The Financial Times Guide to Strategy: How to Create and Deliver a Winning Strategy, Third Edition

Part 3. Strategic thinkers

 

Adair, John (b. 1934)

British pioneer of ‘action-centred leadership’ who stresses the role of leadership and that leadership skills can be taught. Tall, courteous and softly spoken, yet not above banging his own drum. He defines leadership as three overlapping circles, compromising the Task, the Team and the Individual. Well worth reading.

Of his recent books, I’d single out Effective Innovation (1996, Pan Books, London) which is good primer on creativity.

One of his unverified but intriguing ideas is Adair’s Fifty-Fifty rule, which says that half a person’s motivation comes from inside, and the other half from external factors, including leadership. He also says that 50 per cent of success comes from the team and 50 per ...