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Real Leadership: Helping People and Organizations Face Their Toughest Challenges

Real Leadership: Helping People and Organizations Face Their Toughest Challenges

In Real Leadership, Dean Williams argues that any leadership that lets people sidestep the sometimes harsh truth of reality is irresponsible and ultimately ineffective. He then offers a new paradigm that redefines the proper function and purpose of leadership: responsible leadership. This approach, he says, gets people to face difficult realities, and mobilizes them to address their organizations most pressing challenge the primary threat or opportunity that must be confronted in order to progress. Responsible leaders help people shift their values, habits, practices, and priorities to accommodate changing conditions and new demands. Williams contends that leaders must have a passion for insight and an unrelenting commitment to discovery discovery about the context and specific features of the challenges people face, and discovery about how their power affects the group in their problem-solving ventures. Case studies and real-life examples, some drawn from the authors personal experiences, illustrate responsible leadership at work.

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Book Info

Authors: Dean(Author) Williams
Binding: Hardcover; 296 pages
Publication Date: 11/6/05
Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
ISBN: 1576753433
Bookhuddle Average Rating: (5.0)
Amazon.com^® Average Rating: (5.0)

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Number of Reviews: 7, Amazon.com^® Average Rating:

(5.0)

(5) Bringing context into the leadership equation

Dean William's remarkable book tackles a subject almost completely ignored by most management courses and books on leadership. Context matters when deciding what are the most appropriate responses leaders can have to different situations. His insight about the five different leadership challenges--from crisis to development--creates a taxonomy that is not only useful, but also provides the reader (an aspiring leader) with practical diagnostic and interventional tools. His examples and case studies support his thesis that these different challenges are not dependent upon culture, but on three universal dimensions: The condition of the people, the barrier to overcome, and the promise on the other side. Not only do I use these insights in my own work, I have successfully integrated it leadership development courses on several continents.

(5) I'd give this six stars

No quick fixes in this book, but instead practical tools to enable people to focus on what Williams calls 'real leadership'. A unique thesis, excellently written. Real substance, not empty management speak and psycho-babble. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

(5) Best leadership book

This book was so inspirational and useful for me. I am senior manager and I have no doubt my leadership will improve because of this book. Williams's way of distinguishing real leadership from counterfeit leadership is novel and groundbreaking. It really hits what's going on in my organization. But the book also helps you to interpret the quality of the leadership in the country. Are they real leaders or counterfeit leaders? What a great question. The stories he presents are engaging and illuminating in regards to the principles of great leadership. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in making a difference in their organization or community. It is very different from all the other books out there.

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