Unquestioned Brilliance PDF Download

Author: John Austin
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780996703703
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 222

View

Book Description
All leaders must walk a fine line between creating focus and questioning conventional wisdom, between confidence in their ability and unrealistic overconfidence, and between the demands of fast action and a clear-eyed assessment of the situation. Unquestioned brilliance gets in the way of this balance. It is a fundamental leadership trap. Unquestioned brilliance sounds like a good thing. After all, how can brilliance be bad? In the context of this book, unquestioned brilliance is not a good thing. Unquestioned brilliance is being so confident in your own intelligence and point of view that, you not only fail to question your conclusions, you may not even you see the potential for other points of view or better solutions. Unquestioned brilliance is not just overconfidence or a problem for egotistical megalomaniacs. It is something that every leader struggles with. This does not mean every leader is an egotistical megalomaniac. It means every leader is human. Each of us struggles with balancing ignorance (what we don't know) with overconfidence (what we want to believe we know). The unquestioned brilliance at the center of this book is not simply arrogance. It is far more subtle and pervasive than that. This particular leadership trap limits innovation and critical thinking and contributes to risk aversion within leadership teams. Because this process tends to happen without thought, leaders need to actively counteract this cognitive dysfunction within their teams. The book outlines ten techniques, built from research and validated through application, designed to counter the fundamental leadership trap. The techniques described in this book will not automatically make you a great leader but they will potentially help you navigate your teams on a path away from this dysfunctional cycle. Some common implications of unquestioned brilliance: -We argue that our profession or industry is too complex for outsiders to understand and yet we immediately form strong "common sense" opinions about things outside our area of expertise. -We set our strategy based on today's world and are slow to acknowledge when fundamental changes in the external environment make this plan no longer a good fit for tomorrow's world. -We spend significant amounts of time attempting to keep stakeholders satisfied. Yet we spend very little time trying to understand why people choose not to engage with our organization or questioning our understanding of stakeholder interests. -We carefully design large-scale change initiatives. Yet we do not look for, or even acknowledge, the blind spots in our plans. The techniques outlined in this book can help leaders and their teams begin building their strategic thinking muscles and help them to better navigate around the unquestioned brilliance trap.

Author: John Austin
Publisher: Fisher Baldwin Press
ISBN:
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 220

View

Book Description
It does not matter if you are an experienced leader or are just starting out as a new manager or entrepreneur, the techniques outlined in Unquestioned Brilliance can improve your decision making and critical thinking. The book outlines ten techniques, built from research and validated through application, designed to help leaders and their teams become better strategic thinkers. For less than the price of a single dinner at a restaurant, this book offers the same content found in executive education strategic thinking courses. Unquestioned Brilliance is best viewed as a handbook for the aspiring leader. It provides a variety of tools for leaders of teams at all levels of an organization. Techniques included in this book include: -Uncertainty Vectoring: Sort and manage environmental uncertainties to use them for strategic insight and competitive advantage. -TAP Analysis: Align team expertise and task requirements in a manner that develops teams and improves performance. -Tension Tracking: Understand and manage prevailing interests that create stress and paralyze employees within your organization. -Blind-Spot Centering: Stress test strategic initiatives to identify limiting mindsets and strategic blind-spots. -GSO Decision-Making: Diagnose a decision process with a quick heuristic for finding the missing step. -Stakeholder Mapping: Identify the key individuals and groups early enough in a process to draw on their perspectives and expertise. -HERE Snapshot: Use a quick situational assessment when executing a strategic initiative in a new environment. -Backward-Forward Flip: Learn from past industry mistakes to improve odds of success of new organization innovations. The techniques outlined in this book can help leaders and their teams begin building their strategic thinking muscles and help them to better navigate around the unquestioned brilliance trap.

Author: William Easterly
Publisher: Basic Books
ISBN: 0465080901
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 479

View

Book Description
In this "bracingly iconoclastic” book (New York Times Book Review), a renowned economics scholar breaks down the fight to end global poverty and the rights that poor individuals have had taken away for generations. In The Tyranny of Experts, renowned economist William Easterly examines our failing efforts to fight global poverty, and argues that the "expert approved" top-down approach to development has not only made little lasting progress, but has proven a convenient rationale for decades of human rights violations perpetrated by colonialists, postcolonial dictators, and US and UK foreign policymakers seeking autocratic allies. Demonstrating how our traditional antipoverty tactics have both trampled the freedom of the world's poor and suppressed a vital debate about alternative approaches to solving poverty, Easterly presents a devastating critique of the blighted record of authoritarian development. In this masterful work, Easterly reveals the fundamental errors inherent in our traditional approach and offers new principles for Western agencies and developing countries alike: principles that, because they are predicated on respect for the rights of poor people, have the power to end global poverty once and for all.

Author: Edgar H. Schein
Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
ISBN: 1523095407
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 183

View

Book Description
The more traditional forms of leadership that are based on static hierarchies and professional distance between leaders and followers are growing increasingly outdated and ineffective. As organizations face more complex interdependent tasks, leadership must become more personal in order to insure open trusting communication that will make more collaborative problem solving and innovation possible. Without open and trusting communications throughout organizations, they will continue to face the productivity and quality problems that result from reward systems that emphasize individual competition and “climbing the corporate ladder”. Authors Edgar Schein and Peter Schein recognize this reality and call for a reimagined form of leadership that coincides with emerging trends of relationship building, complex group work, diverse workforces, and cultures in which everyone feels psychologically safe. Humble Leadership calls for “here and now” humility based on a deeper understanding of the constantly evolving complexities of interpersonal, group and intergroup relationships that require shifting our focus towards the process of group dynamics and collaboration. Humble Leadership at all levels and in all working groups will be the key to achieving the creativity, adaptiveness, and agility that organizations will need to survive and grow.

Author: Robert A. Caro
Publisher: Vintage
ISBN: 0307960463
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 785

View

Book Description
WINNER OF THE NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD, THE LOS ANGELES TIMES BOOK PRIZE, THE MARK LYNTON HISTORY PRIZE, THE AMERICAN HISTORY BOOK PRIZE Book Four of Robert A. Caro’s monumental The Years of Lyndon Johnson displays all the narrative energy and illuminating insight that led the Times of London to acclaim it as “one of the truly great political biographies of the modern age. A masterpiece.” The Passage of Power follows Lyndon Johnson through both the most frustrating and the most triumphant periods of his career—1958 to1964. It is a time that would see him trade the extraordinary power he had created for himself as Senate Majority Leader for what became the wretched powerlessness of a Vice President in an administration that disdained and distrusted him. Yet it was, as well, the time in which the presidency, the goal he had always pursued, would be thrust upon him in the moment it took an assassin’s bullet to reach its mark. By 1958, as Johnson began to maneuver for the presidency, he was known as one of the most brilliant politicians of his time, the greatest Senate Leader in our history. But the 1960 nomination would go to the young senator from Massachusetts, John F. Kennedy. Caro gives us an unparalleled account of the machinations behind both the nomination and Kennedy’s decision to offer Johnson the vice presidency, revealing the extent of Robert Kennedy’s efforts to force Johnson off the ticket. With the consummate skill of a master storyteller, he exposes the savage animosity between Johnson and Kennedy’s younger brother, portraying one of America’s great political feuds. Yet Robert Kennedy’s overt contempt for Johnson was only part of the burden of humiliation and isolation he bore as Vice President. With a singular understanding of Johnson’s heart and mind, Caro describes what it was like for this mighty politician to find himself altogether powerless in a world in which power is the crucial commodity. For the first time, in Caro’s breathtakingly vivid narrative, we see the Kennedy assassination through Lyndon Johnson’s eyes. We watch Johnson step into the presidency, inheriting a staff fiercely loyal to his slain predecessor; a Congress determined to retain its power over the executive branch; and a nation in shock and mourning. We see how within weeks—grasping the reins of the presidency with supreme mastery—he propels through Congress essential legislation that at the time of Kennedy’s death seemed hopelessly logjammed and seizes on a dormant Kennedy program to create the revolutionary War on Poverty. Caro makes clear how the political genius with which Johnson had ruled the Senate now enabled him to make the presidency wholly his own. This was without doubt Johnson’s finest hour, before his aspirations and accomplishments were overshadowed and eroded by the trap of Vietnam. In its exploration of this pivotal period in Johnson’s life—and in the life of the nation—The Passage of Power is not only the story of how he surmounted unprecedented obstacles in order to fulfill the highest purpose of the presidency but is, as well, a revelation of both the pragmatic potential in the presidency and what can be accomplished when the chief executive has the vision and determination to move beyond the pragmatic and initiate programs designed to transform a nation. It is an epic story told with a depth of detail possible only through the peerless research that forms the foundation of Robert Caro’s work, confirming Nicholas von Hoffman’s verdict that “Caro has changed the art of political biography.”

Author: Jeff Sharlet
Publisher: Little, Brown
ISBN: 0316179736
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 195

View

Book Description
C Street - where piety, politics, and corruption meet Jeff Sharlet is the only journalist to have reported from inside the C Street House, the Fellowship residence known simply by its Washington, DC address. The house has lately been the scene of notorious political scandal, but more crucially it is home to efforts to transform the very fabric of American democracy. And now, after laying bare its tenants' past in The Family, Sharlet reports from deep within fundamentalism in today's world, revealing that the previous efforts of religious fundamentalists in America pale in comparison with their long-term ambitions. When Barack Obama entered the White House, headlines declared the age of culture wars over. In C Street, Sharlet shows why these conflicts endure and why they matter now - from the sensationalism of Washington sex scandals to fundamentalism's long shadow in Africa, where Ugandan culture warriors determined to eradicate homosexuality have set genocide on simmer. We've reached a point where piety and corruption are not at odds but one and the same. Reporting with exclusive sources and explosive documents from C Street, the war on gays in Uganda, and the battle for the soul of America's armed forces - waged by a 15,000-strong movement of officers intent on "reclaiming territory for Christ in the military" Sharlet reveals not the last gasp of old-time religion but the new front lines of fundamentalism.

Author: Rachel Caine
Publisher: Berkley Books
ISBN: 0451489241
Category : Young Adult Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 370

View

Book Description
With the future of the Great Library in doubt, the unforgettable characters from Ink and Bone must decide if it's worth saving in this thrilling adventure in the New York Times bestselling series. The corrupt leadership of the Great Library has fallen. But with the Archivist plotting his return to power, and the Library under siege from outside empires and kingdoms, its future is uncertain. Jess Brightwell and his friends must come together as never before, to forge a new future for the Great Library...or see everything it stood for crumble.

Author: Jay-Z
Publisher: One World
ISBN: 1588369595
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 337

View

Book Description
Decoded is a book like no other: a collection of lyrics and their meanings that together tell the story of a culture, an art form, a moment in history, and one of the most provocative and successful artists of our time. Praise for Decoded “Compelling . . . provocative, evocative . . . Part autobiography, part lavishly illustrated commentary on the author’s own work, Decoded gives the reader a harrowing portrait of the rough worlds Jay-Z navigated in his youth, while at the same time deconstructing his lyrics.”—Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times “One of a handful of books that just about any hip hop fan should own.”—The New Yorker “Elegantly designed, incisively written . . . an impressive leap by a man who has never been known for small steps.”—Los Angeles Times “A riveting exploration of Jay-Z’s journey . . . So thoroughly engrossing, it reads like a good piece of cultural journalism.”—The Boston Globe “Shawn Carter’s most honest airing of the experiences he drew on to create the mythic figure of Jay-Z . . . The scenes he recounts along the way are fascinating.”—Entertainment Weekly “Hip-hop’s renaissance man drops a classic. . . . Heartfelt, passionate and slick.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Author: Charles Galunic
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3030361713
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 279

View

Book Description
Most of us would recognize a star leader by their charisma, emotional intelligence and public communication prowess. What is truly impressive but often overlooked is the silent work of leadership that garners real results. Exercising influence in a complex and global organization – whilst also shaping and executing strategies across borders in a disruptive age – is the true mark of success as a leader. Backstage Leadership takes a comprehensive look at the background processes that leaders must master in order to shape the culture, direction and capability of a successful company. With an emphasis on strategy, the author provides an integrated toolkit for developing your knowledge and skills as a 'backstage leader.' You will learn how to: Mobilize people towards new strategic directions Scan your business environment for threats and disruptive forces Diagnose and help to shape the culture of your organization Develop talent and capabilities towards a specific goal. Focusing on the key and consistent underlying processes of leadership, this book is essential reading for managers who wish to bring focus and coherence to their leadership role and integrate themselves within the engine of the organization.

Author: Richard Rumelt
Publisher: Currency
ISBN: 0307886239
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 338

View

Book Description
Good Strategy/Bad Strategy clarifies the muddled thinking underlying too many strategies and provides a clear way to create and implement a powerful action-oriented strategy for the real world. Developing and implementing a strategy is the central task of a leader. A good strategy is a specific and coherent response to—and approach for—overcoming the obstacles to progress. A good strategy works by harnessing and applying power where it will have the greatest effect. Yet, Rumelt shows that there has been a growing and unfortunate tendency to equate Mom-and-apple-pie values, fluffy packages of buzzwords, motivational slogans, and financial goals with “strategy.” In Good Strategy/Bad Strategy, he debunks these elements of “bad strategy” and awakens an understanding of the power of a “good strategy.” He introduces nine sources of power—ranging from using leverage to effectively focusing on growth—that are eye-opening yet pragmatic tools that can easily be put to work on Monday morning, and uses fascinating examples from business, nonprofit, and military affairs to bring its original and pragmatic ideas to life. The detailed examples range from Apple to General Motors, from the two Iraq wars to Afghanistan, from a small local market to Wal-Mart, from Nvidia to Silicon Graphics, from the Getty Trust to the Los Angeles Unified School District, from Cisco Systems to Paccar, and from Global Crossing to the 2007–08 financial crisis. Reflecting an astonishing grasp and integration of economics, finance, technology, history, and the brilliance and foibles of the human character, Good Strategy/Bad Strategy stems from Rumelt’s decades of digging beyond the superficial to address hard questions with honesty and integrity.