A succinct, readable, and powerful anatomy of leadership’s many roles.
A debut manual focuses on the different aspects of leadership.
Taylor, a captain in the U.S. Air Force, aims his short but comprehensive book at readers of business leadership guides. He organizes his observations around, of all things, a haberdashery metaphor: the four “hats” at the heart of leadership. (He mentions to readers that they need not actually buy hats.) According to the author, all effective leaders must at some time or other wear four hats: the farmer’s hat, the drill instructor’s hat, the psychologist’s hat, and what he calls the self-care hat. Each of the hats he describes symbolizes its own priorities. The farmer’s hat stresses careful cultivation of people and resources as well as detailed forethought: “In seed selection and sowing, your goal is to choose the specific person or people you want to assign to each project or team.” The drill instructor must be prepared to utilize the surprise, shock, and awe of basic training and to deliver vital leadership in raw terms: “Feared by most, hated by some, and respected by all, drill instructors use a variety of tools to perform their leadership function.” The psychologist’s hat emphasizes good judgment, an even temperament, and exceptional listening skills and frankly acknowledges that “many leaders fail because of a failure of trust.” And the self-care hat reminds leaders that they, too, make mistakes and need help. Taylor elaborates on all of this in the clear, self-assured prose of an author who’s seen a great deal of inept leadership. As he deftly points out, these four categories apply far beyond the realm of the military but share all the important essentials with that world: “Whether one is talking about military security, selling insurance, or making widgets, there is a mission that must be completed, threats detected and deterred, and teams of people to lead forward.” Leaders of all types will find these tips both practically applicable and invaluably insightful, getting to the heart of the basic duties of team-building.
A succinct, readable, and powerful anatomy of leadership’s many roles.Pub Date: March 27, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-9995801-9-6
Page Count: 116
Publisher: New Insights Press
Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2019
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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