Leadership for the Twenty-First Century

Rating:
Summary: Leadership scholars & practitioners must read!
Review: As a scholar and practitioner of leadership, I was a student of Joe Rost for several years at the University of San Diego. I had the luxury of being in the author's class on leadership -- and was guided, painfully at times, down the path of knowledge, toward the light of understanding. We were required to read several other "leadership" books, many of which have received high marks from outside readers on their "readability" -- and, inversely, low marks from those of us in Rost's class that understood their purposful seduction away from scholarly understanding toward a "feel good" or "cook book" approach so many other authors have used (quite successfully though) do no justice to our desire for understanding.

What's the point? Read this book if you dare to try and understand the depth and complexity of leadership studies. It is a ride that requires one to put away ALL preconceptions of what one may believe leadership is... as Einstein is often quoted as saying, "... one may not solve a problem from the same consciousness that created it."

Open your mind... open this book -- READ. It is a true seminal work on leadership, one to place along side of MacGregor Burns' "Leadership".

Rating:
Summary: Leadership scholars & practitioners must read!
Review: As a scholar and practitioner of leadership, I was a student of Joe Rost for several years at the University of San Diego. I had the luxury of being in the author's class on leadership -- and was guided, painfully at times, down the path of knowledge, toward the light of understanding. We were required to read several other "leadership" books, many of which have received high marks from outside readers on their "readability" -- and, inversely, low marks from those of us in Rost's class that understood their purposful seduction away from scholarly understanding toward a "feel good" or "cook book" approach so many other authors have used (quite successfully though) do no justice to our desire for understanding.

What's the point? Read this book if you dare to try and understand the depth and complexity of leadership studies. It is a ride that requires one to put away ALL preconceptions of what one may believe leadership is... as Einstein is often quoted as saying, "... one may not solve a problem from the same consciousness that created it."

Open your mind... open this book -- READ. It is a true seminal work on leadership, one to place along side of MacGregor Burns' "Leadership".

Rating:
Summary: A Must Read For Any Student of Leadership
Review: Rost no doubt did a great deal of research before writing this book. He shares his thoughts on his own concept of what leadership is, as well as shooting holes in the concept of past authors. I found a great deal of his theories enlightening; however, I disagree with his primary concept of leadership. Rost preaches the collaborative concept of leadership. Implying that anyone in the group could take over the leadership role at any time, depending on their amount of influence on the rest of the group(rank, position, and authority goes right out the window). I felt he is threatend by any type of authority and detests the military or the "Great Man" style of leadership.

Not wanting to be totally critical, because I believe he is right on the mark when he talks about influence, coercion, and shifting paradigms. He has some great ideas, just a little too liberal for my idea on leadership.

Having said that, I still recommend reading this book. I couldn't help but picture Rost's knowledge in leadership as having been aquired by purely academic means and very little life experience, such as through military, government work, or business. However, I did learn a lot. And, it is always good to study the other camps way of thinking. Again, I do recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: A Must Read For Any Student of Leadership
Review: Rost no doubt did a great deal of research before writing this book. He shares his thoughts on his own concept of what leadership is, as well as shooting holes in the concept of past authors. I found a great deal of his theories enlightening; however, I disagree with his primary concept of leadership. Rost preaches the collaborative concept of leadership. Implying that anyone in the group could take over the leadership role at any time, depending on their amount of influence on the rest of the group(rank, position, and authority goes right out the window). I felt he is threatend by any type of authority and detests the military or the "Great Man" style of leadership.

Not wanting to be totally critical, because I believe he is right on the mark when he talks about influence, coercion, and shifting paradigms. He has some great ideas, just a little too liberal for my idea on leadership.

Having said that, I still recommend reading this book. I couldn't help but picture Rost's knowledge in leadership as having been aquired by purely academic means and very little life experience, such as through military, government work, or business. However, I did learn a lot. And, it is always good to study the other camps way of thinking. Again, I do recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: Redundancy is boring
Review: Rost offers a good and adequate account regarding the definition of leadership and its prevalent confusion with management. Unfortunately, this is more or less the only point made by the author. the book is greatly redundant and points made earlier are reiterated throughout several chapters. the only thing I took away from this book was Rost's definition of leadership.