ready to make a real change read this book. Then read it again.