Intriguing stories for business executives looking to deepen their leadership skills.
Good business leadership skills have something in common with forest fires, Christopher Columbus and symphony conductors, according to Stewart (52 Leadership Gems, 2012, etc.).
Fires are beneficial when they clear debris from forests and keep them uncluttered and fresh; Columbus proved the value of not being restricted by old ways of thinking; and a strong symphony conductor brings diverse elements into harmony. These are just a few of the 52 lessons that can be applied to business leadership, as laid out by Stewart, an internationally recognized leadership coach, teacher and lecturer. The stories follow his Lead Now! model, which contains 21 leadership “dimensions.” Each story lists the dimensions to which it relates and summarizes the lesson provided. Each summary is followed by several questions that readers may use to connect the story to their own situations. As with other volumes in Stewart’s Leadership Series, this book is short and its chapters brief, so busy executives don’t have to absorb huge chunks of text in a single sitting. Like parables and fables, the stories all contain deeper meanings, and while some of the tales seem to be right on point, others are a bit of a stretch. A story comparing drug-sniffing dogs to the training of employees may require a few readings to become clear, even with the hints provided, and a story that links a sloth’s behavior to the idea of finding something memorable may cause some readers to scratch their heads. Still, there are far more hits than misses here, and at best, the stories are both interesting and instructive; one story tells of how Kleenex tissue went from being used to treat wounded soldiers in World War I to being a product now used the world over. Such information, like this volume as a whole, is nothing to be sneezed at.
Intriguing stories for business executives looking to deepen their leadership skills.Pub Date: Aug. 17, 2012
ISBN: 978-1930771390
Page Count: 228
Publisher: Leadership Excellence
Review Posted Online: July 3, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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