MB: Managers Bookshelf

“Leading With Kindness: How

Good People Consistently Get Superior Results ”
by William F. Baker Ph.D. & Michael O'Malley, Ph.D.

Amacom, New York; 2008; 236 Pages; $24.95

If you were born before 1970, the odds are that you visualize a business leader as a hard-nosed male who rarely admits a mistake and is guided primarily by the 20th Century spin on the Golden Rule: “He who has the gold makes the rules.”
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, boards of the directors of large companies sought out this stereotype for CEOs and COOs. The goals were to maximize return on investment for stockholders as quickly as possible. As often as not, this meant either selling off major divisions of the company to competitors (often overseas-based) or selling back to its original owners at fire sale rates divisions that had been recently purchased from them. Then, in the 1990s, as authors Baker and O’Malley point out, the old management styles didn’t work anymore: “…the knowledge workers who Peter Drucker predicted would appear on the scene, did.” Baker and O’Malley continue: “Unlike the traditional employer-employee association of yore, these employees carried the tools of their trade in their heads. Less dependent on specific companies on their material nourishment. What’s more there wasn’t a limitless supply of these people…. More and more, companies found themselves dependent on a scarce, variable pool of human resources.”
What management did next with its knowledge workers was predictable for leaders who taught human resource skills more appropriate to the industrial age, not the information age. They increasingly outsourced their information technology requirements, or brought in hard-working, qualified people from overseas at significantly lower salaries. According to the authors this permits managers to discriminate against workers on an equal opportunity basis, without regard to race, religion, sex, age, or national origin (both recent citizens and “green card” holders). Neither of the authors believes that new or pending state legislation will help. They point out: “…Despite living in an era of unprecedented economic progress and scientific enlightenment, management practice remains primitive, with the incidence of bullying in the workplace increasing, not decreasing as one might have surmised.”
They go on to state:
“The real disgrace behind the new state laws under consideration is that too many executives who are in a position to do something about mismanagement with their ranks either don’t know what is going on or refuse to do anything about it. Organizational leaders who fail to step in when people need them most are culpable.”
The point that the authors make is that bullying as a management style inevitably leads to inefficiency, ineffectiveness, failure to set and meet goals at operational levels, loss of market share, and, ultimately, loss of revenues. Successful business leaders aren’t saps, suckers, or jerks. They note that:
“Winning Super Bowl coach Tony Dungy, for example, doesn’t curse, sarcastically chew out players, or rant on the sidelines. He believes that he can get his team to compete by calmly providing direction and treating players with respect. We need more Tony Dungys, who, in the process of trying to perfect their own lives, set examples for others.”
The book is very well organized, with the first two chapters focusing on the techniques used by “kind leaders” and giving examples of who the kind leaders are. These chapters also establish that kindness exercised by business leaders doesn’t make them sissies, nor is kindness the same as likeability.
The remaining chapters highlight when and where kindness does matter: by offering realistic expectations, by telling the truth, by empowering growth, and by preparing the next generation of leaders. The authors believe that this type of power is what will matter during the 21st Century, and not the very old fashioned kind that was flaunted for ego’s sake.
-- Henry Holtzman

-- Henry Holtzman

Here are the current top 10 bestselling books for business. The list is compiled based on information received from retail bookstores throughout the U.S.A.

1. “Debt Cures ‘They’ Don’t Want You to Know About,” by Kevin Trudeau (Equity Press…$25.95) (3)*
What banks and credit card companies prefer you not to know.
2. “21 Distinctions of Wealth: How to Create Unlimited Abundance in Your Life,” by Peggy McColl (John Wiley & Sons…$15.95) (2)
How to become wealthy and stay that way.
3. “The Post-American World” by Fareed Zakaria (W.W. Norton & Co …$25.95) (1)
Why the 21st Century will not be “the American Century.”
4. “The Five Lessons a Millionaire Taught Me About Life and Wealth” by Richard Paul Evans (Simon & Schuster Trade…$14.95) (8)
Why the wealthy are different in a variety of ways.
5. “Winners Never Cheat: Everyday Values We Learned As Children (But May Have Forgotten),” by Jon M. Huntsman
(Wharton School Publishing…$19.95) (4)
Why playing by the rules is still the only way to win.
6. “The Logic of Life: The Rational Economics of An Irrational World,” by Tim Harford (Random House…$19.95) (5)
Why economics always appears logical when nothing else does.
7. “Go Put Your Strengths to Work: Six Powerful Steps to Achieve Outstanding Performance,” by Marcus Buckingham (The Free Press…$30.00)**
How to identify and use your unique strengths at work.
8. “When Markets Collide: Investment Strategies for the Age of Global Economic Change,” by Mohamed El-Erian (McGraw-Hill…$27.95) (6)
New investment strategies as seen by the global investment guru.
9. “Launching a Leadership Revolution: Mastering the Five Levels of Influence,” by Chris Brady and Orrin Woodward (Business Plus…$23.99) (7)
Detailed view of how to develop leadership skills.
10. “Women and Money: Owning the Power to Control Your Destiny,” by Suze Orman (Random House…$24.95) (10)
Guru of women’s financial empowerment tells how it’s done.
____________________
(3)* -- Indicates a book’s previous position on the list.
** -- Indicates a book’s first appearance on the list.
*** -- Book previously on the list is on the list once again.


“Leading With Kindness: How Good People Consistently Get Superior Results ” by William F. Baker Ph.D. & Michael O'Malley, Ph.D. Amacom, New York; 2008; 236 Pages; $24.95 If you were born before 1970, the odds are that you visualize a business leader as a hard-nosed male who rarely admits a mistake and is guided primarily by the 20th Century spin on the Golden Rule: “He who has the gold makes the rules.” Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, boards of the directors of large companies sought out this stereotype for CEOs and COOs. The goals were to maximize return on investment for stockholders as quickly as possible. As often as not, this meant either selling off major divisions of the company to competitors (often overseas-based) or selling back to its original owners at fire sale rates divisions that had been recently purchased from them. Then, in the 1990s, as authors Baker and O’Malley point out, the old management styles didn’t work anymore: “…the knowledge workers who Peter Drucker predicted would appear on the scene, did.” Baker and O’Malley continue: “Unlike the traditional employer-employee association of yore, these employees carried the tools of their trade in their heads. Less dependent on specific companies on their material nourishment. What’s more there wasn’t a limitless supply of these people…. More and more, companies found themselves dependent on a scarce, variable pool of human resources.” What management did next with its knowledge workers was predictable for leaders who taught human resource skills more appropriate to the industrial age, not the information age. They increasingly outsourced their information technology requirements, or brought in hard-working, qualified people from overseas at significantly lower salaries. According to the authors this permits managers to discriminate against workers on an equal opportunity basis, without regard to race, religion, sex, age, or national origin (both recent citizens and “green card” holders). Neither of the authors believes that new or pending state legislation will help. They point out: “…Despite living in an era of unprecedented economic progress and scientific enlightenment, management practice remains primitive, with the incidence of bullying in the workplace increasing, not decreasing as one might have surmised.” They go on to state: “The real disgrace behind the new state laws under consideration is that too many executives who are in a position to do something about mismanagement with their ranks either don’t know what is going on or refuse to do anything about it. Organizational leaders who fail to step in when people need them most are culpable.” The point that the authors make is that bullying as a management style inevitably leads to inefficiency, ineffectiveness, failure to set and meet goals at operational levels, loss of market share, and, ultimately, loss of revenues. Successful business leaders aren’t saps, suckers, or jerks. They note that: “Winning Super Bowl coach Tony Dungy, for example, doesn’t curse, sarcastically chew out players, or rant on the sidelines. He believes that he can get his team to compete by calmly providing direction and treating players with respect. We need more Tony Dungys, who, in the process of trying to perfect their own lives, set examples for others.” The book is very well organized, with the first two chapters focusing on the techniques used by “kind leaders” and giving examples of who the kind leaders are. These chapters also establish that kindness exercised by business leaders doesn’t make them sissies, nor is kindness the same as likeability. The remaining chapters highlight when and where kindness does matter: by offering realistic expectations, by telling the truth, by empowering growth, and by preparing the next generation of leaders. The authors believe that this type of power is what will matter during the 21st Century, and not the very old fashioned kind that was flaunted for ego’s sake. -- Henry Holtzman -- Henry Holtzman Here are the current top 10 bestselling books for business. The list is compiled based on information received from retail bookstores throughout the U.S.A. 1. “Debt Cures ‘They’ Don’t Want You to Know About,” by Kevin Trudeau (Equity Press…$25.95) (3)* What banks and credit card companies prefer you not to know. 2. “21 Distinctions of Wealth: How to Create Unlimited Abundance in Your Life,” by Peggy McColl (John Wiley & Sons…$15.95) (2) How to become wealthy and stay that way. 3. “The Post-American World” by Fareed Zakaria (W.W. Norton & Co …$25.95) (1) Why the 21st Century will not be “the American Century.” 4. “The Five Lessons a Millionaire Taught Me About Life and Wealth” by Richard Paul Evans (Simon & Schuster Trade…$14.95) (8) Why the wealthy are different in a variety of ways. 5. “Winners Never Cheat: Everyday Values We Learned As Children (But May Have Forgotten),” by Jon M. Huntsman (Wharton School Publishing…$19.95) (4) Why playing by the rules is still the only way to win. 6. “The Logic of Life: The Rational Economics of An Irrational World,” by Tim Harford (Random House…$19.95) (5) Why economics always appears logical when nothing else does. 7. “Go Put Your Strengths to Work: Six Powerful Steps to Achieve Outstanding Performance,” by Marcus Buckingham (The Free Press…$30.00)** How to identify and use your unique strengths at work. 8. “When Markets Collide: Investment Strategies for the Age of Global Economic Change,” by Mohamed El-Erian (McGraw-Hill…$27.95) (6) New investment strategies as seen by the global investment guru. 9. “Launching a Leadership Revolution: Mastering the Five Levels of Influence,” by Chris Brady and Orrin Woodward (Business Plus…$23.99) (7) Detailed view of how to develop leadership skills. 10. “Women and Money: Owning the Power to Control Your Destiny,” by Suze Orman (Random House…$24.95) (10) Guru of women’s financial empowerment tells how it’s done. ____________________ (3)* -- Indicates a book’s previous position on the list. -- Indicates a book’s first appearance on the list. * -- Book previously on the list is on the list once again.
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