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The Leadership Challenge
Book

The Leadership Challenge

How to Keep Getting Extraordinary Things Done in Organizations

Barry Z. Posner and James M. Kouzes
Jossey-Bass, 1995
First Edition: 1987

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Editorial Rating

9

Qualities

  • Innovative
  • Applicable

Recommendation

James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner’s remarkable guide debunks the myth of the leader as a maverick rather than a team player. It also tackles the image of the leader as a special breed. Indeed, the book’s basic premise is that there are certain critical and identifiable skills that most anyone can learn and adopt in order to become an effective leader. The authors spell out these skill sets, and list the guiding principles that leaders should follow and represent to their organizations. The seminal book is a mile deep and a mile wide. getabstract recommends this excellent manual to all current and future leaders.

Take-Aways

  • Leadership is not a genetic trait. Anyone can learn to be a leader.
  • Almost everything taught about leadership in traditional management circles is wrong.
  • Leadership requires specific skills and commitments.

About the Authors

James M. Kouzes  is the CEO and chairman of Tom Peters Group/Learning Systems. Barry Z. Posner  is dean of Santa Clara University’s Leavey School of Business and Administration. IndustryWeek magazine named their previous book, Credibility , as one of the best business books of 1993. The authors are also frequent speakers and corporate consultants to 3M, AT&T, Kodak and many other organizations.

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    M. E. 7 years ago
    This is my favorite part "Study your failures as carefully as your successes, and encourage people to think of solutions, not obstacles.".
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    A. P. 8 years ago
    Passion. I love this part, it will and can be challenging but rewarding in the end: It’s your job as leader to restore the heart of your organization and encourage your constituents to carry onward.
  • Avatar
    A. P. 8 years ago
    Passion. I love this part, it will and can be challenging but rewarding in the end: It’s your job as leader to restore the heart of your organization and encourage your constituents to carry onward.