Our "leaders are readers" contingent may be interested in the Harvard Center for Public Leadership's recently released list of The Best Leadership Books of 2009. A few books included on the list are Managing by Henry Mintzberg, Walk the Walk by Alan Deutschman, Leading Your Boss: The Subtle Art of Managing Up by John Baldoni, and Greater than Yourself: The Ultimate Lesson of True Leadership by Steve Farber. The complete list can be found at http://www.leadershipnow.com/leadershop/best2009.html.
Wildland fire leaders/readers are encouraged to contribute to the Professional Reading Program by suggesting publications for inclusion in Wildland Fire Book on Books. Information about the program and how to submit can be found at http://www.fireleadership.gov/toolbox/documents/pro_reading_room.htm.
1 comment:
I just finished reading Alan Deutschman’s “Walk the Walk” and understand why Harvard chose it for one of the top 10 leadership books for 2009.
Deutschman gives tangible examples of leaders who are the epitome of leading by example--they have walked the walk. His glimpse of past leaders provides a wake-up call to our future leaders. The days of personal sacrifice and caring for those who carry out our vision seem to have waned producing a more self-centered leadership model.
I'll let you find your own leadership “nuggets,” but here are a few quotes from the book. Each quote below is accompanied in the book by real-world examples of leaders who either walked the walk or talked the big talk.
• “When you walk the walk, you reveal the ranking of your values.”
• “People don’t work for companies, they work for people.” (Darryl, a leader with Whole Foods)
• “When you hold the No. 1 position in an organization, every moment is a “teachable moment,” whether or not you intend it that way. It’s an unforgiving situation. If you act irresponsibly, your personal example confers tacit permission for everyone else to act the same way.”
• “You can’t run the walk. You have to walk the walk.”
• “But for leadership to exert its fullest power, the leader must do what everyone else can follow.”
I challenge wildland fire leaders to “walk the walk.” The content within the book is not “new,” but we often need impetus for change and enlightenment.
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