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The Leadership Engine: How Winning Companies Build Leaders at Every Level
An expert on organizational change shows executives and managers how to cultivate leadership qualities at every level of their businesses by fostering an atmosphere that nurtures initiative and by developing a communicable corporate vision. 150,000 first printing. $60,000 ad/promo.
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1997
About the author
Noel M. Tichy
34 books10 followersNoel M. Tichy is an American management consultant, author and educator. He has co-authored, edited or contributed to over 30 books.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
September 19, 2011
The Leadership Engine, by Noel Tichy, is devoted to describing how great leaders push and lead their corporations toward success. Using case studies and research, this book shows that leader driven organizations are more successful, rather than mere manager led. In so doing, the author shows how leader led organizations have traits that lead them towards achievement of their goals.
Leaders are so intertwined with the concept of reproducing themselves that they become known for their teaching skills as much as anything else. The author points out that former General Electric CEO, Jack Welch, would spend several days a month teaching managers. While rarely showing up on the bottom line of organizations, the development of fresh leadership and the growing ability for junior leaders to make decisions on their own without direct supervision are constantly cited as reasons for success in organizations.
Over the past generation the occupation of consultant has arisen in virtually every field. From businesses, to churches, to university athletic departments, consultants work where there were previously only outside blue or white collar outside contractors. This book makes the case that consultants exist today because people simply do not want to lead. They have chosen to make their work much more complicated that it had to be by refusing to be teachers of those underneath them. And as a result, leaders have no time to research developing trends or to look long term for their organization.
Tichy emphasises that a great leader will teach others to be great leaders, not great followers. It is much easier to gather followers around an organization; people who have a passion to just follow one person's vision for the organization. This is the recipe for failure. The right people are the center of any organization, so therefore goals must be accomplished through taught people who are willing to take smart aggressive risks within the scope of an organizations mission with a constant eye towards integrity and the leading of the hand of Providence.
Leaders are so intertwined with the concept of reproducing themselves that they become known for their teaching skills as much as anything else. The author points out that former General Electric CEO, Jack Welch, would spend several days a month teaching managers. While rarely showing up on the bottom line of organizations, the development of fresh leadership and the growing ability for junior leaders to make decisions on their own without direct supervision are constantly cited as reasons for success in organizations.
Over the past generation the occupation of consultant has arisen in virtually every field. From businesses, to churches, to university athletic departments, consultants work where there were previously only outside blue or white collar outside contractors. This book makes the case that consultants exist today because people simply do not want to lead. They have chosen to make their work much more complicated that it had to be by refusing to be teachers of those underneath them. And as a result, leaders have no time to research developing trends or to look long term for their organization.
Tichy emphasises that a great leader will teach others to be great leaders, not great followers. It is much easier to gather followers around an organization; people who have a passion to just follow one person's vision for the organization. This is the recipe for failure. The right people are the center of any organization, so therefore goals must be accomplished through taught people who are willing to take smart aggressive risks within the scope of an organizations mission with a constant eye towards integrity and the leading of the hand of Providence.
June 4, 2012
awesome and comprehensive about leadership and change and emphasizes: supporting reasons (the business case), description of TO-BE destination, and how to do this. This book has many times help galvanize my thinking. I re-read it periodically and this time as always I am glad I did.
March 15, 2021
Đây không phải là một quyển sách dành cho số đông người đọc.
Rất hiếm người review về quyển sách hay này.
Thích nhất trước mỗi chương đều có phần tóm tắt. Rất hữu dụng.
HN, 15/3/2021
Rất hiếm người review về quyển sách hay này.
Thích nhất trước mỗi chương đều có phần tóm tắt. Rất hữu dụng.
HN, 15/3/2021
August 5, 2023
2/5 ⭐⭐
Ultimately, this book was too detailed and too dry for me. I was struggling to finish it. Also, I was not fond of Tichy's constant worshipping of General Electric's (GE) leadership. Almost every chapter had a mention of GE.
Other than that, the core ideas of Noel M. Tichy are great. I agree that leaders must build other leaders, have a strong vision, make thought decisions, etc., to make and keep organizations successful in the long run. However, the examples to support these points were super detailed, long, and even overwhelming with all the name-dropping, dates, departments, etc. It is not the best book on leadership; it is more of a GE analysis and how they used to do things back in the day. 2/5.
Ultimately, this book was too detailed and too dry for me. I was struggling to finish it. Also, I was not fond of Tichy's constant worshipping of General Electric's (GE) leadership. Almost every chapter had a mention of GE.
Other than that, the core ideas of Noel M. Tichy are great. I agree that leaders must build other leaders, have a strong vision, make thought decisions, etc., to make and keep organizations successful in the long run. However, the examples to support these points were super detailed, long, and even overwhelming with all the name-dropping, dates, departments, etc. It is not the best book on leadership; it is more of a GE analysis and how they used to do things back in the day. 2/5.
April 13, 2022
I am not entirely sure, why I picked this book, but it was a reference from a previous book I really enjoyed. After reading it, I am sure not to be the intended audience at all.
Still, I learned some things and especially about my own discipline can finally understand some of the references about Jack Welch in the show "30 Rock".
Still, I learned some things and especially about my own discipline can finally understand some of the references about Jack Welch in the show "30 Rock".
April 2, 2020
Good principles, but overall the book did not aged well, thinking about the examples of "everlasting" companies... ( GE, HP...).
January 5, 2025
Good practical guide which one can implement
July 2, 2014
This book is absolutely amazing. I'm a strong believer in leadership and building leadership cultures in a company. For me it's easy to see the companies that will soon die off and the ones that will continue to win by just studying the "leaders" at the company. Even the ones that seem to be winning now will soon fade away because there is no leadership engine.
This book also made me appreciate everything Orrin Woodward and Chris Brady are doing at LIFE Leadership. They have created what Tichy would call a systematic way of teaching and duplicating leaders. I believe the companies of the future will be those that are utilizing LIFE's leadership training materials for their developing leaders.
This book also made me appreciate everything Orrin Woodward and Chris Brady are doing at LIFE Leadership. They have created what Tichy would call a systematic way of teaching and duplicating leaders. I believe the companies of the future will be those that are utilizing LIFE's leadership training materials for their developing leaders.
March 7, 2009
Just finished this one...not as inspirational as some of the other leadership books I've read, but very good nonetheless. It has informed several decisions I have been mulling over regarding the progression of my business.
This book is centered on the concept that the world is bigger than any one of us as individuals. In order to succeed, you have to be willing to teach, coach, and mentor. Mentoring requires being vulnerable, releasing some ego constraints, and being honest. Teaching requires the conscious development of "teachable points of view" - in other words, you can't teach what you haven't internalized and what you don't support.
This book is centered on the concept that the world is bigger than any one of us as individuals. In order to succeed, you have to be willing to teach, coach, and mentor. Mentoring requires being vulnerable, releasing some ego constraints, and being honest. Teaching requires the conscious development of "teachable points of view" - in other words, you can't teach what you haven't internalized and what you don't support.
Read
September 9, 2010I'm in the midst of developing leadership curriculum for my staff and this is a GREAT look at excellent leaders and their skills in the marketplace. Has given me some great ideas on developing people and myself.
June 25, 2008
Tichy is a great instructor in the field of leadership.
March 30, 2013
A must-read book on leadership for knowledge workers, managers, directors, C-levels, and entrepreneurs.
September 30, 2013
the handbook in the index is an amazing resource with great exercises. the beginning of thr book is a bit of a slow starter.
December 10, 2016
Một cuốn sách hay, đúc kết những bài học dành cho người quản lý. Tôi khá ngạc nhiên vì ít người đọc, bình luận về nội dung. Có lẽ chỉ sách không phù hợp với số đông.
changed-mind-stoppedreading
May 28, 2013Teachable Point Of View
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