Here they are......
SHU--A#4--TC
Introduction:
The purpose of this executive summary is to condense the major themes of Ronald A. Heifetz's book: Leadership Without Easy Answers. Once the primary aspects of this discourse have been addressed, we will analyze the presented information, which will increase understanding of the aforementioned material. Finally, a brief summary will tie together all aspects of this summary. Such a book is a necessity if one desires to understand leadership concepts, and apply them to actual transpiring events.
Facts:
Basically, throughout the first section of the book (Chapters 1-3), Heifetz took an informative approach to portray important facts. Upon completion of this section, the reader was able to understand many important aspects of leadership that allowed for the reader to grasp real-life situations, which were presented in succeeding chapters. Heifetz made it clear that leadership can be obtained by the few, through gaining respect by the many, regardless of possession of a formal social title. Such leadership is in a response to a social change, where a new leader is needed to bring society back onto the desired equilibrium. This relationship between the leader and the society is best described as a social contract: of the leader does not follow the interests of society at large, inevitably, he/she will be removed from power. During the next portion, Heifetz begins to build upon previous information, by addressing major issues facing leaders. For a leader to ultimately achieve success, numerous factors play a pivotal role, such as the time, leadership types, and choice. If the type of leadership and choices made do not correlate with the attitudes of the time, that leader will be lame. Examples were Tacoma's Dilemma, The World Oil Crisis, FDR's New Deal, and the Selma Incident. Essentially, leaders were successful in addressing all these issues, because they understood the time, and adapted their leadership style and choices to correlate attitudes of the time. In later chapters, the issue of connecting leadership with social attitudes and time is addressed. Through the inclusion of examples of LBJ, Nixon, and Carter's foreign policies, Ghandi, Margaret Sanger, and Martin Luther King, it was shown that any leader, regardless of title can solve a problem through adopting policies acceptable to the society at large. Last, Heifetz addressed how to ensure a leader remains in power, when he suggested that a leader must be brave, since it is impossible to please everyone. However, in an effort to please the majority, he suggested that the leader should stand on the balcony, or stand back from the problem, separating yourself from the issue, listening to your followers.
Analysis:
Throughout the duration of this book, Heifetz kept the reader informed and interested. The way in which the information was presented was extremely beneficial in achieving the aforementioned aspects about this book. Initially, simple facts and aspects dealing with leadership concepts were presented. Then, Heifetz built upon those facts by detailing actual historical events, showing the role that the leader played in each example. Such a logical construction enabled the reader to understand basic concepts, then apply those principles practically through a comprehensive understanding of real-life scenarios. The facts that were presented basically covered numerous aspects of successful leadership practice, giving the reader a broad understanding of successful leadership practice. Furthermore, Heifetz did not simply give the facts on paper. Rather, he presented them in simple context, and then re-applied those facts in scenarios that allowed the reader to form both an opinion and a general understanding of important facts pertinent to studies in leadership.
Conclusion:
Finally, this book was worth both the time, and the money spent for the purchase of this book. Without reading this book, one will not understand the correct way to make a decision, utilizing all available power to satisfy your followers, ultimately allowing oneself to retain their leadership position. Leadership Without Easy Answers is a book strongly recommended for anyone interested in leadership concepts.
