On Leadership

July 7, 2008
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.

October 1, 2008
Cameron and Green, coauthors of "Making Sense of Change Management", have written an outstanding handbook around their thesis that "leaders need to take on different roles]some]more obvious and accessible to us than others." The five roles range from "edgy catalyser," who asks uncomfortable questions, to "measured connector," who puts people and ideas together. They describe the five roles in depth, explain the research behind them, provide a questionnaire determining the reader's "natural" roles, and provide specific exercises and additional resources for strengthening weak roles. Chapters on the "shadow sides" and political effects of each role in various office cultures close out the part of the book directed to individuals. There is also a teaching section, with suggestions for using the book, and the roles, in group training. Very readable and highly recommended. Brian Walton, Tampa-Hillsborough P.L., FL

Copyright 2008 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2008
A distinguished career in medicine and citizen service do not, unfortunately, a management guruauthor make.Palmisano, former president of the American Medical Association, selects as content for his first book the principles for successful leadership, a topic many other C-suite executives and consultants (like Jim Collins, Jack Welch, Peter Drucker) have tackled. When compared to those leaders, Palmisano falls short; he focuses on well-accepted leadership qualities such as courage, persistence, decisiveness, and communications (among others) and either identifies historical examples (such as John F. Kennedys moon mission) or local case histories (e.g., Hurricane Katrina). Yet measurements aside, his voice rings with sincerity, with concern (similar to Iacoccas Where Have All the Leaders Gone? 2007), and with personal experience; its also instructive to read his last chapter listingthose leaders he admiresand whyincluding Rudy Giuliani and Senator John McCain. A corroboration of what leadership should be.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)