Putting Leading Change Into Practice

Originally published in Contemporary Psychology: APA Review of Books, 2004, Vol 49(5), 523–526. Reviews The Leadership Challenge (3rd ed.) (see record 2003-02038-000). This third edition is an updated version of a how-to guide to leadership that emphasizes self-knowledge, values, and relational practices as levers for leading change. On the basis of the assumption that leadership is a relationship that depends on leader credibility, the authors thoughtfully detail critical leadership skills and behaviors derived from their research findings and present practical strategies to develop them. Kouzes and Posner conceptualize leadership practice as primarily a set of socioemotional abilities and interpersonal skills that can be developed by everyone. This approach is consistent with many contemporary leadership scholars, such as Kotter (2002) who argues that change occurs when people are shown a truth that influences their feelings, and Goleman (1998) who asserts that “emotional intelligence” is the sine qua non of leadership. All in all Kouzes and Posner fulfill their stated mission in this edition of The Leadership Challenge. They map out many of the fundamentals of the leadership relationship for the broad audience of interested individuals and managers. The book stands out as a tactile illustration of transformational leadership with wonderful case examples. The authors inspire the reader to be more of a leader in their own lives and provide practical exercises, such as values clarification and other aspects of self-awareness, to help make this possible. As promised, the book is written and structured like a field guide. Like most field guides, however, the book reduces leadership into categories that cannot and perhaps should not be expected to fully capture its complexity. Nevertheless, it succeeds by focusing on the fundamental nature of leadership as an influence relationship among leaders and followers. The sweeping claim that the leadership practices uncovered in their research represent normative principles of leadership is perhaps an overstatement. However, the book does capture relational practices that seem most specific to transformational leadership and bring it to life for readers who may have the “right stuff” and can make a difference in organizations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved)