ISBN 10: 014086265X ISBN 13: 9780140862652

Publisher: Penguin Audio, 1996

Argues that the key to a business's success lies in the competence, creativity, and commitment of its people, presenting important principles of business leadership and profiles of thirty-six extraordinary leaders.

From Publishers Weekly:

Caring, empowerment and social responsibility are words often used in this inspiring and informally written treatise for leaders. The traditional hierarchical structure of corporate management can no longer contain the spin of high-tech transformation with its frequent job and profit losses. The result is that a new manner of leadership is looking inward now, tapping the wisdom of employees, whose hands-on experience is found to hold the key to a better work environment with fewer layoffs and higher profits. Rosen (The Healthy Company), a consultant and researcher, lays out eight principles of good leadership-wisdom, trust, participation, learning, diversity, creativity, integrity and community-and analyzes 36 leaders said to exemplify them. They range in character and occupation from James De Preist, music director of the Oregon Symphony Orchestra, to James Rouse, developer of malls and neighborhoods. The book is filled with bits of advice, such as Rouse's admonition "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade." Brown is coauthor, with Don Underwood, of Grow Rich Slowly. (Mar.) FYI: Leading People will be the basis of a PBS special of the same name airing in April.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist:

With 10 years of research in leadership and funding from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to form a not-for-profit think tank called Healthy Companies Institute, Rosen uses his extensive resources to present an absorbing picture of leadership at its best. He draws from case studies of leaders in business, government, and not-for-profit enterprises whose stories reflect what Rosen contends are at the core of a "healthy" organization: vision, trust, integrity, participation, learning, diversity, creativity, and community. He cites the true leader as one with a profound belief that profits follow principles and who, with an astute understanding of human nature, skillfully taps the best in people. We learn that leaders are not born, but are made through key moments in their lives when they learn trust, empathy, and candor. This is an excellent book for entrepreneurs who run their own operations, offering important advice for CEOs who strive to improve their leadership skills. It must be recognized, however, that although the ideal is presented with real leaders profiled, many organizations do not have a culture that values or rewards these skills. Mary Whaley