Every Christian Should Read
From Amazon
This is a must for people working in Christian organizations and for laypeople in churches. There is bad leadership in the church and it often looks a lot like good leadership. Kellerman writes about the "recent revelations of wrongdoing by leaders of the Roman Catholic Church . . . that was so abhorrent it makes us all ill." She continues: "the idea that some leaders and some followers are bad, and that they might have something in common with good leaders and followers, has not fully penetrated the conversation or the curriculum" [of leadership training]. Her book is aptly titled for my situation ("My Calvin Seminary Story") where poor leadership derailed my career.
Brilliant, Bold and [Mostly] Useful
From Amazon
Harvard University's Kellerman presents an amazing, research-focused vivisection of the many faces and roles of bad leadership, offers reasons for their occurrence, and exerts a clarion call for identification and eradication of same.
Kellerman identifies seven specific types of poor leading:
1) Incompetent: lacks the will or skill (or both) to sustain effective action with regard to at least one important leadership challenge
2) Rigid: stiff and unyielding; unable or unwilling to adapt to new ideas, new information, or a changing of the landscape
3) Intemperate: lacks self-control
4) Callous: uncaring or unkind; ignores or disregards the needs, wants, and wishes of others, especially subordinates
5) Corrupt: lies, cheats, or steals; puts self above any other interest
6) Insular: minimizes or disregards the health and welfare of anyone outside the group or organization for which they are directly responsible
7) Evil: outright disregard for even the human worth of others; egregious inhumanity.
As is common with Harvard B-School releases, the book is brilliant, innovative and analysis heavy. Prescriptions for change are succinct-- if you find this, kill it off-- yet limited in use: once found and destroyed, what do I do next?
Innovative and unflinching, it will be nevertheless most accessible to scholars and the scholarly among business leaders: a more populist rendering of the same discoveries, and prescriptions for improvement, would lift it far above the norm.
Coke Newell, MSPR, consultant and author, "Journey to Edaphica"
The Dark Side
From Amazon
The book stands out because it forces you to take a look at the dark side of leadership. It is about leadership in and of itself. The book has an entirely unique perspective on leadership. She looks at all leaders and how they measure up as leaders. Even if society views them as a bad leader she takes that and builds on some of their strengths as a leader, their weaknesses and not necessarily their intent. The actual process of leading is the focus. She also looks at the followers and their role in leadership. This I think is also unique to leadership. It is important to analyze the followers and how they can affect the leader. In looking at the dark side of leadership we are able to become better leaders and/or followers.
Excellent alternative perspective
From Amazon
This was very interesting and a fairly easy read. Looks at leadership away from the stereotypical definition of good. Adds to a big picture I had not seen anywhere before. Should be required reading for all management to help them see the bad guys they often miss or intentionally overlook in their organizations.
Concise would be nice
From Amazon
The "Bad Leadership" concept pulled me in. PR summaries on this book were better written than what I have muddled through so far. This book is word heavy. Barbara could use a little help from Suzy Welch, who I suspect helped Jack Welch with "Winning" an improvement in writing style of "From the Gut". Enjoying both Welch's books the improved difference is concise focus in Winning. The first half of Bad Leadership has been labor intense, with a modest return for my reading time investment. Reading for information readily consumable, this book has good intentions but modestly delivers . I have not committed to finishing, as there are better reads that easily pulled me away.