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Gary Yukl and Richard Lepsinger. Flexible Leadership: Creating Value by Balancing Multiple Challenges and Choices. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2004, 270 pages, $44.00 hardcover.
Another leadership book-do we need another one? What, if anything, can this book add to our current thinking or practice? These may be some of the questions going through your mind as you see the title of this book. Well, the authors are prepared for your question on the value-added benefit of "another book on leadership." In fact, they quickly and effectively address this issue in the preface to their book. After describing the problems with previous leadership books, they explain how their book is different and why it is needed. And they are right!
First, they argue that their book provides a more comprehensive model that incorporates what has been learned about effective leadership in the past half-century. This may be a little overstated, but I would agree that they successfully build from previous work without simply listing all the leadership theories. In addition, they include insights from practitioner books and famous leaders, and these are discussed within a theoretical framework. Their goal is to explain what it means to be a flexible leader and to describe what leadership behaviors are necessary to enhance individual and organizational performance. They have effectively done this.
According to the authors, the book is relevant for people at all levels (from the CEO to a team leader). Although I agree with this assertion, I think the book will be particularly valuable for more experienced managers and those enrolled in executive education programs (i.e., interested in learning more about theory and practice). The reader should have an appreciation for the common issues and challenges facing managers and should be willing to take the time to think about these issues and the authors' ideas. This book is definitely not a quick and easy read.
They also state that the book is particularly relevant for human resource professionals and consultants who are responsible for the training and development of effective leaders in their organizations. I would agree. It is a well-written book, with plenty of organizational and leadership examples. This should make the book appealing both to academics and to practitioners. Given the strong theoretical emphasis, I think...