The 52nd Floor: Thinking Deeply About Leadership

by David A. Levy, James E. Parco, Fred R. Blass

Anyone who has worked for a large organization understands that all bureaucracies demand to be fed. Some of these bureaucracies can develop insatiable appetites, and when they do, the defining aspect between success and failure is often good leadership. But what is good leadership? Leaders are responsible for making sense of the ambiguity that emerges from the complex relationships that define organizations. They provide the frames to help us understand what we see. But when meaning and purpose begin to fade from the day-to-day taskers, special projects and reports, we are left to wonder whether we are observing mere nonsense or something else we just don t understand. How can we know? We must ask questions -- good questions. Any meaningful attempt to understand the complexities of organizational life requires considerable reflection upon one's own thinking. Through a collection of stories, The 52nd Floor: Thinking Deeply About Leadership takes readers on a reflective journey where they can discover for themselves the right questions to ask to create a path to become a better leader. Welcome to the 52nd Floor.

Genres: Leadership

230 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Jeremy]

Great book on thinking about leadership. You can read and ponder for 10 minutes or 2 hours and come away having supped well at a finely appointed feast.

[Jake]

This book was a little too progressive/PC for my liking.