CNN commentator Jack Cafferty is highlighting one of the finest and funniest contests about leadership and management from the AFL-CIO…
FROM CNN’s Jack Cafferty:
15 million workers in this country say they have a bad boss. A new survey also shows that 36 percent say they feel pressure to stay with said bad boss because of the shaky economy.
So if you have a crummy boss, but the economy is in the toilet, what do you do? Nothing, because a job with a bad boss… is better than no job at all. That’s not to say having to deal with some jerk 8 hours a day, 5 days a week is any fun, but unfortunately these days a lot of people are trapped.
In recognizing these workers’ plight, an outfit called “Working America,” which is part of the AFL-CIO, is running an annual contest to see who has the worst boss in America.
…
To read the entire post and to enter the contest, visit this link.
Originally published on June 23, 2008, The Best Leadership Books of All Time received so much feedback from readers who asked that we expound on our comments of these best sellers, that the editors of AskTheManager.com felt compelled to reissue our top ten list of The Best Leadership Books of All Time. We’re hopeful you find these expanded reviews helpful on your quest to become a truly great leader. (To see the original post, click here.)
Although everyone has their favorites, the editors at AskTheManager.com chose the following tomes as The Best Leadership Books of All Time:
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People; by Stephen R. Covey – It’s hard not to put Dale Carnegie at Number 1, but Covey’s 7 Habits is simply the best leadership development book of all time. No matter what management level you hold – you don’t even need to be a manager to learn from this book – by following the 7 Habits you will improve every relationship in your work and private life; you’ll gain the respect of your peers, subordinates and superiors; and you’ll actually begin to accomplish a few things. Not a bad way to run your life, is it?
How to Win Friends & Influence People; by Dale Carnegie – It’s hard to believe that this “people-skills” book was written more than 70 years ago, but its staying power proves one thing: business is about people. Interestingly, so is leadership. The most important asset of any successful business is their people, and Carnegie’s classic has helped millions worldwide improve their business relationships and grow as leaders. The lessons are almost common knowledge, but as TheManager knows, common knowledge always seems uncommon in business.
The One Minute Manager; by Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson – This best-selling leadership tale has stood the test of time – not to the extent of Carnegie’s great work, but TheManager doesn’t doubt that The One Minute Manager will still be as relevant in 2081 as it is today (and as it was in 1981). Full of great advice on how to manage a small team and presented in a concise story format, the lessons in One Minute can be applied across all levels of leadership.
Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done; by Larry Bossidy, Ram Charan, and Charles Burck – Once you know how to deal with and lead people, the next step is actually getting these groups to accomplish something. For business leaders today, it seems we spend more time admiring our problems than we do solving them. Execution does a great job of driving leaders into action. Interpersonal relationships, innovation and strategy are all critical leadership skill sets, but without Execution these abilities mean nothing to the success or failure of a business.
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable; by Patrick M. Lencioni – A great fictional tale that gets to heart of why most teams fail to execute: teamwork. Your group may understand the terrific vision and direction you provide, but without teamwork your processes will grind to a halt. Regardless of the number of “truly dedicated” individuals you have in a group, The Five Dysfunctions demonstrates how to move that group away from personalities and into a cohesive state characterized by results.
What Got You Here Won’t Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful; by Marshall Goldsmith and Mark Reiter – Sometimes misclassified as just a self-help book for leaders, What Got You Here is actually a great leadership development read for both those who need to smooth out some rough edges in their approach or personality, and those who want to build a constructive company culture that takes the organization to the next level. TheManager especially recommends this book for leaders who consider themselves successful, but also believe they might be perfect. (Chances are, you’re not, and what got you here won’t get you there.)
First, Break All the Rules: What the World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently; by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman – Focused on performance, among other things, Break All The Rules should be required reading for all managers. The concepts discussed fly in the face of conventional wisdom and may leave you scratching your head at first. Throughout Break All The Rules, commonly held beliefs are exposed as ineffective or destructive – not by the authors, but by the hyper-successful managers they interviewed.
Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap … and Others Don’t; by Jim Collins – Although many of the companies Collins identifies as having made the leap from good to great back when this book was first published (2001) have since fallen on hard times (Fannie Mae comes to mind right away), it does not diminish Good to Great’s standing as one of the ten best leadership books of all time. What originally moved Collins’ eleven highlighted companies to the top is what matters, and the principles exposed in his book are still the best roadmap we have for improving entire organizations.
The Art of War; by Sun Tzu – Even today, business is war, and the teachings of Sun Tzu are still applicable more than 2,500 years after they were first written. While it would be great if we could all sit in a circle wearing just our underwear, hold hands and sing Kumbaya, the hard truth is that not every interaction is going to be fair and not everyone we deal with is going to deal fairly. The Art of War teaches you how to plan, negotiate, and build important interpersonal skills – it is an understatement to say that this work has stood the test of time. (TheManager’s note: make certain you acquire the complete version and not an abbreviated version of this work – you will not be satisfied by the 70-page paperback that is available on some websites.)
Who Moved My Cheese? An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life; by Spencer Johnson with Kenneth Blanchard (foreword) – The only authors to have two books on our list, Messrs. Johnson and Blanchard always take a unique approach to teaching the mundane. In Who Moved My Cheese you’ll discover a very quick and entertaining read that helps people and organizations cope with change. Probably the most argued book on this list (our editors were split 50/50 on whether or not to include it), Cheese was included primarily because of the current economic climate we face. Businesses are either changing or closing, and Who Move My Cheese helps you, your leaders and your employees cope with and adapt to it.
Now’s your chance. Where did we go wrong? Which book do you think deserves to be on the list? Make your case by leaving comments. (We promise to post all comments except those that contain profanity or make fun of us, or both.)
TheManager scoured the World Wide Web and found a few choice blog posts and interesting news articles covering Management Training and Leadership Development. Take a few moments to digest these recent articles and posts:
Do Techies Need an MBA? By Devs
We at The SmartTechie have often wondered if management training was one way to ensure a good career? Do techies need a Master in Business Administration (MBA) degree? Who better to answer that question than the gurus themselves…the … Devs Weblog! – http://apdevaraj.wordpress.com
Included in the great debates of business today is the always interesting “Leadership v. Management” fight. Whenever I read an online business blog or leadership resource that tackles this seeming duality, I find it interesting that there seem to be only two ways this topic is presented…
Lists of overlapping similar and dissimilar characteristics and traits of managers and leaders. These debates often become semantically mind-numbing and too focused on job duties.
Or…
Textbook definitions of Leadership and Management.
The writers of both styles of these well-intentioned posts generally look at managers and leaders as mutually exclusive Or worse, they tend to ignore leadership that exists without a management job title.
What’s the difference between management and leadership? Let’s answer that question later.
The truth, as we all know it, is that not all managers are leaders. What we sometimes forget is that great managers can exist without being leaders, and great leaders can exist without official authority or responsibility over others.
I know some great managers who aren’t necessarily good leaders. These guys keep the trains running on time and make very few mistakes. They are not particularly innovative, motivational or even charming; but they are a vital part of the businesses or teams they manage. Whether the missing leadership quality is necessitated by job duty or personality, these managers can still help a company succeed without ever having to truly lead. Their world is fairly static and it operates via a strict schedule.
Of course, the argument against these managers who seem to tread water is that we should just replace them with true leaders. I disagree. Managers who manage, rather than manage and lead, can hold a large amount of company history in their heads, are generally satisfied with their current role (equaling less turnover), and they are usually paid much less than an up-and-coming leader. Virtually every business needs a few managers mixed in with their manager-leaders. The key is to keep the numbers small and to recognize those parts of your business where a manager is enough.
Management is a Function
Management is, of course, a function in the organization. By it’s very nature, it speaks to the “doing” required to keep a company running. Managers derive their responsibilities and power from their title. Management is black and white – duties are either accomplished or they are not. Management relies heavily on reports as a scorecard, and as a tool to reward or punish teams or individuals.
The definition of leadership, it seems, is more fluid. True leaders do not need a title to provide them the authority necessary to enact change. Leaders tackle issues with abandon and question “why not?” Reports are considered “business intelligence” and are tools that help leaders see the future and make appropriate course corrections.
Management and leadership are not dichotomous terms. They are not mutually-exclusive. It is not an either/or. In fact, the words shouldn’t even be compared to each other. We all know great managers who aren’t leaders and great leaders who really can’t manage. Comparing management to leadership seems as silly to me as comparing an orange to an orangutan. Some similarities (they are both the same color), but they don’t belong in the same discussion.
Your organization needs managers and it needs leaders. Sometimes both qualities exist in a single person, and sometimes only one quality is present. Often, neither quality exists. In the famous words the late great Ted Knight uttered in Caddyshack, “The world needs ditch diggers too.”
Leaders versus Non-Leaders
The real question we should be asking is this: What’s the difference between leaders and non-leaders? This question has merit.
The distinction between leaders and non-leaders is often defined by the quality of their personal interactions, their vision and their ability to influence others to deliver their best to the organization.
I’ve know hundreds of front-line employees who lead well. (Generally, businesses identify these folks early and either promote them or chase them from the organization.) Our guts tell us that we should hire only leaders, but the truth is that team dynamics, organizational mobility and other factors make it necessary and prudent to hire some non-leaders. The old cliché about too many chiefs and not enough Indians comes to mind, though the truth is that great leaders can and often do subordinate their leadership for the sake of their team’s or company’s goals and objectives. That said, I still like to have a few non-leaders around because they seem less frustrated with the mundane.
Execution is the key, and true leaders know this. “If the team can execute better without my opinion on this one, then I’ll keep my trap shut.” Leaders, more than non-leaders, understand the goals, they influence and live the vision, and they help companies grow. Leaders, however, do become discouraged when they are managed by non-leaders. Because they are leaders, they will try to manage up, though they will be quick to depart if it’s clear they cannot enact positive change in the organization.
So, what should you aspire to be? A leader, of course. If becoming a leader didn’t interest you, you would never have searched for leadership development resources like AskTheManager.com. The reason you asked the question “What’s the difference between management and leadership?” in the first place is because you wanted to improve either your leadership skills or the leadership skills of someone at your company – and recognizing the need to improve this skill set is the first step on the road of leadership development.
Q. I’m faced with reducing headcount because of the economy, but I’m afraid to make broad cuts because I don’t want to lose the true leaders in my company. How can I identify the true leaders from the wanabees and the blowhards? My biggest concern is that I think I’m too old to know what makes a great leader today. Mitch in Norfolk, VA.
Mitch, there seems to be confusion about what makes someone a “True Leader” in today’s business world. When we look at the historical examples of great leadership – George S. Patton, Teddy Roosevelt, Henry Ford, for example – we find terrific examples of leaders who accomplished great things given their circumstances, the existing societal cultures and political climate. More recently, we might look to business giants such as Ted Turner or Lee Iacocca as examples of great leaders, though, again, these men accomplished their greatest feats given their circumstances and certainly prior to the wireless world of today.
When we think of these great leaders of the past, we should try to remember the historical context and be careful not to confuse the traits required of today’s leader with those from the past. When we examine the names above, we think of qualities such as vision, character and drive. These men got things done, and they did so through the efforts of the entire team.
True leadership today, however, is not only about getting something accomplished through others – any manager can cajole, threaten and beat their team to accomplish some short term goal. True leadership is about accomplishments that come from a culture of high performance created by the leader. It still takes vision, character and drive; though it also requires something more in today’s society.
In Patton’s time, seventeen-year-olds could be ordered into battle knowing they probably would not survive – and, they were proud to do it. Today, you might have trouble getting a seventeen-year-old to show up to collect his paycheck every Friday.
To avoid sounding like a curmudgeon, I should preface the remark above with this: the good old days weren’t all that good. Information Technology created choice, and delivered versions of choice to all corners of the globe. For Americans, this choice involves working where we want, when we want, and if we want.
As recently as the early 1990s, if a teenager quit his job at the local fast food restaurant he might spend weeks finding a new one. He would drive, walk or bike to each of the competing restaurants in the area, spend thirty minutes at each location filling out an application, then have to go back another day for interviews. Today, being out of work is no big deal. A teen can pull up Monster.com on his mobile phone and apply for positions before he leaves the parking lot of his former job.
Given the technology-aided lackadaisical nature of this generation of workers, how does a company increase productivity and drive profits without creating disgruntled workers ready to walk off the job at the drop of a hat? And, how can that company know which managers they can afford to lose and which ones they should keep at all costs?
(Hint: Patton would have a tough time getting someone to work the grill at McDonald’s in 2008.)
Compassionate, humble leadership by middle managers (those closest to the workforce) is the key to growth and prosperity for businesses of any size today. Inflation, unemployment and a weak dollar are going to force corporate America get lean again, but only those companies who deliver True Leadership to their rank and file can expect to weather the economic storm.
Unfortunately, when corporate America is forced to get lean, we tend to throw the baby out with the bathwater. (Terrible cliché, I know, but appropriate.) We take the term “Right-Sizing” too far and we right-size ourselves out of leadership and straight into management. Leadership is vapor (and we need to cut costs). Management is measurable (and we can justify the position). Management is black and white (you can see management in an organizational chart). Leadership is grey (and, well, who’s going to miss it anyway).
So what’s the answer for the CEO or midlevel manager faced with the task of stripping a few million out of the budget? Identify your leaders, and find a way to keep them. The hard part here is that unlike in Roosevelt’s day, leaders today don’t carry the biggest stick or speak the loudest at meetings. True leaders in today’s business world are driven to improve the company’s bottom line, and not their own – that makes them tough to spot, especially when you’re faced with cutting the fat. We can easily spot the sycophant or the blowhard, but today’s leader is a little less assuming.
Today’s true leaders check their egos at the door. They don’t demand a better parking space or perks not provided to all stakeholders. They may sit in the biggest office, but they’d rather be closer to their team. True leaders don’t “tell” as much as they “teach.” They don’t “order” as much as they “empower.”
Sift through your organization and find the teams (small or large) that are performing with high morale and low turnover. Enlist the leaders of these teams to help with the company’s right-sizing. Odds are that these leaders will help you make decisions that benefit the entire company and not just themselves.
I don’t know, I wasn’t there, but from all accounts of the Shawn Chacon v. Ed Wade brawl, Shawn was a little more than insubordinate.
Don’t know what I’m writing about? Former Houston Astros’ starting pitcher, turned reliever, Shawn Chacon was none to happy about his recent demotion to the bullpen. When reportedly called to the carpet in the team’s dining room by Astros’ GM Ed Wade, Chacon allegedly grabbed Wade by the neck and threw him to the carpet.
Anyone and everyone in the sports world has expressed their opinion about Chacon. My favorite sports guys, Mike Golic and Mike Greenberg (hosts of ESPN’s Mike & Mike in the Morning), took the safest route by admonishing Chacon and supporting the Astros’ in their decision to suspend and eventually release Chacon. It is doubtful the 30-year-old right-hander will pitch again in the Majors, not necessarily because of the fight, he’s just not very good this season.
But enough about baseball, this blog is about Leadership Development.
While I agree Chacon should have been released, I don’t think the Astros went far enough with him (I actually think he should have been arrested). Nor do I think they went far enough with GM Ed Wade (I think he should have been fired).
Fired? You want the guy fired for getting the crap kicked out of him at dinner? Actually, yes, and here’s why…
Leaders do not admonish their subordinates in front of others (as Wade reportedly did in this instance). If you think hotheads exist in sports, try working in the logging, construction, or trucking industries. If a General Manager in any of those businesses treated their teammates the way Wade is alleged to have treated Chacon, they could expect similar treatment. Moreover, they could expect to have a poor record of growth, high turnover and low employee morale. Eventually, this poor performance would cost them their job.
Just because it’s Major League Baseball, it doesn’t change the dynamics of leadership. True leaders serve their team, not the other way around. When insubordinate subordinates surface, true leaders take steps to keep the situation under control. Specifically, they understand people and how to (happily) get the most out of them. When they’re faced with a hot-headed employee, true leaders work to ensure their safety, the employee’s safety and the safety of those around them.
While no one deserves to be physically attacked for verbally berating another, true leaders understand that the old “sticks and stones can break your bones, but names can never hurt you” saying doesn’t really apply much after the second grade, and certainly not in Major League Baseball.
Chacon, deservedly so, is now a footnote and a punch line. Wade, unfortunately, is still employed by a team sitting 10 ½ games behind the division-leading Chicago Cubs. Perhaps Chacon would still be helping the Astros to another mediocre finish if his General Manager wasn’t trying so hard to prove who’s in charge. It sounds to me like the Astros are suffering from the kind of leadership that leads to poor growth and low employee morale – could it be their GM?
Although everyone has their favorites, the editors at AskTheManager.com chose the following tomes as The Best Leadership Books of All Time:
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People; by Stephen R. Covey – It’s hard not to put Dale Carnegie at Number 1, but Covey’s 7 Habits is simply the best leadership development book of all time. No matter what management level you hold – you don’t even need to be a manager to learn from this book – by following the 7 Habits you will improve every relationship in your work and private life; you’ll gain the respect of your peers, subordinates and superiors; and you’ll actually begin to accomplish a few things. Not a bad way to run your life, is it?
How to Win Friends & Influence People; by Dale Carnegie – It’s hard to believe that this “people-skills” book was written more than 70 years ago, but its staying power proves one thing: business is about people. Interestingly, so is leadership. The most important asset of any successful business is their people, and Carnegie’s classic has helped millions worldwide improve their business relationships and grow as leaders. The lessons are almost common knowledge, but as TheManager knows, common knowledge always seems uncommon in business.
The One Minute Manager; by Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson – This best-selling leadership tale has stood the test of time – not to the extent of Carnegie’s great work, but TheManager doesn’t doubt that The One Minute Manager will still be as relevant in 2081 as it is today (and as it was in 1981). Full of great advice on how to manage a small team and presented in a concise story format, the lessons in One Minute can be applied across all levels of leadership.
Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done; by Larry Bossidy, Ram Charan, and Charles Burck – Once you know how to deal with and lead people, the next step is actually getting these groups to accomplish something. For business leaders today, it seems we spend more time admiring our problems than we do solving them. Execution does a great job of driving leaders into action. Interpersonal relationships, innovation and strategy are all critical leadership skill sets, but without Execution these abilities mean nothing to the success or failure of a business.
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable; by Patrick M. Lencioni – A great fictional tale that gets to heart of why most teams fail to execute: teamwork. Your group may understand the terrific vision and direction you provide, but without teamwork your processes will grind to a halt. Regardless of the number of “truly dedicated” individuals you have in a group, The Five Dysfunctions demonstrates how to move that group away from personalities and into a cohesive state characterized by results.
What Got You Here Won’t Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful; by Marshall Goldsmith and Mark Reiter – Sometimes misclassified as just a self-help book for leaders, What Got You Here is actually a great leadership development read for both those who need to smooth out some rough edges in their approach or personality, and those who want to build a constructive company culture that takes the organization to the next level. TheManager especially recommends this book for leaders who consider themselves successful, but also believe they might be perfect. (Chances are, you’re not, and what got you here won’t get you there.)
First, Break All the Rules: What the World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently; by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman – Focused on performance, among other things, Break All The Rules should be required reading for all managers. The concepts discussed fly in the face of conventional wisdom and may leave you scratching your head at first. Throughout Break All The Rules, commonly held beliefs are exposed as ineffective or destructive – not by the authors, but by the hyper-successful managers they interviewed.
Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap … and Others Don’t; by Jim Collins – Although many of the companies Collins identifies as having made the leap from good to great back when this book was first published (2001) have since fallen on hard times (Fannie Mae comes to mind right away), it does not diminish Good to Great’s standing as one of the ten best leadership books of all time. What originally moved Collins’ eleven highlighted companies to the top is what matters, and the principles exposed in his book are still the best roadmap we have for improving entire organizations.
The Art of War; by Sun Tzu – Even today, business is war, and the teachings of Sun Tzu are still applicable more than 2,500 years after they were first written. While it would be great if we could all sit in a circle wearing just our underwear, hold hands and sing Kumbaya, the hard truth is that not every interaction is going to be fair and not everyone we deal with is going to deal fairly. The Art of War teaches you how to plan, negotiate, and build important interpersonal skills – it is an understatement to say that this work has stood the test of time. (TheManager’s note: make certain you acquire the complete version and not an abbreviated version of this work – you will not be satisfied by the 70-page paperback that is available on some websites.)
Who Moved My Cheese? An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life; by Spencer Johnson with Kenneth Blanchard (foreword) – The only authors to have two books on our list, Messrs. Johnson and Blanchard always take a unique approach to teaching the mundane. In Who Moved My Cheese you’ll discover a very quick and entertaining read that helps people and organizations cope with change. Probably the most argued book on this list (our editors were split 50/50 on whether or not to include it), Cheese was included primarily because of the current economic climate we face. Businesses are either changing or closing, and Who Move My Cheese helps you, your leaders and your employees cope with and adapt to it.
Now’s your chance. Where did we go wrong? Which book do you think deserves to be on the list? Make your case by leaving comments. (We promise to post all comments except those that contain profanity or make fun of us, or both.)
