Jim Hudan and Rich Berens have provided a helpful book for organizations based on the best recent research on organizational development. They challenge those leaders who think everything is working smoothly when there is much that can be done to improve the functionality and health of their organizations.
The writers identify five leadership “blind spots”:
- Purpose matters, but it doesn’t drive our numbers.
- We have a compelling story to tell that our people care about.
- Rational and logical presentations engage the hearts and minds of our people.
- People will not do the right thing unless you tell them what to do and hold them accountable to do it.
- My people feel safe telling me what they think and feel.
These common misconceptions hinder both organizational health and productivity. The common factor in all of the blind spots has to do with the people--the employees--who actually accomplish the work. Hudan and Berens challenge leaders to wake up and realize that most of what they understand and practice about leading and supervising is wrong.
The purpose of the book is not only to challenge these misconceptions but to provide, in a brief easily understood way, a process for change.
In many ways, the book is a “cook book” on how to initiate, implement, and sustain a new way to working with everyone in the organization. The authors have provided a very practical, research-based, but user-friendly approach to organizational change.
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