Book Summaries

Leadership communications expert Judith Humphrey guides leaders in how to listen, think and respond quickly when impromptu opportunities arise.

Noted futurist Bob Johansen proposes five new leadership literacies – combinations of disciplines, practices and worldviews – that will be needed by future leaders.

In his bravest and most challenging book yet, Seth Godin shows how we can thrive in an economy that rewards art, not compliance.

In Negotiating the Impossible, Harvard professor and negotiation adviser Deepak Malhotra shows how to defuse even the most potentially explosive situations and to find success when things seem impossible.

The Levity Effect uses serious science to reveal the remarkable power of humor and fun in business. Science proves it — fun is good for business! Based on 10 years of extensive research, the authors argue against business tradition to reveal the powerful bottom-line benefits of leading with levity. With interviews, exercises and case studies, the book reveals how humor in the workplace will help you communicate messages, build camaraderie, and encourage creativity for a better wor

Translated from German and published for the first time in English, The New Boss provides a thorough guide for newly appointed senior managers and executives to make a successful transition into their new leadership roles. Fischer covered all the bases, illuminating the seven building blocks of an accomplished transition, as well as case studies spelling out nearly every possible leadership transition.

Ten years after the bestselling The Leader of the Future hit the stands, comes this collection of essays from thought leaders of yesterday and today. Read Peter Drucker’s thoughts on executive leadership, R. Roosevelt Thomas Jr.’s theory of diversity management, General Eric K. Shinseki’s metaphor of one-eyed kings, Marshall Goldsmith’s words on leading new age professionals, and much more.

Bestselling authors Lee Bolman and Terrence Deal give leaders the insight and courage they need to take risks on behalf of values they cherish and the people they guide. Great leaders must act both as wizard, calling on imagination, creativity, meaning and magic, and as warrior, mobilizing strength, courage and willingness to fight as necessary to fulfill their mission.

In this summary, the authors, all from the world's leading executive-development firm, argue that traditional leadership development focuses too much on the "head," and that it is critical for companies to identify and integrate other capabilities into the development of leaders. This summary reveals the three most important leadership capabilities — the abilities to implement, emphasize and take risks — and tells how to put them in action.