Reviews

An inspirational and practical handbook, this expanded revision of a bestselling manual originally published in 1987 offers sound advice to corporate leaders and entrepreneurs, to managers and employees and to aspiring leaders in retail, manufacturing, government, community, church and school settings. Drawing on interviews and a questionnaire survey of more than 3000 leaders, the authors identify five fundamental practices of exemplary leadership: challenge the status quo; inspire a shared vision; enable others to act; model the way forward by setting an example; tap individuals' inner drives by linking rewards and performance. Kouzes, chairman and CEO of TPG/Learning Systems, and Posner, managing partner of Santa Clara University's Executive Development Center in California, write insightful, down-to-earth, jargon-free prose. This new edition has been substantially updated to reflect the challenges of shrinking work forces, rising cynicism and expanded telecommunications. An appendix includes the author's Leadership Practices Inventory, a tool for assessing leadership behavior. 75,000 first printing; Executive Program Book Club main selection; author tour. (Sept.)

Kouzes gives workshops in executive development and managing growth companies; Posner conducts seminars in communication, group dynamics, etc. Their excellent book on leadership for business executives covers identifying and developing leadership qualities, building commitment into action, and other important topics. In addition to discussing the theoretical foundations of leadership, the authors use many examples from work situations to demonstrate application. In a field in which many books are available, this one is readable, interesting, and up-to-date. Highly recommended for collections serving business executives and students. Grace Klinefelter, Ft. Lauderdale Coll. Lib., Fla.