weLEAD Online Magazine
leadingtoday.org
Copyright
2005 ã weLEAD, Inc.
Book Review
Daring to Be Different
A Manager’s Ascent to Leadership
Star Publishing Company - 2002 (149 pages
in paperback)
Author
ISBN 0-89863-266-8
One of the most frequent questions we receive at weLEAD is “what is the difference between a manager and a leader”? In the
future we will be recommending Daring to Be Different as an extended
answer to this important question. Author James Hatherley
shares his varied experience as a senior vice president of a Fortune 150
company, and a lively writing style to powerfully discuss the kind of
leadership that makes great things happen. Hatherley
draws a broad distinction between traditional monarchic managing and muralistic leading. Muralistic
leaders are defined by the author with traits similar to that of
“servant-leaders”, including the ability to articulate a clear vision, the
building of trust, mentoring, and commitment to the values and success of the
mission. The author candidly exposes what monarchic managers typically do to
organizations and their cultures. The negative consequences of this management
approach continues to plague the majority of organizations today.
As Hatherley writes, “Success for muralists
comes from developing mutual trust among team members, and challenging them to
test the limits of their individual and collective skills. By identifying the
goals of the mission, yet disavowing knowledge of all the answers, the muralist
creates a sense of mutual discovery within the team”.
Hatherley has a unique gift of translating daily
and abstract events into metaphorical lessons for the reader. This adds greater
interest and insight in this interesting work. One example is his discussion of
both the lifters and leaners who
inhabit an average organization. Lifters are defined as those who uplift
the organization and upgrade the quality of individual performance. On the
other hand, the “meeting and committee oriented” leaners
are those who block opportunities and derail progress.
Daring to Be Different also takes the reader beyond the text with charts to ponder such as
the four quadrants of a Leadership Compass and a Leadership Continuum
for self-assessment. The book is divided into 22 chapters and is an easy read. Daring
to Be Different is a call to action that hopes to inspire managers to
transform themselves and their thinking toward muralistic
leading! The benefits of doing this are strongly outlined in this exceptional
book. If you desire to become a real leader, and are willing to abandon the
“paper handcuffs” that exist in most organizations today, this book will
challenge and enlighten you.
weLEAD rating – highly recommended
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This Book at a Discounted Price Here!
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