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Lessons on Leadership

The 7 Fundamental Management Skills for Leaders at All Levels

Jack Stahl

Kaplan Publishing, 2007

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Jack Stahl worked for The Coca-Cola Company for 22 years, some of them as president. He was CEO of Revlon for five years. When it comes to leading businesses, he knows his stuff. In his book, he discusses mastering “seven frameworks” of executive leadership. He builds a strong case that corporate leaders need these “core skills.” Unfortunately, some of his prescriptions come across as elementary overviews, not concrete lessons. For example, to illustrate the need for clear corporate goals, he explains that he and his executive team set Revlon’s corporate goal as: “delivering the promise of beauty” to “consumers, customers, employees and shareowners.” Stahl says that, to shareholders, the promise of beauty meant “profitability” and “value.” The rhetoric is appealing, but it’s not very innovative: Readers know that all shareholders want to be part of a profitable business. However, getAbstract finds that the majority of the book is useful and on target. It is well-organized and carefully outlined. It solidly covers leadership basics and includes numerous useful examples. As a savvy, seasoned corporate leader, Stahl has a lot to teach. And he teaches much – but probably not all – of it in these pages.

Summary

The “Seven Frameworks” of Leadership

What is the best way to lead? First, consider your goals. You want to enhance your company’s capabilities and create a sound business strategy, produce and sell the best merchandise or services, and succeed at managing people, planning, communicating and making a profit. Strong executive leadership is a skill you can build. It depends on seven basic “frameworks” – core management capabilities and skills that any corporate leader must have. They are:

“Framework 1 – Leadership and Management”

Your company needs a clear goal or destination. Include the other people in your organization in the process of developing this objective. Listen to your colleagues. Know precisely how they feel. Then work with them to identify the overall results and returns you want for your enterprise. Quantify everything you hope to achieve to make it concrete. Establish a coherent strategy. To work, it must galvanize and motivate your employees. It should reflect clear choices regarding all of your organization’s options as it travels the road to fulfilling its goals and ambitions. Be bold in setting objectives. People will work overtime to win first...

About the Author

Jack Stahl is the past president of The Coca-Cola Company, and past president and CEO of Revlon, both Fortune 500 companies. He holds a master’s degree from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.

Lessons on Leadership

The 7 Fundamental Management Skills for Leaders at All Levels

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The “Seven Frameworks” of Leadership

“Framework 1 – Leadership and Management”

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