VISIONARY LEADERSHIP

Pedestrian variations on a theme that Nanus (The Leader's Edge, 1989; coauthor, Leaders, 1985) has played before, albeit to no great effect. This time around, Nanus (Management/USC) focuses on an attractive, credible, and realizable sense of future direction as applied to organizational, institutional, and political governance. In a by-the-numbers format (that has all the earmarks--and appeal--of a lesson plan), he provides would-be pace-setters pointers on formulating visions appropriate to their milieus, plus guidance on how such results-oriented agendas differ from goals, missions, and strategies. Getting down to business, Nanus then draws on the experience of a commercial enterprise (in this case, a pet-food manufacturer owned by a conglomerate) to offer tips on auditing, developing, understanding the implications of--and otherwise adapting one's chosen vision to--marketplace or divergent realities. Covered as well are the exigencies of providing for contingencies, enlisting the support of variant constituencies, and periodic renewal. Nanus next addresses the ins and outs of putting theory into practice in real-world contexts, and, in a concluding chapter, he tries to illustrate how his general-purpose precepts might be employed to advantage by those charged with running government agencies. A largely routine, essentially redundant primer on productive and prescient stewardship.