Lessons of Experience : How Successful Executives Develop on the Job

by Morgan W. McCall Jr., Ann M. Morrison, Michael M. Lombardo

A path-breaking report on how managers really learn to become leaders. It stands out as one of the most insightful books of the decade.

Genres: Leadership, Business, Nonfiction

210 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 1988

Reviews

[Anthony Korolev · Rating 5 out of 5]

On of the first books which focused on the practical experiences which create future executives. Nice in-depth review with valuable insights! Relevant for people with professional interest in learning from experience factor for managerial careers.

[JoAnn · Rating 3 out of 5]

These are tried-and-true examples of how experience shapes us in the workplace. If one can overlook the sometimes heavy-handed hierarchical world view, there are many gems in here regarding how people best develop managerial and leadership competence.

Examples include managing turn-around situations, working on a cross-functional task force, expanding one’s scope in a job (moving from managing a 10-person team to a group of 50 people), expanding one’s scale (moving from managing purchasing to managing an entire financial operation) and even working for a terrible boss. The authors write from a traditional, command-and-control perspective.

[Nigel Street]

A decent summary of the what and how that is needed to develop talent. As with many of these types of books they quickly show their age. However, lays out the basics well and many companies would do well to head the advice particularly n the printing industry where scant regard is paid to the future development of people and with an industry facing the change it is that´s a great shame. 2.5 out of 5 for effort and reasonable brevity.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

A thoroughly-researched and well-cited primer for the importance of on-the-job experiences to developing successful leaders/managers. The book was short because it only touched on the main issues at a high level. A good first read for an introductory or first leadership program.