University of Minnesota - UMN Executive Leadership Insights
The Leader of the Future 2
Book

The Leader of the Future 2

Visions, Strategies, and Practices for the New Era

Frances Hesselbein and Marshall Goldsmith
Jossey-Bass, 2006
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Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Innovative
  • Well Structured
  • Overview

Recommendation

In a 1964 obscenity court case, then U.S. Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart wrote that pornography was difficult to define, but noted, "I know it when I see it." The same might be said of leadership. Since 1990, the Leader to Leader Institute (formerly the Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit Management) has dedicated itself to examining, defining and elevating the art of leadership through books, educational materials and its respected journal, Leader to Leader. This book is a sequel to the Institute's The Leader of the Future, an international bestseller published in 28 different languages. This follow-up volume features 27 essays on being a leader in today's complex, challenging world. getAbstract confidently recommends this leadership treatise, which presents the informed thoughts, insights and opinions of respected experts from academia, the media, business, the military, the nonprofit sector and numerous other venues. Thanks to such contributors as Stephen Covey, Howard Gardner, Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner, this collection of essays clearly addresses the challenges of modern leadership.

Summary

"A Vision of Leadership"

In his time, the late Peter F. Drucker was considered one of the world's greatest management "gurus." Indeed, he created the brand. Toward the end of his career, Drucker explained the meaning of executive leadership with a few suggestions, summarized here:

  • "Peter F. Drucker on Executive Leadership" – To understand leadership, separate in your mind the methods executives use to manage their operations from the manner in which they conduct themselves personally and professionally. Being an "effective executive" always involves having a strong ethical base. Equally important, an effective leader must fully understand his or her organization, and what it is all about. This means, among other things, having a clear grasp of the organization's mission, primary competencies and customer base. According to Drucker, executives must become skillful in five essential areas: "decision making, communications, budgeting, measurement and control, and the management sciences." Additionally, the effective executive must be able to organize, motivate others and communicate in a strong fashion. Further, he or she must develop and implement realistic "yardsticks...

About the Authors

Frances Hesselbein and Marshall Goldsmith, the author and co-editor of numerous management books, edited this collection. Hesselbein heads the Leader to Leader Institute, an organization that develops books on leadership.

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