Authors: Larry Cole, PhD and Michael Cole, PhD

Publisher: Oakhill Press

Hardcover, 198 pages

ISBN 1-86939-61-6

The following review was contributed by:  Roger E. Herman & click to view Roger E. Herman's Reviews 

Emphasis on the Value of People

Here’s another book written by consultants to articulate their perspectives on the work that leaders must do to guide their organizations to success. Describing a systems orientation to leadership of people, the authors encourage the use of data, assessments,

team work value statements, and their software.

Recognizing that many executives concentrate on the technical aspect of management, using metrics that enable them to measure their performance, the authors focus on “making abstract social skills more empirical.” I found the text to be similar to other leadership books, but not delivering new knowledge or breakthrough thinking. Chapter 10 (Blueprint for Change) includes an interesting presentation of the process of overcoming resistance and the impact of persistence on achieving change. There were a few other parts of the book that organized thinking in a helpful format, though the authors used a lot of the reader’s time quoting other writers in the leadership field. I was hoping for more original work.

Parts of the book seemed repetitive and, while the authors’ software may be helpful, it was mentioned enough that I felt like I was being pitched. Interesting, there was no appendix explaining the software and its applicability. There is an index, but not a bibliography of all the books cited in the text.