On Leadership
Essential Principles for Business, Political, and Personal Success
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- $8.99
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
Every day, leaders around the world make decisions that affect millions of people. The results of these decisions are mixed. Sometimes—like when Nelson Mandela led the fight against apartheid—our leaders inspire positive change on a grand scale. But at other times—like when various leaders failed to respond adequately to Hurricane Katrina—poor leadership yields disastrous outcomes. Anyone can claim to be a leader in times of calm, but crisis situations sift the true visionaries from the false ones. Recent events in global affairs make it increasingly apparent that nations must cultivate and encourage true leaders—and eschew false ones—if they hope to survive.
Fortunately, effective leadership is a skill that can be taught, especially through the study of exemplary figures of the past. In each chapter of On Leadership, Dr. Donald J. Palmisano cites an example of positive or negative action as a source from which to glean essential leadership lessons. Through guided analysis of each real-life situation, readers will learn detailed, practical methods and strategies for becoming true leaders. This second edition includes two new chapters which are highly applicable to today’s issues: "Leadership in Crisis: The British Petroleum Gulf Oil Spill," and "Emerging Leaders in a Time of Crisis." On Leadership provides crucial advice for those who aspire to become effective leaders in any position.
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Palmisano, an attorney and physician, uses historical and modern-day leadership examples both good and bad to show that effective leadership can be taught. He focuses on characteristics he believes to be the essential elements of true leadership persistence, creativity, decisiveness, skillful utilization of information technology and he offers a set of easy-to-follow steps to becoming a successful leader based on principles gleaned from personal experiences and the leadership failures and successes of prominent individuals (Rudy Giuliani) and events (Hurricane Katrina). Particularly helpful are the chapters on various forms of communication written, with media, in meetings and public speaking and interpersonal relationships, the latter centered on learning to listen, dealing with people in top positions and selecting members of a team. Each chapter includes a "Lessons Learned" section in which key points are distilled for easy reference. Additional topics include using the past as a foundation for success, courage and truth. Informative and well-written, this book will appeal to managers at all levels looking to become effective leaders and will be especially helpful to those just entering the management arena.
