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Leading Quietly by Joseph L. Badaracco Jr.
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Leading Quietly (edition 2002)

by Joseph L. Badaracco Jr.

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2182123,045 (3.23)None
"Most of us think of leaders as courageous risk takers, orchestrators of major events - in a word, heroes. Yet while such figures are inspiring and admirable, Harvard Business School Professor Joseph Badaracco argues that their larger-than-life accomplishments are simply not what makes the world work. What does, he says, is the sum of millions of small yet consequential decisions that men and women working far from the limelight make every day: how a line worker for a pharmaceutical company responds when he discovers a defect in a product's safety seal; how a manager deals with a valued employee suspected of stealing; how a trader handles a transaction error that will cost a client money." "Badaracco calls them "quiet leaders" - people who choose responsible, behind-the-scenes action over public heroism to resolve tough leadership challenges. These indidviduals don't fit the stereotype of the bold and gutsy leader, and they don't want to. What they want is to do the "right thing" for their organizations, their coworkers, and themselves - but inconspicuously and without casualties. They do so by being baldly realistic about the complexities of their own motives and those of the dilemmas they face. In today's fast and fluid business world, nothing is as it seems. And they know it." "Drawing from a four-year study of quiet leadership, Badaracco presents eight practical and counterintuitive guidelines for confronting situations in which right and wrong seem like moving targets. Grounding each strategy in an engaging story, he shows how these "non-heroes" succeed by managing their political capital, buying themselves time, bending the rules, and more."--BOOK JACKET.… (more)
Member:lindapanzo
Title:Leading Quietly
Authors:Joseph L. Badaracco Jr.
Info:Harvard Business School Press (2002), Edition: 1, Hardcover, 224 pages
Collections:Your library
Rating:
Tags:read in 2002

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Leading Quietly by Joseph L. Badaracco Jr.

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G63, business, leadership
  drdubo | Aug 29, 2015 |
The best thing about this book is that it is anecdotal which means that it is an easy read. The author tells the stories well. I found it hard to put down which is a striking achievement for a book on business ethics

The worst thing about this book is that it is anecdotal: you can draw any conclusions you like from anecdotes. The book is one man's opinion and no doubt the stories are chosen and interpreted to reflect that opinion. At the end of the book, he describes his "methodology" which draws heavily on second hand evidence (ie stories that have already been filtered through someone else's perceptions) and also includes drawing on fiction.

This book is also not really about leadership. The anecdotes generally describe situations from the viewpoint of a single protagonist, and we get little insight into the impact of their actions on the thinking of others. I came to this book hoping for insights into the success of leaders like Stephen Green (group chairman of HSBC, described by the Guardian as "An ordained Anglican priest...tall, bookish and self effacing") but I was disappointed.

Lastly the book for me sometimes flirted with the sleazy, with it's talk of political capital, rule bending and playing for time. The author does attempt to draw lines in the sand on all these issues, which I applaud; but I was hoping for guidance on transforming an organisation where these games are needed into one where they are not. I didn't get any.
  John_Hardy | Oct 27, 2011 |
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"Most of us think of leaders as courageous risk takers, orchestrators of major events - in a word, heroes. Yet while such figures are inspiring and admirable, Harvard Business School Professor Joseph Badaracco argues that their larger-than-life accomplishments are simply not what makes the world work. What does, he says, is the sum of millions of small yet consequential decisions that men and women working far from the limelight make every day: how a line worker for a pharmaceutical company responds when he discovers a defect in a product's safety seal; how a manager deals with a valued employee suspected of stealing; how a trader handles a transaction error that will cost a client money." "Badaracco calls them "quiet leaders" - people who choose responsible, behind-the-scenes action over public heroism to resolve tough leadership challenges. These indidviduals don't fit the stereotype of the bold and gutsy leader, and they don't want to. What they want is to do the "right thing" for their organizations, their coworkers, and themselves - but inconspicuously and without casualties. They do so by being baldly realistic about the complexities of their own motives and those of the dilemmas they face. In today's fast and fluid business world, nothing is as it seems. And they know it." "Drawing from a four-year study of quiet leadership, Badaracco presents eight practical and counterintuitive guidelines for confronting situations in which right and wrong seem like moving targets. Grounding each strategy in an engaging story, he shows how these "non-heroes" succeed by managing their political capital, buying themselves time, bending the rules, and more."--BOOK JACKET.

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