Accessibility Leadership: A Value-Oriented New Renaissance Perspective

Author: (English) Moore
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-07-01
Features: "The progress of 3M over the past century can be attributed to many factors, but its primary success lies in its people. All of our businesses worldwide have benefited from imaginative and diligent employees across generations. Encouraging experimentation and invention, this unwavering belief has nurtured innovative products and technologies that have made 3M famous. We also take customer feedback seriously—both from business partners and customers—and then strive to develop products that meet their needs. Helping customers find solutions is a vital part of our corporate culture. In Accessible Leadership, Jacqueline Moore and Steven Santino explore the spirit of innovation, clarifying innovative leadership methods, all presented in a straightforward manner. They possess extensive knowledge of communication methods, enabling effective communication between individuals at all levels and between organizations. Through this deep understanding, they analyze and define communication methods, benefiting senior executives worldwide. We particularly encourage our colleagues in the world's most complex industries to read this book, try out the suggestions, and embrace new ideas. Imagination knows no bounds, and collaboration knows no limits. These are precisely what leaders care about." Kay Grenz, Vice President of Human Resources at 3M "If leadership is treated like controlling sound effects, then it is only when Accessible Leadership demonstrates the role of amplifiers, one-way walls, information displays, and special effects that we truly grasp the essence of leadership. It challenges your belief in strong leadership, as it presents compelling evidence that leadership is about defining value, meaning, and direction through conversation. Communication skills, whether listening or using assertive language, are often undervalued in most explanations of leadership. Moore and Santino blend practice, academic research, and case studies to demonstrate how leaders effectively use debate and discussion to drive organizational change." Thomas A. Pugel, New York University "Moore and Santino argue in this book that leadership is like theater, and effective leaders are playwrights, editors, actors, stage managers, and directors, who shape and design the conversations they want, repeating and realizing others' daily actions. From the perspective of a value-driven cultural renaissance, we can experience the ethics of leadership through their performance theater. This is the shift from monologue to dialogue that Moore and Santino emphasize as the importance of passionately and attentively listening." David M. Bohge, Professor of Management at the University of New Mexico In this in-depth yet practical study, the authors explore the art and science of critical conversations in more than ten global companies. In Accessible Leadership, the authors have been dedicated to examining how and why conversation has become the foundation of great leaders. They focus on how leaders communicate through two-way dialogue and the direct impact these conversations have on organizational strategy. They emphasize the importance of uncomfortable conversations and provide readers with a thoughtful framework to connect debate, discussion, and dialogue, helping managers understand the full cycle of leadership communication. One of the most important aspects of this book is its emphasis on values. In the post-Enron and post-McKinney era, Accessible Leadership brings us back to the critical importance of leaders who are grounded in values. Jacqueline and Steven remind us that, as leaders, reliability is the foundation of their credibility. The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle said that a person who persuades others possesses three qualities: reason, empathy, and character. Reason is a set of compelling and logical arguments, which most managers today are familiar with. Empathy involves emotions, and as our interest in emotional intelligence and its relationship with leadership deepens, we begin to understand Aristotle's second element of persuasion—empathy's importance in leading others. Character, as Aristotle saw it, is the most fundamental element of persuasion, giving speakers the strongest support to influence others. In terms of communication, managers must continuously enhance their character. In other words, a manager's ethical attitude is extremely important in their leadership impact.