Synopses & Reviews
Praise for Leading in Times of Crisis"Building on the solid base of their book Head, Heart, and Guts, Dotlich, Cairo, and Rhinesmith lay out the ways to become the kind of leader needed to navigate through today's complexities and uncertainties. Leading in Times of Crisis is a necessary guidebook to survive and thrive in the global perfect storm."
—John Naisbitt, author, Megatrends and Megatrends 2000
"The risks and opportunities that confront today's leader have never been greater. Leading in Times of Crisis provides unique and valuable insights, along with straightforward principles, that will help point the way in an increasingly diverse and rapidly changing environment."
—Ken Frazier, president, global human health, Merck & Co., Inc.
"This book blends practical business solutions with useful insights about leading people.It should help anyone looking for new ideas to deal with the uncertainty and complexityfacing leaders everywhere today."
—Mindy Grossman, CEO of HSN (formerly Home Shopping Network)
"The main message of this provocative book is that leadership as we have known it ischanging rapidly and dramatically. Moreover, research shows that well over half of people in leadership positions fail. The challenge for leaders today is daunting. But a carefulreading of what Dotlich, Cairo, and Rhinesmith have to say from their extensive experiences will help to reduce significantly this troublesome failure rate."
—W. Warner Burke, Edward Lee Thorndike Professor of Psychology and Education; chair, Department of Organization and Leadership, Teachers College, Columbia University
"Research demonstrates that the #1 leadership competency in shortest supply is 'dealing with ambiguity and complexity.' Dotlich, Cairo, and Rhinesmith give you the real-world tools to actually do it. This book helps us to reach deep inside ourselves, our organizations, and our markets to achieve dynamic, sustainable success. Get this book to effectively navigate change, inside and out!"
—Kevin Cashman, senior partner, Korn/Ferry Leadership & Talent Consulting, and best-selling author, Leadership From the Inside Out
Synopsis
This book is designed to help leaders apply whole leadership lessons to the fundamental leadership dilemmas that keep leaders awake at night. The models are based on the authors' personal observations of the executives they have taught and coached over the last three years through Oliver Wyman’s Delta Executive Learning Center, in addition to interviews with 20 current CEOs or C-Suite leaders such as Andrea Jung, CEO of Avon; William Weldon, CEO of Johnson & Johnson; Gregg Steinhoffel; CEO of Target; Landell Hobbs, COO of Time Warner Cable; Mark Parker, CEO of Nike; Ken Lewis, CEO of Bank of America; Brenda Barnes, CEO of Sara Lee; Mindy Grossman, CEO of Home Shopping Network, Ian Cook, CEO of Colgate, John Huey, Managing Editor of Time, Inc and many others.
Additional interview were conducted with twenty senior and high potential executives, drawn from all levels or large and small companies, who the authors believe are on the cutting edge in their approach to meeting business challenges. The focus is not on the substantive nature of the challenges, but on what mindsets, knowledge and skills these leaders have used to be successful. The book explores how these leaders developed their capacities for leadership and what they believe will be the key ways to prepare other leaders to meet these challenges in the future. Each section describes the challenges and includes specific tips for managing the challenges based on the interviews and research.
To lead effectively in the midst of turbulence, executives at all levels need a new framework. Simple solutions or faddish approaches are blown apart by the velocity of change. The authors' research shows that using the frames of complexity, diversity and uncertainty helps leaders get things done and move forward despite the turbulence. Grasping the implications and nuances of these three concepts is critical, and that is exactly what this book will help readers do.
Synopsis
This book is designed to help leaders apply whole leadership lessons to the fundamental leadership dilemmas that keep leaders awake at night. The book explores how leaders developed their capacities for leadership and what they believe will be the key ways to prepare other leaders to meet these challenges in the future. Each section describes the challenges and includes specific tips for managing the challenges based on the interviews and research. The models are based on the authors' personal observations of the executives they have taught and coached over the last three years through Oliver Wyman's Delta Executive Learning Center, in addition to interviews with 20 current CEOs including William Weldon, CEO of Johnson &Johnson; Gregg Steinhoffe, CEO of Target; Mark Parker, CEO of Nike, and many others.
David L. Dotlich (Eastsound, WA) is President of the Oliver Wyman Delta Executive Learning Center and a partner at Oliver Wyman Consulting, the world's leading executive development firm. Peter C. Cairo (New York, NY) is a partner at Oliver Wyman Consulting and is former chairman of the Department of Counseling and Organizational Psychology at Columbia University. Stephen H. Rhinesmith (Chatham, MA) is a partner at Oliver Wyman Consulting and former president of Holland America Line.
Synopsis
Leaders today are grappling with complex choices, diverse customers and employees, and unprecedented uncertainty in the economic environment. Business models are becoming obsolete, cost and performance pressures are growing, regulatory requirements are changing, and trust in institutions is declining. Tackling these and other growing demands requires every leader to radically rethink what constitutes effective leadership.
Leading in Times of Crisis presents a new approach and concrete steps to compete in this complex, diverse, and uncertain marketplace. Drawing on compelling research and more than twenty interviews with CEOs and top-level executives, former executives and professors David Dotlich, Peter Cairo, and Stephen Rhinesmith highlight the growing urgency to evolve from a traditional, one-dimensional leadership model to what they term “whole leadership.” Whole leadership allows leaders to act in three ways that are important now but absolutely essential to their business in the future:
- Rethink Your Business
- Connect with Stakeholders
- Live Your Values
In an accessible, no-nonsense style, the authors provide new and experienced leaders with specific action steps for facing difficult choices, engaging diverse customers and employees, and acting in the face of uncertainty to deliver results and move companies forward in a turbulent, demanding, and resource-constrained world.
Leading in Times of Crisis will help you become a “whole leader” by aligning your purpose, skills, and decisions with the outcomes your business requires. Read it and find out how every leader has the potential to make a difference in this new world.
About the Author
David L. Dotlich is an adviser, author, researcher, teacher, and speaker on leadership, business strategy, developing high potential, and succession. He was formerly executive vice president of Honeywell International and is the founder and former president of the Oliver Wyman Executive Learning Center.
Peter C. Cairo is a senior partner of the Oliver Wyman Executive Learning Center and is former chairman of the Department of Counseling and Organizational Psychology at Columbia University.
Stephen H. Rhinesmith is a senior partner of the Oliver Wyman Executive Learning Center. He is former special ambassador to the Soviet Union and was president of Holland America Line.
Dotlich, Cairo, and Rhinesmith are the authors of Head, Heart, and Guts. Dotlich and Cairo are the authors of Why CEOs Fail, Unnatural Leadership, and Action Coaching, all from Jossey-Bass.
Delta Organization & Leadership LLC, a unit of Oliver Wyman, provides a unique combination of consulting services and customized programs to help CEOs and other senior leaders transform individual and organizational capabilities in ways that will enable them to compete, to succeed, and to grow.
Table of Contents
Introduction.
PART ONE: The Challenge.
1 Navigating the Perfect Storm: Complexity, Diversity, and Uncertainty.
2 What You’re Up Against as a Leader Today.
PART TWO: Nine Ways to Navigate the Perfect Storm Through Whole Leadership.
Sect ion One: Navigating the Wave of Complexity.
3 Destroy and Rebuild Your Business Model.
4 Focus, Simplify, and Network Your Organization.
5 Build a Climate for Innovation.
Section Two: Navigating the Wave of Diversity.
6 Differentiate and Integrate Your Markets.
7 Learn to Lead Everyone.
8 Become Stakeholder Savvy.
Section Three: Navigating the Wave of Uncertainty.
9 Redefine Risk and Uncertainty.
10 Balance Conflicting Priorities.
11 Be Clear What You Have the Courage to Stand For.
PART THREE: Developing Whole Leaders and Teams.
12 Aligning Your Company’s Talent to Navigate the Storm.
13 Aligning Your Team Around Whole Leadership.
14 Developing Yourself as a Whole Leader.
15 Navigating the Perfect Storm: A Final Thought: Why Whole Leaders Will Succeed.
Bibliography.
Acknowledgments.
About the Authors.
Index.