Market Need

In the course of thousands of conversations with leaders in my consulting practice, I observed a disturbing behavioral pattern.  Disempowering mindsets and behaviors keep well-intentioned leaders from leading effectively.  Rather than exercising their influence for cultural change at work, they act more like co-dependent family members in an alcoholic household.  Rather than leading their organizations, these “rescuer leaders” spend their days putting out fires and protecting others from the consequences of irresponsible behaviors. 

Absenteeism, tardiness, missed deadlines, and problem employees trap leaders in impossibly busy schedules.  They are too busy doing it all to get the job of leadership done.  Before they can lead, they need to set themselves free from dysfunctional workplace dynamics.

Once leaders realize the trap they have fallen into, they are hungry for practical ways to move themselves and their organizations towards healthier ways of working together.  Free to Lead presents leaders with a realistic learning path that equips readers with five powerful leadership dialogs, and a research-based learning approach for putting those skills into action.

In today’s “productivity-driven” work environment, the phenomenon of burnt out “rescuer leaders” has become pandemic, touching businesses large and small in every industry, in both the for-profit and not-for-profit arenas.  Free to Lead offers a workable solution to this large and growing market of readers.

Purpose

Free to Lead was designed to equip leaders with concrete communications skills within the context of a distinctive leadership development model.  By helping leaders choose a more empowered mindset about their role, along with the skills to create a culture of excellence, the book offers a practical change-path leaders can follow.

Contribution

Free to Lead, in contrast to existing works, presents leaders with a practical learning path to break free from habitual patterns, and achieve more healthy workplace interactions.  By combining best-practice approaches from the field of communications theory with cutting-edge ideas from the study of addiction and recovery, Free to Lead offers something new to the already robust catalog of leadership development books on the market.

Specifically, Free to Lead draws a sharp contrast between the relationship-based model in the book, and the mechanistic “feedback-based” approaches common in corporate America today.  The book offers a critique of typical “360 degree feedback” leadership development models, along with a research-based alternative.

By synthesizing some of the very best thinking from the author’s own field work, communications theory, addiction and recovery research, and organizational psychology, Free to Lead delivers a unique and authoritative contribution to the existing leadership development body of work.

Intended Audiences

Primary Audience:  Corporate leaders in healthcare, technology, and productivity-driven service industries, at the “manager” level or higher, with significant people-management responsibilities, who wish to create a “culture of excellence” through effective leadership.

Secondary Audience:  Executives of associations, not-for-profit, and faith-based organizations who manage complex teams of paid staff, volunteers, and board members, who wish to create more positive, effective work teams to accomplish their missions.

Tertiary Audience:  High performing individual contributors who wish to exercise their leadership influence to win the support of others, and get things done on time and on budget.

Uses

Free to Lead will help leaders become artful communicators who enable ordinary employees to become more responsible and self-motivated.  Front-line leaders will discover mindsets and words for building better relationships, setting clear expectations, equipping others, providing coaching and feedback, and encouraging teamwork.  High-level leaders will see a roadmap for creating a “culture of excellence”, a way of working based on making and keeping promises.

Knowledge Base

Free to Lead was written based upon fifteen years of field experience by the author, including intensive testing of the concepts with leaders in interactive workshops.  The author also cites a wide-range of published research studies that further validate the model presented.  In addition, the author refers to a number of published experts on the subject of leadership communication, bringing together best practice ideas beneficial to readers. 

Title

“Free to Lead:  5 Keys to Getting It Done without Doing It All”

Outline of Contents and  Chapter-by-Chapter Description

Acknowledgements, Foreword, Table of Contents

Introduction, How to Get The Most from This Book, Guiding Principles

Part 1:  How Well Intentioned Leaders create Dysfunctional Workplace Cultures

 

Chapter 1: Three Elephants  in the Office – Understanding Dysfunctional Workplace Cultures

 

Chapter 2: Three Pathological Leadership Styles – The Behaviors and Impacts of Enabling Leaders
 

Chapter 3: 21 Imaginary Handcuffs – How Leaders Disempower Themselves

Part 2:  Getting it Done without Doing it All

 

Chapter 4: The Three Essential Elements of Leadership Learning – Relational Context, Relevant Goals, Realistic Learning Path

 

Chapter 5: Key 1 – Building the Bridge – Creating Interpersonal Connection

 

Chapter 6: Key 2 – Painting the Picture – Creating Clear Boundaries, Expectations, and Commitments
 

Chapter 7: Key 3 – Showing the Ropes – Equipping People

 

Chapter 8: Key 4 – Holding up the Mirror – Creating Accountability

Chapter 9: Key 5 – Winning Together – Creating Coordination and Cooperation

Part 3:  How Masterful Leaders create Cultures of Excellence

 

Chapter 10:  Model Excellence

 

Chapter 11:  Inspire Excellence

 

Chapter 12:  Create Consistency

 

Epilogue – God’s model for leadership

Glossary of Terms, Recommended Reading, About the Author, Index, Annotated Bibliography, End Notes

About the Author

Meet Syndicated Business Columnist Gene C. Mage:

Leadership Author and Speaker

Prior to founding his own company in 2000, Gene served in marketing and leadership development at one of America’s most admired companies, Corning Incorporated.  Among his accomplishments, Gene researched and launched Cranberry Visions Cookware, which reached $38 million in sales revenue it is first year.  He ran the consumer products businesses for Japan, Europe, Africa and the Middle East, and opened a sales office in Tokyo.  During his tenure of more than a decade in the Fortune 500 Gene deployed leadership development initiatives in five countries around the world.

Gene’s client list includes Corning Incorporated; The Adventist HealthCare System; The International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP); The American Society for Training and Development (ASTD); The American Marketing Association (AMA); Meeting Professionals International (MPI), the US Veterans Health Administration, and many more.

His first book, Managing for High Performance, is now in its second printing.  Gene has published more than 170 articles on leadership and customer service, with work appearing in national publications such as HR Magazine, Association Management, Front-Line Supervisor, and Healthcare Registrations.  His syndicated newspaper column, Making it Work, reaches more than 350,000 readers each week in newspapers across the country.