Managing Leadership^®

Among the many pleasant surprises about feedback from readers and reviewers of Managing Leadership has been the positive reception of the discussion of the previous and existing management literature that occurs in Part One of the book. It’s not that we’re surprised that the feedback was positive! It’s just that we didn’t realize there was such a dearth of review and commentary on the literature, overall, in the general writing on business, management, and organizational leadership. Inasmuch as there clearly is such a vacuum, we are pleased that Managing Leadership has, however inadvertently, filled it – and with so much appreciation by those who follow the book.

Many readers and reviewers have remarked on the author’s wide reading in the field. More specifically, Dr. John Walsh, in his review published on BookPleasures.com, has commended the author, who, he says, “helps to integrate his ideas with the rest of the literature on this subject which makes this a very useful single volume primer on managerial leadership.”

Dr. David West, in his review on the famous management resource, TheWorkingManager.com, observes about Managing Leadership that, “Not only can it be read with profit for its central theme but its discussion of the work of Douglas McGregor, James McGregor Burns, John Adair, [/tag]Kenneth Blanchard[/tag] and, in particular, Mary Parker Follett is insightful and intensely relevant to today’s business world.” [See links to the right, and archives, for previous postings about John Adair‘s work]

In fact, Dr. West goes on to say that, “If any author can remind management of the sheer brilliance of Mary Parker Follett and her work, then Jim Stroup is the man.”

In Managing Leadership, I write about Mary Parker Follet that she

believed that the group naturally performs many of the functions of its own leadership and management, and that the senior administrator’s principal duty is to monitor and efficiently coordinate this phenomenon to the benefit of the organization.

This is a profound insight. It is a breakthrough that represents a major advance toward a proper understanding of what organizational leadership is, how it operates, and how to manage it.”

A main theme in the book’s discussion of the literature, and, in particular, of Mary Parker Follett, is the failure of observers and practitioners to catch and develop the key insights of thinkers like her. As a result, we’ve lost a lot of time in the advance toward a proper understanding of organizational leadership, and wasted massive energy and efforts in pursuit of misguided theories of individual leadership of organizations.

Mary Parker Follett’s work was employed, in Managing Leadership, as the springboard into the discussion of the major thesis of the book. Among the authors surveyed there, she is the earliest, having written her most important work on organizations in the 1920s. Nevertheless, her thinking is incredibly trenchant, combining eclectic and innovative insight with hard-nosed practicality. She is, in short, unmatched by any thinker on management up to the present day. Moreover, most of the writing flooding the market is only just feebly struggling around the margins of the marvelously relevant concepts she pioneered fully 80 years ago. She remains, therefore, absolutely essential reading for every manager and executive practicing today at every level; she will undoubtedly be read with greater profit for them than most of the current crop of authors.

As Peter Drucker noted, Mary Parker Follett is the Prophet of Management. If, like so many prophets, she was not properly appreciated in her own age, perhaps it is high time, now, to take another look at the powerful concepts she introduced decades ago, that are of increasing urgency to business and management, today.

Accordingly, the next series of posts will be dedicated to offering a critical review of Mary Parker Follett’s thinking. We will discuss her methods to generate her ideas, the bases for analyzing them, what they are, and how they are of greater concern and immediately practical value to us today than virtually any other writing in the genre.

Coming up for discussion:

Finally! As promised, we will begin discussing the ideas suggested by “the prophet of management,” as Peter Drucker called her, Mary Parker Follett.

However, we will continue to interject, where it seems appropriate, with commentary on events in contemporary organizational life as they relate (or not) to the concepts of offered in Managing Leadership. Be sure to stop in and join us!

News about the book:

Among the increasing number of positive reviews of Managing Leadership is the major new review by Dr. David West, editor of the important international resource for working managers, TheWorkingManager.com. Be sure to stop by the site to see Dr. West’s review.

While you’re there, make sure you take the time to explore this wonderful site. TheWorkingManager.com is a dynamic, growing, interactive, and high-value resource both for working managers and for students. It offers articles, case studies, and commentary that are at the cutting-edge of contemporary application, and at the same time are solidly grounded in both the highest quality research and observed experience. Resources are intelligently interlinked. The site also offers pathways for navigating its resources for the benefit of visitors with specific interests. First, bookmark the site. Then, take a moment to learn how to take the greatest advantage of its wealth of relevant resources. And, of course, don’t forget read Dr. West’s review of Managing Leadership!

The international best-selling author of business books on diversity and motivation in the workplace, BJ Gallagher, has endorsed Managing Leadership. Stop by the book’s website to see why she insists you must “read it and reap!” BJ’s famous “A Peacock in the Land of Penguins” has generated massive sales around the world, as well as a huge and dedicated following. It has become a regular part of training programs at all levels for major corporations across the globe. Now, her new developing blockbuster, “Who are ‘They’ Anyway?” is set to accomplish similar benefits for how organizations and their members see themselves and their relationship in their common endeavor. We are very proud that this insightful and accomplished author has endorsed Managing Leadership.

Managing Leadership continues its run, well into its third month, as a highlighted book on the popular and highly regarded bookstore for the leadership community, LeaderShop – stop by and check it out, now! And while you’re there, be sure to explore this suite of fascinating sites dedicated to leadership; see them all from the parent site, LeadershipNow.com.

New reviews and endorsements for Managing Leadership continue to come in. Stop by the website to learn more about important reviews and notices about the book coming up in the next two months. While you’re there, sign up for the new, revised newsletter so you won’t miss out on these developments as they occur.

As always, we are very appreciative of your visit to our site. We enjoy your feedback and hope to see you all regularly!

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