Recommended book: Jennifer Sertl’s Strategy Leadership and the Soul (book review)

Construct

Strategy, Leadership and the Soul presents a new paradigm for organizations.

In building their case, the authors present a unique analysis of the dynamics of organizational evolution since 1850 to the present day, reflecting on how the context of the changing nature of society over time has informed the necessary adjustments in structure and leadership, and in what way these have been vital to the sustainability of those organizations.

The current quixotic context for both small and large organizations – the rapidly changing business landscapes, global interconnectedness, technological innovation and the diversity of the needs of customers and employees alike – requires organizations to ‘be in a state of permanent transformation if they are to survive’, to become transorganizations.

And in order for these transorganizations to survive, a new style of leader is required – a transleader.

From their experience as consultants, the authors conclude thattransleaders must transform themselves first rather than look to the outside for a solution.

The qualities needed for this leadership style are:-

• the ability to communicate with passion and clarity
• to develop a shared language that can transform the thinking of everyone working in or with the organization
• to inspire self-confidence and knowledge to strengthen teams
• to share power, and give greater control to the workforce to behave like mentors rather than bosses
• to welcome diversity
• to have an exceptional level of self-awareness
• to be able to transcend culture, age, and title as a means to arrive at what is relevant

Context

A lot of my posts deal with the changing contexts of organizations, professionals or persons.

One of the most relevant posts in the organization context  I recently referred is The Big Shift, being  the results of a major research project conducted at Deloitte’s Center for the Edge.

The Big Shift, as was called the project, refers to the long-term transformations in the global business environment over the past several decades that have been primarily, but not exclusively, caused by the remarkable advances in digital technologies over that period. The results are of the study are paradoxical.  A progressively falling return on assets and a steadily growth in labor productivity.

One of the recurring themes on my blog deals also about the motivation of persons and professionals. Daniel’s Pink Drive describes insights about what really drives people in the second decade of this millennium.

Connect

Jennifer Sertl and Koby Huberman enables us to make a next, big step. Their book enables our interest, our desire, our attention to migrate from analysis – and may be paralysis – to prescription.

What should we be doing to cope with the growing changes, being experienced by us as  individuals and as professionals and even institutions?

To get possible answers one should read this book (and i strongly recommend as a successor  The Power of Pull: how small moves, smartly made, can set big things in motion, which was published april 2010).

For me as a professional and person, this book is important.

Because it is full of insights into our most perplexing contemporary dilemmas.

And still for me it also proved to be intellectual entertainment of the highest order.

It is about us – modern souls –  and the quest of man and manhood in search of themselves.

Being a biker – and one of the authors is a biker too – I know how hard working biking can be.  This also applies to this book. It offers u ultimately a large challenge but – in the end of the day – an equal reward.

The book enables us to think about what we are, what we care for and what is the quality of our lives. It might be considered as a journey toward awareness and appreciation of our  modern world. It offers us glimpses of what working and living really means in the forthcoming decade(s).

And for me, it created sense and sensibility of one’s special place in the modern world.

Great read to connect and act to.

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