Throughout history, many leaders have approached their task with the desire to hold power over others. Ancient roman rulers epitomized this approach, and literature indicates that other great empires shared this mindset. However, history’s nuances also contain a subtler narrative of empowering others to fulfill their individual aspirations. Aristotle’s phrase of “human flourishing” comes to mind. This book’s authors harken to this humanistic tradition to describe their empowering view on leadership: “Leading through.” Leading through others contrasts with the classic approach of “power over” others. Leading through is not based in altruism but unlocks unique skills and talents in a diverse organization.
As this book’s subtitle suggests, “leading through” appeals holistically to the entire human person – soul, heart, and mind. In contrast to business strategies focused solely on material gain, the authors seek combine material prosperity with self-realization. The authors’ message resembles what might be heard in spiritual circles that dwell in the periphery of the commercial world. Lest someone think that these three don’t know how hard business works, they are all acclaimed business leaders, educators, and consultants.
As a scientist that respects spirituality, I found this book had two main shortcomings. First, the authors at time became entrapped within pretty words to describe idealistic concepts, but they didn’t always flesh out those concepts with concrete examples. This pattern did not show up everywhere in the book, but some sections did fall into this quagmire. I found that my eyes glazed over a bit because of the lack of specifics. Second, I wish the authors would have grounded their message in a bit of rigorous economic analysis. If a holistic approach to business is better, shouldn’t we be able to see it in the numbers? Instead, the authors just described an ideal without any critical appeal to hard data.
I certainly appreciate the authors’ central message in this book. In a prosperous country and world, personal satisfaction – a spiritual value – plays the dominant role for most workers over just maximizing economic gain. That’s Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, no? The benefits of unlocking others’ personal potential are vast, and this book points a way to mentor others while achieving ambitious business goals. Too many become trapped in a paradigm of “power over” which quenches the embers of human creativity instead of stoking them. For those looking for a way out of contagious burnout and unsatisfying power, this book offers a path towards renewal through developing others’ innate leadership talents.
Leading Through: Activating the Soul, Heart, and Mind of Leadership
By Kim B. Clark, Jonathan R. Clark & Erin E. Clark
Copyright (c) 2024
Harvard Business Review Press
ISBN13 9781647827618
Page Count: 255
Genre: Leadership, Management
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