The Executive and the Elephant: A Leader's Guide for Building Inner Excellence - Hardcover

Daft, Richard L.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0470372265 ISBN 13: 9780470372265

Publisher: Jossey-Bass, 2010

Synopsis

Lessons for leaders on resolving the ongoing struggle between instinct and the creative mind Kings, heads of government, and corporate executives lead thousands of people and manage endless resources, but may not have mastery over themselves. Often leaders know that right action is important, but have little (if any) understanding of what prevents them from acting in accordance with their intentions. In this important book, leadership expert Richard Daft portrays this dilemma as a struggle between instinct (elephant) and intention (the executive) using the most current research on the intentional vs. the habitual mind to explain how this phenomenon occurs. * Based on current research and real-life examples * Offers leaders a method for directing themselves more productively * Written by an expert in leadership, organizational performance, and change management Through real-life examples and recent studies in psychology, management and Eastern spirituality Daft provides guidance to all of us who struggle finding our own balance and cultivating the behavior of others.

About this title

Review:

"The book is terrific - it identifies an important issue for leaders, and tackles it in a very practical way, with plenty of techniques to choose from and many examples of them being used successfully. We all struggle with our inner elephant, and if you want to help get more control by your inner executive, this book would definitely help." (Globe and Mail, September 2010)

From the Back Cover:

Praise for The Executive and the Elephant

"Wow, what a book! I started to breeze through it, and I ended up reading and thinking about every chapter.... The Executive and the Elephant touches both my brain and my heart, and the effect is at once humbling and energizing. I'm going to send copies to everyone I care about who is under pressure, working hard, and in a leadership position."
--WILLIAM OUCHI, Sanford and Betty Sigoloff Distinguished Professor in Corporate Renewal, UCLA; author of Theory Z

"Outstanding! Dick Daft has shed a whole new light on what it takes to set you apart as an effective leader. If I had read this book earlier in my career, I would have arrived sooner to the chairmanship of Bridgestone Americas."
--MARK A. EMKES, retired chairman, CEO, and president, Bridgestone Americas, Inc.

"Filled with practical suggestions and novel insights, The Executive and the Elephant will transform anyone into a more effective leader."
--JEFFREY PFEFFER, Thomas D. Dee II Professor of Organizational Behavior, Stanford Graduate School of Business; author of Power: Why Some People Have It--And Others Don't

"For thousands of years we have been programmed to think that leading change means doing things 'to' other people. In this wonderful book, Dick Daft helps us successfully transform ourselves into the leader--and person-- we want to become."
--ROBERT E. QUINN, M.E. Tracy Collegiate Professor, Ross School of Business, University of Michigan; author of Deep Change and Change the World

"This magnificent book contains a tapestry of wisdom from around the world that shows leaders how to begin serious self-transformation by someone who has been there, done that."
--PETER VAILL, senior scholar and emeritus professor of management, Antioch University

"This book is a 'bible' for [leadership] self-development."
--RONALD E. RIGGIO, Henry R. Kravis Professor of Leadership and Organizational Psychology, Claremont McKenna College

About this edition

• Publisher: Jossey-Bass
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 0470372265
• ISBN 13: 9780470372265
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 336