Synopsis
That the world has changed and is continuing to change at a rapid pace is not news. People are much more aware of everything around them. The consumer revolution has accelerated dramatically. But something vital is missing in all of this change.
Leadership has not kept up with the changes going on in the world. From board rooms to classrooms, leadership is being challenged on a daily basis yet no new leadership model has been given. In this new, important work, bestselling author Stephen R. Covey offers ideas of how leadership roles have changed and how one can take on the roles of the new leader.
Dr. Covey introduces the 4 roles of the new leader--modelling, pathfinding, aligning and empowering--and how those qualities can change you and your organization. He discusses how trust can be lost throughout organizations and how it is imperative that any organization bring trust back to the company if it is to survive. Covey also shows how to go from what he calls a "want to" person to a "can do" person and how doing so can completely transform people and organizations.
Through his ideas, one will discover how to:
*Use the four vital roles to establish trust and make growth a given
*Build and sustain an atmosphere of respect and openness
*Keep and inspire your most talented workers
*Apply creative cooperation to reach new levels of performance
*Stay more "promotable"
*Develop leadership at every level of your organization
*Take advantage of strengths and compensate for weakness
*Reduce cynicism and improve morale
*Stay flexible and focused to recognize larger opportunities.
Stephen Covey's new book will transform the way we think about leadership just as The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People changed our thinking about success.
Publishers Weekly
The original seven habits of highly successful people are still relevant, but Covey, author of the mega-bestseller of that title, says that the new Information/Knowledge Worker Age, exemplified by the Internet, calls for an eighth habit to achieve personal and organizational excellence: "Find your voice and inspire others to find theirs." Covey sees leadership "as a choice to deal with people in a way that will communicate to them their worth and potential so clearly they will come to see it in themselves." His holistic approach starts with developing one's own voice, one's "unique personal significance." The bulk of the book details how, after finding your own voice, you can inspire others and create a workplace where people feel engaged. This includes establishing trust, searching for third alternatives (not a compromise between your way and my way, but a third, better way) and developing a shared vision. This book isn't easy going; less business jargon and more practical examples would have made this livelier and more helpful. But if organizations operated with Covey's ideas-and ideals-most people would undoubtedly find work much more satisfying. DVD not seen by PW. (Nov. 9) FYI: Free Press is simultaneously publishing a 15th anniversary trade paperback edition of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, which has sold 15 million copies worldwide. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
