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Book Review
Side by Side Leadership
Achieving
Outstanding Results Together
Bard Press—2001 (251 pages in hardback)
Author–Dennis
A. Romig, Ph.D.
ISBN 1-885167-51-2
Dennis Romig has done an excellent job of
integrating real world experience with a wealth of research to create a very
readable book. Often leadership books are criticized for being “too
theoretical” or “too soft” for the real world. This book is different. The
principles and best practices presented are backed up with “hard” data obtained
from the review of 3,000 studies.
The ideas presented in this book can really
make a difference to the bottom line. Applying these innovative ideas will
yield productivity gains, improvement in employee morale, and increased profits.
This leadership model departs from both the “top down” and “bottom up” models
of leadership. It presents a third model which Dennis Romig calls “Side by
Side” leadership. The Side by Side model recognizes that leadership is about
building and sustaining effective relationships. “Leadership is facilitating
Side by Side relationships in pursuit of shared goals.”
Romig points out that often the most effective
way for leaders to influence others is to “change their own behavior.” This is
right in line with Stephen Covey’s “inside out” approach to leadership and
Bowen’s Natural Systems Theory. The Side by Side model recognizes that
leadership involves facilitating and coordinating a two-way influence process.
Such leadership is mutual, interactive, and shared.
In the top-down, authoritarian model of
leadership influence is one-way. Top-down leaders usually listen only to a few
others–mostly those in authority above them in the hierarchy. On the opposite
side of the leadership spectrum are the bottom-up leaders who have allowed
participative management practices and “democracy” in the work place to get
completely out of hand. Dennis Romig presents a “third way” that is a higher
way than either the top-down or bottom-up approach.
The Side by Side leadership model appears to
be the closest of the three models to Robert Greenleaf’s vision of
Servant-Leadership.
“Executives who spent their entire careers
practicing autocratic leadership read Robert Greenleaf’s Servant Leadership and
did a complete turnaround. But they mistake Greenleaf and others like him. They
went too far. The proponents of participative management never meant to
advocate a one-way, bottom-up model…Neither top-down nor bottom-up has worked
very well for us.”
Dr. Romig presents five spheres of influence
in Side by Side Leadership. These five spheres are:
Most of us are strong in one or two of these
spheres, but naturally weaker in other spheres. For instance, you may excel at
personal and knowledge leadership, but be weaker in interpersonal,
organizational, and team leadership. This is an important concept. An
organization needs leadership in all five spheres. It is unlikely that a single
individual will excel in all five spheres of influence.
Dennis Romig identifies seven principles that
are critical in all five spheres of influence. These principles include focused
creativity and structured participation. Each of the five spheres of influence
can be thought of as an assemblage of these seven principles. Finally, the
author shows that it is important for a Side by Side leader to master twenty
critical skills, such as two-way listening and living organizational values.
With five spheres of influence, seven
principles, and twenty skills to master, this leadership model may seem overly
complex. That is just the point. Too many authors have taken a simplistic
approach to leadership. Leadership is
not simple! It is a complex system with many interrelated parts. However, Dr.
Romig has done a superb job of integrating all these elements and relationships
into his book, keeping references to research findings brief and to the point.
He shows that there are many “entry points” into the Side by Side leadership
model, and there are many different ways to be a successful leader. This is not
a “one size fits all” kind of book!
I want to thank Ray Bard at Bard Press for
suggesting I review this book.
I rarely get this excited over a book. Buy it!
Read it. Get excited too!
Review
By Dr. J. Howard Baker
weLEAD rating - highly recommended
Buy
This Book at a Discounted Price Here!
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