GRACE UNDER PRESSURE
Leading Through Change and Crisis
by John Baldoni
An executive coach and leadership educator highlights “how to achieve leadership through both change and crisis, and how to do it well.”
Baldoni, the author of numerous books on leadership, divides his latest into four tightly constructed parts. Part 1, which looks at how to care for an organization’s people during difficult times, concerns topics that include a definition of important values, such as moral integrity and humility; fostering resilience; “how leaders inspire during a crisis”; and leading with empathy. Readers familiar with the leadership book genre will undoubtedly recognize much of this material, but Baldoni ably packages these and other concepts together in succinct chapters that effectively emphasize key phrases, such as “Resilient leaders manage with redundancy in mind,” and “laughter becomes more than a palliative; it becomes a unifier.” In Part 2, Baldoni offers counsel on leading others during a crisis that’s pragmatic and cleareyed; for example, he advises one to pay attention to probabilities when making decisions and to “Look for solutions that benefit others more than yourself.” A particularly insightful chapter in this part provides an overview of how bias and discrimination, even when unconscious, can have detrimental effects on both leaders and their subordinates. In Part 3, Baldoni makes a solid case for building a strong sense of community in a workplace by, for instance, listening carefully to others before making decisions. Part 4 reprises previous chapters, expanding the content with relevant references to other works as well as several illustrative stories; for instance, Baldoni discusses John F. Kennedy’s book Profiles in Courageand then talks about Kennedy’s own courage. He also shares insights gleaned about resilience from interviews he conducted with 100 people. The book closes with a helpful summary (or “Handbook,” as Baldoni calls it) as well as an actionable self-assessment for “Grace Under Pressure.”
Authoritative leadership lessons in a compact format.