Clever Geek Handbook
13 January 2026

Time Management for Busy People

Recommendation

The colorful, almost cartoonish, look and feel of Roberta Roesch’s book will probably put off people who prefer to have their solutions shown to them in black and white. And that’s a shame because this book is an excellent time-management resource for everyone. Roesch created her book for people who "don’t have time to read time books," and did a really wonderful job. By eschewing the standard book format, she may have alienated some readers who prefer their books to look serious. But it is precisely this format that encourages readers who wouldn’t normally buy time management books to give this one a chance. You can read this book straight through, but its most valuable sections stand on their own. A number of questionnaires help you determine whether the material in a section covers an area that concerns you. The book is also peppered with "minutes matter," call-out boxes that offer short time-saving tips. It caters to those with short attention spans, but without being trite. It is particularly useful for those who have purchased time-management books before, but gave up on them out of boredom or frustration. BooksInShort.com recommends this book to anyone interested in time-management. In short, if you don’t have the time for time management, this book is for you.

Take-Aways

  • The best day to begin time management is today.
  • Be proud of even small successes during the early stages of your transition towards time management.
  • To evaluate how you spend your time, make a list of the things you have time for, don’t have time for and wish you had time for.
  • A list is only a plan; to put a plan into action, you need a schedule.
  • Schedules let you see quickly what you have to do without wasting time worrying about how everything will get done.
  • Attach a time estimate to any task on your list that you wish to accomplish.
  • Compare your estimated time with your actual time to pinpoint trouble spots.
  • Recognize time-crushers and learn to control their impact. Minimizing time spent on at-home chores frees up more time for what you want to accomplish.
  • Once you have started time management, keep going.
  • You will be able to invest the hours you’ve saved in the activities you value most.

Summary

Beginning Your New Routine

The best day to begin improving how you manage your time is today. Make a list of the things you do and don’t have time for, and a list of things you really want time for. Use these lists to evaluate how you are spending your time.

The first day you decide to improve the way you manage time, wake up in an upbeat mood rather than a downbeat mood. It is much easier to get out of bed thinking about hot coffee and a fresh muffin for breakfast than it is to get up thinking about your crowded schedule. Arrive at work early. This will give you time before the phones start ringing to determine your top priorities for the day. You will be able to prepare for meetings, conferences, appointments and incoming or outgoing phone calls. Immediately begin working on the task you have designated as your top priority.

“Though some people balk at making lists, lists still get a number 10 rating for helping you get what you want to get done - if you keep your lists simple.”

Avoid over planning by knowing the difference between the ideal and the possible. Be realistic when you decided how many hours you will need to complete a task. Keep your task lists simple to make them effective. Divide tasks into three categories: 1) what must be done, 2) what should be done, and 3) what would be good to get done. Once you have identified these tasks and allotted a realistic amount of time to complete each one, block out time slots on your calendar or appointment book.

“While you develop your own special strengths, begin with small steps and give yourself time to upgrade your performance.”

Maintain a log all day that shows how much time you are actually spending to complete tasks. When you compare this to the time you originally projected for each task, the results will give you a better grip on reality. Plan tomorrow before you leave work. Make a list of must-do items, should-do items and would-be-good-to-do items. Create a rough draft of your timetable for tomorrow based on these lists. At the end of the day, congratulate yourself on taking the first steps toward managing your time. It takes time for a time management plan to work. Be proud of even small successes at this early stage.

Weekly Planning

Write down your goals for the week and the actions you have to complete to accomplish them. Then ’valutize’ this list of tasks. Valutizing is similar to prioritizing, it involves:

  • Determining the week’s most important, essential tasks.
  • Assessing all your listed tasks to see if they are essential.
  • Eliminating all tasks that don’t contribute to what you need or want to accomplish.
  • Identifying the specific actions necessary to get moving on the remaining activities.
“Schedules are the engines that make master-list plans work.”

Your valutizing may change during the week depending on circumstances. As new tasks come up, assign them a value. Understand your limits, so you can be practical about what you can achieve.

Use your valutized list to create a weekly master plan. List activities by category: immediate action, projects due by the end of the week and projects to initiate. Attach a corresponding time estimate to each activity.

“There’s no point saving minutes and hours, if you don’t take genuine pleasure in your time...”

A list is only a plan. To put your plan into action, create a schedule that allows you to see what you have to do without wasting time worrying about how everything can get done. A weekly schedule saves the time of rewriting daily schedules.

Optimizing Your Schedule

  1. Break up weekly objectives into smaller daily increments. Identify your best time of day for getting things done and plan to accomplish your most essential tasks at that time.
  2. Don’t over-schedule. To reduce stress, leave time for taking breaks, catching up and coping with unforeseen circumstances.
  3. Review your schedule throughout the day.
  4. Check off tasks and objectives as you complete them. The good feeling you experience will inspire you to continue moving forward.
  5. Check tomorrow’s schedule before leaving work. If necessary, adjust it to include today’s still-to-do tasks.
  6. Accept that you will not always be able to cross off every task by the end of the week.
“Always remember the main thing is to concentrate on the whens and hows that will move you ahead in time-saving ways and put you on the right track.”

Use a single planner for your work and personal commitments. It doesn’t matter if you use a simple notebook or a commercial planner. Carry it with you at all times, along with your business cards, a note pad and important addresses and phone numbers.

Keep a weekly log that includes every item on your master plan. Continue to compare your estimated time to the actual time taken to complete tasks. This allows you to pinpoint trouble spots in your day that cost you time and energy.

Using Technology to Save Time

Be aware of the technological tools you can use to gain time. One is a contact manager program, which is software with database capability. You can load your daily planner into the computer, and organize and coordinate your calendar. If you need a hard copy you just print one. A contact manager program saves time because you don’t have to retrieve information from files.

“You lose time - and gain tension - when you put off making decisions for significant lengths of time.”

The Internet offers several time savers. E-mail minimizes the amount of time spent corresponding by letter. On-line libraries and databases can save research time. You can use the World Wide Web many ways to serve customers efficiently. Search engines and directories save time spent searching web pages for information. The Usenet, a huge text bulletin board with thousands of newsgroups, allows you to communicate quickly with many other people on very specific subjects.

“No one can ever completely control all of the people and events that crash and crush our time.”

You can also save time by using a scanner. A scanner allows you to copy text and pictures into your computer. When used with optical character recognition (OCR) software, your scanner can eliminate the time-consuming task of entering photocopies, faxes, magazine articles and other research materials into your computer. If you spend a lot of time on the phone, a headset can help you save time. It leaves your hands free for other tasks while you talk. Learning to use these new technologies may take some extra time initially, but you will save time in the long run.

Organization

Use these six steps to organize your workplace:

  1. Eliminate useless space-fillers - Whether it’s a five-year-old dried flower arrangement or a collage of your now-adult son’s Little League victories, there is something nonessential in every office. Spend one minute picking out at least five useless items in your work place. Write them down. When you are done, be ruthless and throw them out immediately.
  2. Clean off your desktop - Get rid of all the piles of paper, stationery, supplies, notes, messages and anything else that keeps you from being able to see your desk. Use labeled boxes for the items that take up space on your desktop, unless you can delegate their disposition to a staff member.
  3. Maintain your clean desktop - Once you have cleaned your desktop, keep it empty except for your phone, your address file (i.e. a Rolodex), your personal planner and a container for pens and pencils. Keep the majority of your desk space available for the primary job you are handling.
  4. Use your desk drawers - Clean your drawers the same, objective way your cleaned your desk. Determine which drawers should contain which items for quick access. Clean one drawer at a time. Move any items you use only periodically out of your desk. Put them somewhere else where you can find them quickly. Allow one miscellaneous drawer to hold all the things that don’t seem to have a home after you move them off your desk. Once a month, empty this drawer completely, find a home for items you need and throw away the rest.
  5. Locate your equipment conveniently - Put your computer, printer, telephone, answering machine, fax and any associated supplies in the same area.
  6. Make your surroundings pleasant - Any items you can add to your office that help you enjoy the place you work optimizes your time and your productivity.

Time Crushers

Time crushers are people and events you can’t control. They devastate your schedule. Even though you can’t completely control time-crushers, you can control how they affect you, to a degree. Imagine this office time crusher: your day is perfectly laid out until the boss comes in and says he needs an analysis of the past five years sales by the end of the day. While you have little choice but to comply, you could try showing him your list of the other jobs he has assigned to you and asking him to choose which ones should be eliminated or delayed to free up time for this new task.

“Avoid the puttering, too many second cups of coffee and fifteen minutes more of reading or TV that keep you from getting to productive work promptly.”

Excessive interruption is another office time crusher. Watch out for certain "types" of co-workers: social butterflies, office politicians, advice seekers, complainers and gossips are frequent culprits. Be aware of these personalities and make sure you are not one of them. Avoid interruptions if you can because it takes four to five minutes to be able to go back to what you were doing at the same speed.

Minutes Matter

You can do a number of simple things to save valuable minutes. Individually they may not seem like much, but over the course of a day they can add up:

  • Morning time savers: Set two alarms to wake you up in the morning. Place them across the room and out of reach. This will force you out of bed to turn them off. Staying awake the first time you wake up may be difficult, but it pays dividends in saved time.
  • Phone time savers: Avoid long-winded answering machine messages by having your taped greeting say, "You have 90 seconds to leave your message." Don’t tell someone, "I’ll get back to you," if you are only delaying the "No" you should say. Remember that making a quick phone can be faster than writing a memo. If you travel, use your waiting time at the airport to return phone calls.
  • Home time savers: Open your mail near a trash can. Throw out any junk mail immediately. If you are working from home, spend your time doing the work that generates the most income.
  • Computer time savers: Say "no" to any technology that takes up more time than it saves. The print preview, spell check and thesaurus functions in your software can save you many wasted minutes.

About the Author

Roberta Roesch specializes in writing about personal development, psychology, behavior, human relationships and careers. She is the author of many books including The Working Woman’s Guide to Managing Time, and Smart Talk: The Art of Savvy Business Conversation. She has more than 5,000 newspaper columns and features to her credit.

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Time Management for Busy People

Book Time Management for Busy People

McGraw-Hill,
 


13 January 2026

The Secret Language of Business

Recommendation

Despite the tantalizing title, this book by body language expert Kevin Hogan reveals few secrets as it introduces the study of nonverbal communication. However, much of the book’s thorough material on body language is useful and accurate, though basic – the kind of thing most people know intuitively. Hogan explores how body language, physical positioning, appearance, tone of voice, eye contact and the like communicate more than words ever could. Then, he explains how you can use this knowledge to improve every interaction you have in business. Much of the advice is specific to western cultures, though the author discusses other norms. If you’re looking for an easy-to-read overview on this subject, BooksInShort suggests beginning with this user-friendly text. It covers the fundamentals, and the take-aways ending each chapter make it easy to digest.

Take-Aways

  • The words you speak and write form only a fraction of the message you convey.
  • Nonverbal behavior accounts for the majority of the content you communicate.
  • People are “senders, receivers and observers” of nonverbal communication.
  • Children and teenagers are very expressive with their body language. As people grow older, they gain more control over their reactions.
  • “Eyes, face, gestures, touch, posture, movement, appearance and voice” all contribute to body language.
  • “Context” and “environment” influence how people perceive and understand body language.
  • People make snap judgments based on your appearance and body language.
  • Connect and build rapport with others by “mirroring, listening and reciprocating.”
  • Use body language to help generate a successful outcome in business meetings.
  • Almost every interaction contains “like” or “dislike” and “truth” or “deception.”

Summary

Say What?

People communicate through language, but the words you say, or even write, are only part of what you communicate. The messages you don’t verbalize, but convey in a variety of other ways, such as gestures, dress, body position or tone of voice, account for the majority of the content you communicate. To become an effective communicator, study nonverbal communication, which is generally defined as, “The process of sending and receiving messages without using words.” According to Mark Knapp, author of Nonverbal Communication in Human Interaction, body language types fall into six categories:

  1. “Repeating” – Gestures or body language that support a statement.
  2. “Conflicting” – Body language that contradicts what the speaker is saying.
  3. “Complementing” – Genuine behavior that reinforces the spoken word.
  4. “Substituting” – Nonverbal behavior that someone uses in place of words.
  5. “Accenting/Moderating” – Body language used to emphasize or underplay a point.
  6. “Regulating” – Nonverbal communication that punctuates or paces a conversation.

“Sender, Receiver and Observer”

Because body language and other nonverbal behaviors play a leading role in the process of communicating, accomplished communicators learn to read and use them proactively. When it comes to messages, you can be a sender, a receiver or an observer. Receivers process huge amounts of information, much of it unconsciously, to form opinions of a sender’s messages. As a receiver, you decipher other people’s nonverbal behaviors and respond with your own. Observers read nonverbal interactions and behaviors, using interpretations influenced by their own way of perceiving the world.

“Body language is one of the most powerful components of the communication process, and you have the choice of how you use it.”

A sender’s body language uses a fluid combination of behaviors, which researchers categorize as either “conscious,” that is, intentional, or “unconscious,” that is, impulsive. For instance, avoiding eye contact with someone to whom you owe money would be a “deliberate” or conscious behavior, as would sitting up straight and smiling when you are introduced to someone you want to impress, or standing over a misbehaving child as you issue a reprimand. “Spontaneous” body language includes gestures and reactions you present without thinking about them. Extroverted people are more expansive with their body language, as are children and adolescents. As people grow older, they tend to gain greater control of their spontaneous reactions, thereby showing the world less of what they are feeling.

Body Language – Break it Down

The “elements of body language” combine to send infinite messages. They are:

  • “Eyes” – People notice and connect with the eyes first. Eye usage, which is both conscious and unconscious, transmits many messages. A steady or darting gaze, rapid blinking or dilated pupils convey a variety of emotions.
  • “Facial expressions” – The face transmits emotions through various expressions, from happiness and love to anxiety, fear, annoyance or misery.
  • “Gestures” – These actions can communicate a message, or support and enhance the verbal component of the content you want to convey.
  • “Touch” – This category further divides into “professional,” such as the touch of a doctor examining a patient; “social,” as in a handshake; “friendship,” like holding hands; or “intimacy,” as in a lover’s embrace.
  • “Posture” – The position of your body affects the meaning of your message. Sitting, standing strait or slumped, tilting your head or holding your arms various ways create impressions and convey meaning.
  • “Movement” – This element of body language can generate a feeling of intimacy or closeness, indicate subservience, or communicate authority and power.
  • “Appearance” – How you look sends a message, whether you want it to or not. People will attribute meaning to your hair color, shoes, height and everything else.
  • “Voice” – Although it seems contradictory to view voice as nonverbal, your “tone, pitch and tempo” are among the vocal characteristics that influence perception.

The Framework of Interpretation

Nonverbal communication does not take place in a vacuum. Body language can have different meanings in different settings. Both “context and environment” influence the ways people perceive and understand body language. Background, experiences, character, gender and self-perception influence a receiver’s acuity. A situation’s “formality, privacy, familiarity, warmth, distance, constraint and time” shape participants’ perceptions. For instance, a person in a formal environment will use more controlled, conventional body language. Someone might relish the privacy of an intimate setting as an opportunity for sharing his or her thoughts. When your surroundings feel comfortable and familiar, your nonverbal signals will reflect a relaxed attitude.

“The words you and I say are darned important, but the nonverbal communication we send and receive is far more important.”

Men and women use and convey body language differently. In general, women are more naturally proficient at sending and reading nonverbal messages. A confident man who speaks a bit loudly seems powerful and in control, but a forcible woman may appear to be aggressive or pushy.

If you are unaware of how a person’s cultural norms define acceptable behavior, you may be confused when you try to read his or her body language. Some forms of nonverbal communication are universal, such as facial expressions that convey emotion, but a simple gesture in one country can mean something very different in another country. Nonverbal messages vary in the arenas of “eye contact, gestures and territorial space.” For instance, in the U.S., managers expect eye contact as long as the look doesn’t become a stare or glare. However, in Eastern cultures, employees avert their eyes from a boss as a form of respect. People from Central and South America and the Middle East touch each other frequently during interactions. Yet in Italy, people use touch to control a conversation.

“The conscious mind is more influenced by words and the nonconscious mind is more influenced by everything else.”

The way people interpret personal space also differs depending on their culture, nationality or even environment. Italians and Latin Americans are comfortable standing very close to one another, while in the U.S., the U.K. and Asia, standing too close is uncomfortable. E.T. Hall, a pioneer in the study of “proxemics” or the concept of personal space, isolated these four zones:

  1. “Intimate space” – The orbit of 1.5 feet [0–45cm] around your body.
  2. “Personal space” – In the range of 1.5 feet to 48 inches [45–125cm] away.
  3. “Social space” – The length of 48 inches to four yards [125–365cm] away.
  4. “Public space” – Farther from you than four yards [365cm +].

What You (Don’t) Say

The messages people constantly send via body language fall into these six groups:

  1. “Status” – Height conveys power and status. You can increase your height, no matter how short you are, by improving your posture. You can also increase your status by initiating touch, such as extending your hand to shake, or by choosing a location that conveys hierarchical position, such as sitting at the head of a table.
  2. “Dominance” – People assert dominance by choosing an elevated position, such as a podium. You can also convey dominance through hand positions. Holding your palms facing up is less dominant than holding them facing down. Various forms of body maneuvering, such as taking a place at the front of a line, also express dominance.
  3. “Submission” – Spotting submission in the animal kingdom is easy. A dog will roll over to show subservience to another dog. Humans express submission by avoiding eye contact, backing away or taking a lower position, like sitting while someone else stands.
  4. “Uncertainty” – Hesitant or tentative actions, or flitting eye movements come across as uncertain.
  5. “Confidence” – Show confidence by standing upright and using steady movements.
  6. “Personal identity” – Your body language reflects what you think and feel about yourself. For example, an athlete will move with strength and grace.

Impressions and Connections

People take in your appearance and body language, and make snap judgments about you before you utter a word. You can’t dodge first impressions, so being aware of the image you project is constructive. To make a positive impact, wear tidy, clean clothing that suits you. Walk and hold yourself with confidence. Make eye contact. Smile. Infuse your greetings with warmth and reach out to shake hands. Be aware of the other person’s personal space and stand around four feet away, holding your body at a slight angle.

“Building rapport is very much like a dance. You and your partner meet in the middle and then negotiate your way through a variety of steps.”

Before you can have an honest conversation with someone, you need to establish rapport, which people build from a foundation of shared interests and ideas. Trust, a natural extension of rapport, increases over time. As you establish a relationship, remember how revealing body language is and deliberately project what you want to communicate. To discern the content behind someone’s words, learn to read his or her cues accurately. “Eye contact” and “body movement” are particularly enlightening when deciphering messages or determining authenticity. The three-steps for building warm rapport are:

  • “Mirroring” – Use “your body language, your movements, your posture, your tone of voice, your style of dress” and other signals to reflect the other person.
  • “Listening” – “Ask open-ended questions and listen for key wants and needs, check for understanding.”
  • “Reciprocating” – Treat other people exactly as they treat you, like giving a firm or soft handshake, depending on theirs, or swapping business cards.

Making it Work

Because context plays such a major role in nonverbal communication, you must understand your business environment. Align your body language with your surroundings. The four most common workplace environments are: “conservative, casual, industrial and academic.”

“To sharpen your understanding of body language and nonverbal behavior...consciously observe the interactions all around you.”

To use body language to influence the success of business meetings, start by being aware of where and how you sit. Keep the space around you uncluttered and act within the confines of any written or implicit rules. You can also use your awareness of body language to help you sell. First, establish a connection with a potential client by following the three steps to building rapport: showing genuine interest, asking questions and listening attentively to the answers. Keep your gestures refined and unthreatening, and arrange your body in a nonconfrontational position. When you make a sales pitch to a right-handed person, you’ll increase your chances of success by sitting on his or her right side.

Use It to Improve It

Building your nonverbal communication abilities will help you reach others more effectively, thereby improving your relationships, conversations and even the way you talk to yourself. The process of using self-talk and body language to influence the way you feel is part of the science of “neuro-linguistic programming.”

“There’s nothing ‘nice’ or ‘mean’ about reading body language and nonverbal communication. It’s not good or bad, it’s simply reading and interpreting.”

After an interaction, have you ever found yourself wondering if the other people liked you, if they were lying to you or if they could tell you didn’t like them? Such speculations are normal because almost every interaction contains a modicum of a “like/dislike” or “truth/deception” balance. To react to such messages accurately and honestly, use nonverbal behavior. For example, show people you like them by making eye contact, smiling warmly, nodding your head in agreement, assuming a relaxed body position and mirroring their movements. Alternately, to communicate dislike, stand slightly turned away, smile infrequently, avoid eye contact and assume a protective body stance.

About the Author

Dr. Kevin Hogan has written several books, including the bestseller, The Psychology of Persuasion: How to Persuade Others to Your Way of Thinking. He’s a body language expert, speaker, consultant and business coach who appears frequently in the media.

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The Secret Language of Business

Book The Secret Language of Business

How to Read Anyone in 3 Seconds or Less

Wiley,
 


13 January 2026

The Leader's Companion

Recommendation

Do you know how ancient authorities such as Plato or Machiavelli defined leadership? What about current historians and psychologists such as James MacGregor Burns or John W. Gardner? In this excellent compilation you are sure to find your philosophical kin. Editor J. Thomas Wren presents a series of thoughtful essays on every aspect of leadership by some of the world’s greatest thinkers, from Aristotle to Gandhi, and Leo Tolstoy to W.E.B. Du Bois. Each essay seems indubitably to be the last word on leadership – at least, until you get to the next one. BooksInShort recommends this book to CEOs, government officials, military commanders, clergy, supervisors, police chiefs and mayors – in short, anyone who leads others.

Take-Aways

  • Philosophers have spilled rivers of ink trying to define leadership.
  • Leaders often have certain attributes in common, such as intelligence, adaptability and self-confidence.
  • Some people fear that great leaders have become extinct.
  • However, “citizen-” or “servant-leaders” always seem to show up when needed.
  • Leadership is a defining human trait.
  • Leaders and followers have common interests and strive for common goals.
  • When leaders fail to think critically and challenge assumptions, they shepherd their followers toward disaster.
  • Businesses employ too many managers and too few leaders.
  • Many moth-eaten leadership maxims are outmoded in today’s age of empowerment.
  • Leadership is no longer top-down. It is bottom-up.

Summary

Leadership

Few agree on what leadership is or how to define it. Historian James MacGregor Burns claims that leadership is “one of the most observed and least understood phenomena on earth.” Throughout history, great minds have studied leadership and tried to explain it to others. This includes philosophers such as Aristotle and Plato, writers such as Leo Tolstoy, politicians such as Machiavelli, and social activists such as Mohandas Gandhi and W.E.B. Du Bois.

“One of the most universal cravings of our time is for compelling and creative leadership.” [ – James MacGregor Burns]

These thinkers differ radically on even basic definitions. Thomas Carlyle believed in the “great man” theory of history, with Napoleon as his model, while Tolstoy called leaders “history’s slaves.” Throughout the ages, scholars have debated questions related to leadership: What is the leader’s role? How should the leader relate to his or her followers? Who are the followers and what is their role? What about the effects of gender on leadership? How do the demands of leadership change from one environment to the next?

Where Are Today’s Great Leaders?

Although the definition of leadership is slippery, many agree that, whatever it is, it’s sadly lacking in today’s world. They charge that finding good leaders at any level – international, national, local or organizational – is difficult. Wherever you look, baffling problems abound: crime, poverty, health care, drug abuse, terrorism, environmental decay, national and international security. Similarly, in the business world, challenges sometimes seem intractable. Corporations are filled with an excess of managers but few real leaders.

“Many people still believe that leaders are born and not made.” [ – Thomas E. Cronin]

As problems multiply, many wonder where the leaders are who will solve them. They claim that the world is experiencing a “crisis of leadership.” But perhaps this plea for leaders is shorthand for deep anxieties about problems so confusing they seem to have no solutions. Or maybe those who decry leadership failures are in fact longing for a parent figure who will come in and magically make all problems disappear. Thus, the issue of responsible leadership is a continuum, with an apparent lack of effective leadership at one end and an immature need for a powerful authority figure to set everything right at the other.

“Learn to lead without coercion.” [ – Lao-tzu]

Whatever you call it or however you define it, leadership has always been an absolutely vital human function. Thus, the literature on leadership is ancient. The topic has been a concern not only of the ruling class or the privileged few but of all of society – rich, poor and middle-class. After all, a leader is nothing without people to lead, and followers come from all walks of life.

“Effective leaders have a high degree of knowledge about the company, industry and technical matters.” [ – Shelly A. Kirkpatrick and Edwin A. Locke]

Leadership is probably best understood not as a trait but as an interaction between leaders and followers, which often arises as a result of a mutual interest. It takes place in some notable context – war, economic crisis or social strife. According to James MacGregor Burns, leadership is “transactional” and “transforming.” Both the leaders and the followers change as a result of the relationship.

“No amount of egalitarian idealism will change the fact that there will be followers as long as human beings inhabit the planet.” [ – Joseph C. Rost]

Understanding leadership is vital if leaders and followers are to achieve their goals. Only in leader-follower interactions can individuals work together to improve cultures, nations, businesses and the world.

“Dispersed Leaders”

The problems that confront society are maddeningly bleak. Easy solutions do not exist. Considering this, many throw up their hands in disgust. They believe that solving the world’s current problems is impossible. But this is defeatist thinking. With a concerted leadership effort at every level, people can improve their situations.

“The notion that appearances by Great Men (or Great Women) are necessary preconditions for the emergence of major movements for social changes reflects ... a poor understanding of history.” [ – Claybourne Carson]

Leadership is often dispersed among millions of people, who together take the responsibility for making things right. These “servant-” or “citizen-leaders” somehow always appear at times of pressing need. Societies can create leaders through active leadership development activities. Leadership creation has sparked the thoughts of the following modern managers and classical philosophers:

  • Richard A. Couto – Citizen-leaders selflessly strive to improve the lives and working conditions of people who live in poor areas or who have been shortchanged by life. Citizen-leaders rarely seek power. Rather, they attempt to enact change, and in doing so accept responsibility.
  • Warren Bennis –Think of leadership as the means by which organizations achieve and sustain their goals. According to this definition, to be an effective CEO is not to be a supermanager but rather to be a great leader.
  • Richard L. Hughes, Robert C. Ginnett and Gordon J. Curphy – Leadership consists of striving to achieve common goals that people agree are important. Leaders and followers are mutually interdependent. Leadership is meaningless without followers.
  • Aristotle – Before leaders can start issuing commands, they must be ready to accept commands from others. Justice demands no less. Monarchs are in no way superior to average citizens.
  • Lao-tzu – True leaders are selfless. They are not egocentric. Their effectiveness depends on self-subordination and lack of bias. Leaders are like water. Both yield yet both are powerful. True leaders are never self-assertive. As a result, their followers do not resist their leadership, but follow it gladly.

Leadership Traits

Studies of leaders indicate that they all possess certain traits. Great leaders are intelligent, learned, confident and popular. They are good communicators. They are ambitious, aggressive, dependable and adaptable. They take the initiative. They do not quit when times get tough. They know how to make change happen. Often, leaders are athletic and hardy, although such factors as age, weight, height and appearance do not seem to correlate in any meaningful way with good leadership.

“Leadership is like any other human talent: Some people are more inclined toward it than others, but there are some techniques that can be taught.” [ – Roger B. Smith]

However, research also indicates that the possession of these traits does not in itself result in the emergence of a leader. More important is how individuals use those traits. Through their actions, individuals with leadership traits stand out.

Leaders must be able to “think critically,” or challenge their assumptions and the status quo. Great leaders look at problems and situations from a variety of perspectives. This enables them to identify the “forces of change” and to develop strategies to achieve their goals. When leaders fail to think critically, the results for followers can be disastrous, from wasted effort to actual danger.

“Only a decade ago, we didn’t automatically assume that CEOs would be aggressive corporate image builders or public spokespeople.” [ – Michele Darling]

A study of 90 CEOs shows that their common traits are vision and the ability to communicate their vision to various constituencies. These leaders are able to maintain their focus even in the midst of chaos. They empower others, that is, they put others’ talents, abilities and energies to work, to achieve common goals. They are great “impression managers” and enjoy performing before “packed houses.” The following are some thoughts by philosophers and managers about the traits and goals of good leaders:

  • John W. Gardner – Historically, leaders had challenging yet relatively straightforward tasks. Moses led his people from Egypt. Leonidas led his Spartan army to defend Thermopylae. In contrast, today’s leaders must work within complex institutions that may include baffling processes and interdependencies, and that exist within remarkably convoluted environments. Thus, progress is seldom easy to achieve. The great leader is the one who finds a way forward.
  • Charles C. Manz and Henry P. Sims Jr. – Napoleon, Caesar, George Washington and Alexander the Great represent the traditional model of leadership. But “great leaders on a white horse” are becoming increasingly outmoded. Current leaders are the sparks that ignite people’s passion to become the best they can be and to realize their full potential. The leader’s iron will is not important today; rather, leaders must be able to inspire others.
  • Judy B. Rosener – Women executives have discovered methods to lead that differ from the traditional “command-and-control” style long associated with men. Many lead in a more interactive way that involves the sharing of information and authority. This approach works well in modern organizations.
  • Geert Hofstede – In organizations, leaders are the executives and managers. How employees and others regard this class depends on where you live. In the U.S., managers are the heroes, but in Germany engineers rule. In Japan, the managerial class is less important than “permanent worker groups” or teams.
  • Thomas E. Cronin – Democracy cannot function without superior leaders who compete with each other over issues of substance, style, ideas and programs. However, democratic leaders are not “Mount Rushmore leaders” who are cast in stone. Rather, they are citizen leaders who emerge as duty and liberty require.

Paradigm Change

The 21st century is a new era in thinking about leadership. Old ideas – for example, that “the boss” has all the answers, never errs and makes all the decisions about organizational direction and strategy – have no place in businesses in today’s empowered workplaces The new leadership paradigm includes these ideas:

  • Leadership is not a top-down phenomenon. It is participatory. Everyone leads.
  • Leaders should not be dictators who issue commands but rather motivaters who encourage everyone to deliver his or her best.
  • Executives must be more than managers of day-to-day processes; they must be able to keep the big picture in view.
  • Leaders must be more than ambitious goal setters and achievers. They must be humanists: well-rounded, individuals who take a holistic approach.
  • Leaders must be able to deal with change.
“The most appropriate leader is one who can lead others to lead themselves.” [ – Charles C. Manz and Henry P. Sims Jr.]

To find out whether you measure up to this paradigm, ask yourself these questions:

  • Do you get lost in the trappings of leadership, or do you pay attention to organizational culture and values?
  • Do you tell others what to do and then hope for the best, or do you motivate others and expect the best?
  • Do you jealously guard your status as leader, or do you help others to become leaders and to rise along with you?
  • Do you just talk a good game? Does your behavior match your actions?
  • Do you lead in your community, your nation and the world as well as in your business?
“Just about everything in large-scale organizations seems to militate against leadership.” [ – John W. Gardner]

These experts have written about new leadership paradigms:

  • Marshall Sashkin – Visionary leaders develop an operating philosophy to turn their ideas into sustainable realities. They honor their visions in their daily actions.
  • John P. Kotter – Businesses should achieve a balance between managers and leaders. Managers cope with baffling situations, while leaders cope with baffling change.
  • Michael Z. Hackman and Craig E. Johnson – Great leaders are great communicators. They know how to inspire others through their words and deeds. Their self-presentations reflect positively on their organizations.
  • Max De Pree – Leadership is not about title, status or rank. It’s not about your stand on this issue or that. Rather, it’s about “how you stand.” That is, it’s about integrity, accountability and hard work.
  • Roger B. Smith – Leadership in business is the ability to make wise trade-offs. Meeting short-term investor demands is not enough. Direct your company so it can operate in a competitive marketplace and meet its long-term goals. Business goals often conflict. Finding the right balance is the essence of leadership.

About the Author

J. Thomas Wren, a historian and legal scholar, is a professor at the Jepson School of Leadership Studies at the University of Richmond in Virginia. He has served as editor and a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Leadership Studies.

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