Thinking about Leadership (Audible Audio Edition) Nannerl O Keohane Susan Denaker Audible Studios Books
Download As PDF : Thinking about Leadership (Audible Audio Edition) Nannerl O Keohane Susan Denaker Audible Studios Books
Leadership is essential to collective human endeavor, from setting and accomplishing goals for a neighborhood block association, to running a Fortune 500 company, to mobilizing the energies of a nation. Political philosophers have focused largely on how to prevent leaders from abusing their power, yet little attention has been paid to what it actually feels like to hold power, how leaders go about their work, and how they relate to the people they lead.
In Thinking about Leadership, Nannerl Keohane draws on her experience as the first woman president of Duke University and former president of Wellesley College, as well as her expertise as a leading political theorist, to deepen our understanding of what leaders do, how and why they do it, and the pitfalls and challenges they face. Keohane engages listeners in a series of questions that shed light on every facet of leadership. She considers the traits that make a good leader, including sound judgment, decisiveness, integrity, social skill, and intelligence; the role that gender plays in one's ability to attain and wield power; ethics and morality; the complex relationship between leaders and their followers; and the unique challenges of democratic leadership.
Rich with lessons and insights from leaders and political thinkers down through the ages, including Aristotle, Queen Elizabeth I, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Nelson Mandela, Thinking about Leadership is a must-listen for current and future leaders, and for anyone concerned about our prospects for good governance.
Thinking about Leadership (Audible Audio Edition) Nannerl O Keohane Susan Denaker Audible Studios Books
As Nannerl Keohane explains modestly, the purpose of her book on "leadership" is "to clear away some of the underbrush that prevents us from seeing clearly" what we mean by the term. She accomplishes this and much more by asking fundamental questions -- for example about what distinguishes leaders from followers, how leadership works in a democracy, whether men and women lead differently, whether power really does corrupt absolutely and universally. She draws her examples from philosophers and literary authors, from the monumental rulers of the past to the maneuvering politicians of the present (or should it be the reverse?). Thinkers from Aristotle to Wittgenstein, literary writers from William Shakespeare to William Golding provide the backdrop. And she seems effortlessly always to have the perfect example to hand, just as her simple but elegant prose is exactly tuned to her topic and her audience (which could and should be any thoughtful person).She provides not so much answers as further and more probing, provocative questions, leaving the reader with genuine ideas that engage thought. Her "conclusions" (if they can be called that) are surprisingly undoctrinaire: paradoxes do not have to be resolved; not every powerful leader IS corrupted by his role; gender may not make as much difference as culture. Indeed, the book is refreshing in many ways -- both for its method (nothing could be further from the leaden "case studies," surveys, diagrams, and other forms of "management" research that adorn the syllabi of business schools) and for its openness to new thinking about a very old topic.
"Thinking about Leadership" is not a "how-to" book for leaders, but a meditation for all of us, all members of a species that requires some to step forward in order to get things done for the benefit of others. The price paid by those who enjoy power requires understanding by the rest of us, especially in a world whose political composition is changing so rapidly. Despite its deep learning and wide historical range, this book could not be more timely.
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Thinking about Leadership (Audible Audio Edition) Nannerl O Keohane Susan Denaker Audible Studios Books Reviews
Thinking about Leadership is a rare book informed both by the thoughts of political theorists across the centuries about leadership and the experiences of a successful contemporary leader -- the President of Wellesley College, 1981-93, and of Duke University, 1993-2004. Thinking about Leadership provides insights into the nature of leadership, the role of followers, why some people are leaders and others are not, how context affects leadership, gender and leadership, the role of judgment, how leadership works in a democracy, and much more. Although she refers to writers as diverse as Niccolo Machiavelli, Max Weber, Richard Neustadt, and William Golding, Keohane displays her erudition lightly, with sparking, clear prose. Vivid examples featuring prominent leaders of the past -- including Queen Elizabeth I, Winston Churchill, and Nelson Mandela -- liven its pages. Keohane occasionally, but very sparingly, refers to her own experience, used only to make important points, never to glorify herself.
This is a book that should be read by leaders, and aspiring leaders, in business and politics as well as education. John Mack, chairman of the Board of Morgan, Stanley, writes in his comment on the back cover, that "this book is about inspired leadership -- and inspiring 'followership' -- and should be required reading from the classroom to the boardroom." In her comment, Barbara Kellerman of the Kennedy School at Harvard caught the spirit of the book in her comment `Nannerl Keohane does not know how to write a bad sentence or make an uninteresting point.'"
Same-o, same-o. You can find these "insights" in pretty much any book that speaks to the broad topic of leadership. Nothing particularly about the book that makes it exceptional.
Was as expected
Interesting, informative, and easy to read, I very much enjoyed reading Thinking About Leadership. I liked how Keohane applied her understanding of political philosophy with real life leaders, big and small, famous and not-so-famous. My only disappointment was in her decision to share just a few of her own experiences as president of two high educational institutions. Her reason being that she didn't want to turn this book into a memoir Having attended Wellesley myself, I had looked forward to learning how a well-respected teacher/scholar integrated her background and grew to lead a very vibrant academic community. - Looking forward to the memoir, Nan!
As described and shipped in a timely manner.
As Nannerl Keohane explains modestly, the purpose of her book on "leadership" is "to clear away some of the underbrush that prevents us from seeing clearly" what we mean by the term. She accomplishes this and much more by asking fundamental questions -- for example about what distinguishes leaders from followers, how leadership works in a democracy, whether men and women lead differently, whether power really does corrupt absolutely and universally. She draws her examples from philosophers and literary authors, from the monumental rulers of the past to the maneuvering politicians of the present (or should it be the reverse?). Thinkers from Aristotle to Wittgenstein, literary writers from William Shakespeare to William Golding provide the backdrop. And she seems effortlessly always to have the perfect example to hand, just as her simple but elegant prose is exactly tuned to her topic and her audience (which could and should be any thoughtful person).
She provides not so much answers as further and more probing, provocative questions, leaving the reader with genuine ideas that engage thought. Her "conclusions" (if they can be called that) are surprisingly undoctrinaire paradoxes do not have to be resolved; not every powerful leader IS corrupted by his role; gender may not make as much difference as culture. Indeed, the book is refreshing in many ways -- both for its method (nothing could be further from the leaden "case studies," surveys, diagrams, and other forms of "management" research that adorn the syllabi of business schools) and for its openness to new thinking about a very old topic.
"Thinking about Leadership" is not a "how-to" book for leaders, but a meditation for all of us, all members of a species that requires some to step forward in order to get things done for the benefit of others. The price paid by those who enjoy power requires understanding by the rest of us, especially in a world whose political composition is changing so rapidly. Despite its deep learning and wide historical range, this book could not be more timely.
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