How Great Leaders Think: The Art of Reframing

How Great Leaders Think: The Art of Reframing

by Lee G. Bolman, Terrence E. Deal
Released July 2014
Publisher(s): Jossey-Bass
ISBN: 9781118140987

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Book description

The proven model that offers powerful and elegant strategies for leaders

How Great Leaders Think: the Art of Reframing uses compelling, contemporary examples to show how more complex thinking is the key to better leadership. Leaders who understand what's going on around them see what they need to do to achieve the results they want. Bolman and Deal's influential four-frame model of leadership and organizations—developed in their bestselling book, Reframing Organizations: Artistry Choice and Leadership—offers leaders an accessible guide for understanding four major aspects of organizational life: structure, people, politics, and culture. Tapping into the complexity enables leaders to decode the messy world in which they live, see more options, tell better stories, and find strategies that are more effective. Case examples of leaders like Jeff Bezos at Amazon, Howard Schultz at Starbucks, Tony Hsieh at Zappos, Ursula Burns at Xerox, and the late Steve Jobs at Apple provide concrete lessons that readers can put to use in their own leadership. The book's lessons include:

  • How to use structural tools to organize teams and organizations for better results

  • How to build motivation and morale by aligning organizations and people

  • How to map the terrain and build a power base to navigate the political dynamics in organizations

  • How to develop a leadership story that shapes culture, provides direction, and inspires commitment to excellence

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    Table of contents

    1. Preface
    2. Acknowledgments
    3. Part 1: Leadership in Four Dimensions
      1. Chapter 1: Introduction: The Power of Reframing
        1. The Curse of Cluelessness
        2. Framing
        3. Frame Breaking
        4. Four Leadership Frames
        5. Multiframe Thinking
        6. Conclusion
        7. Notes
    4. Part 2: Structural Leadership
      1. Chapter 2: Getting Organized
        1. Structure at United Parcel Service (UPS)
        2. McDonald’s and Harvard: A Structural Odd Couple
        3. Elements of Social Architecture
        4. Contextual Factors
        5. Applying the Structural Frame
        6. Conclusion
        7. Notes
      2. Chapter 3: Organizing Groups and Teams
        1. Lord of The Flies
        2. Saga of the Trapped Chilean Miners
        3. Comparing Leadership Dynamics
        4. Task and Structure in Teams
        5. Structures of Sports Teams
        6. Conclusion
        7. Notes
    5. Part 3: Human Resource Leadership
      1. Chapter 4: Leading People
        1. Treat ‘Em Like Dirt
        2. Semco: Investing in People
        3. Men’s Wearhouse: Getting it Right
        4. Conclusion
        5. Notes
      2. Chapter 5: Seeing Ourselves as Others See Us
        1. Ellen and Don
        2. Self-Awareness
        3. Leadership Skills: Advocacy and Inquiry
        4. Conclusion
        5. Notes
    6. Part 4: Political Leadership
      1. Chapter 6: The Leader as Politician
        1. Political Skills
        2. A Case Example: The Troubled Auditor
        3. Conclusion
        4. Notes
      2. Chapter 7: The Leader as Warrior and Peacemaker
        1. Steve Jobs: The Warrior
        2. Enter Bob Iger: The Peacemaker
        3. Orchestrating Conflict: Raise or Lower the Flame?
        4. A Case Example: Lois Payne
        5. Conclusion
        6. Notes
    7. Part 5: Symbolic Leadership
      1. Chapter 8: The Leader as Magician
        1. Cultural Revival at Starbucks
        2. The Ways of Magic: How Symbolic Leaders Work
        3. Conclusion
        4. Notes
      2. Chapter 9: Seeking Soul in Teams
        1. The Eagle Group: Reasons for Success
        2. Building a Soulful Team
        3. Conclusion
        4. Notes
    8. Part 6: Improving Leadership Practice
      1. Chapter 10: Reframing in Action
        1. Benefits and Risks of Reframing
        2. Reframing for Newcomers and Outsiders
        3. Conclusion
        4. Note
      2. Chapter 11: Images of Leadership: Can Crooked Kites Fly?
        1. Metrics Maestro: Amazon’s Jeff Bezos
        2. Leader of the Tribe: Zappos’s Tony Hsieh
        3. Authentic Engineer: Xerox’s Ursula Burns
        4. Warrior Artist: Apple’s Steve Jobs
        5. Conclusion
        6. Notes
      3. Chapter 12: Leadership and Change
        1. Limits of Leadership
        2. Carriers Versus Catalysts of Change
        3. The Frames and Change
        4. Resurrection at Ford Motor
        5. Conclusion
        6. Notes
      4. Chapter 13: Searching for Soul: Leadership Ethics
        1. Soul and Spirit in Organizations
        2. The Factory: Excellence and Authorship
        3. The Family: Caring and Love
        4. The Jungle: Justice and Power
        5. The Temple: Faith and Significance
        6. Conclusion
        7. Notes
      5. Chapter 14: Great Leaders, Great Stories
        1. Worldviews, Frames, and Stories
        2. Conclusion
        3. Notes
    9. Appendix: Leadership Orientations
    10. The Authors
    11. Index
    12. End User License Agreement

    Product information

    • Title: How Great Leaders Think: The Art of Reframing
    • Author(s): Lee G. Bolman, Terrence E. Deal
    • Release date: July 2014
    • Publisher(s): Jossey-Bass
    • ISBN: 9781118140987