Resources

The Midwest Leadership Institute recommends the following resources for you to continue your development as an effective leader in a high performance organization.

Newletter Archives

• The Catholic Leader — Read back issues

• Adhocracy by Robert Waterman — A great little book that shows how organizations can effectively integrate both bureaucratic and ad hoc approaches in order to be effective over the long-term. Waterman succinctly points out why a good balance is so rare — and what you can do to achieve it in your organization.
  

• The Effective Executive by Peter F. Drucker — A brief book that will help ground and guide every leader in every organization.

• The Eighth Habit by Stephen R. Covey — The author follows up on his foundational work, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, with this book that deals with how individuals can progress from effectiveness to greatness. You don’t need to read the Seven Habits first (see below), but we recommend it.
  

• Fourth Generation Management by Brian Joiner — The author says there are only two reasons why things go wrong in organizations — and only three ways to fix them. Uncommon clarity and simplicity without being simplistic about what it takes to develop top notch organizations. A must read.

• General System Theory by Ludwig von Bertalanffy — Not an easy read, but if you want to find and become familiar the fountainhead of a systemic, organic understanding of everything in the material world, this is it.

• Leadership and the One Minute Manager: Increasing Effectiveness Through Situational Leadership by Ken Blanchard, Patricia Zigarmi and Drea Zigarmi — Subtitled “Increasing Effectiveness Through Situational Management,” this book uses Blanchard’s wonderfully simple approach to teach profound lessons. A great follow up to the classic, The One Minute Manager (see below).

• Leadership by the Book: Tools to Transform Your Workplace by Ken Blanchard, Phil Hodges and Billy Hybels. In the tradition of the best-selling The One Minute Manager, this little book uses a parable to explain how to be an effective leader by consistently following what Jesus taught about leadership.

• Leadership is an Art by Max Depree —A great, quick read by an author who "walked the walk" as CEO of the rapidly growing and incredibly profitable furniture manufacturer Herman Miller, Inc. If you, or someone you need to influence, is skeptical about the power of servant leadership to foster incredible creativity and productivity, this book is written for you.

• Management Challenges for the 21st Century by Peter F. Drucker — The master guru of organizational effectiveness does it again with this simple, focused book that will help every leader better understand this age and prepare for the next.

• Managing the Non-Profit Organization: Principles and Practices by Peter F. Drucker — The “must read” for everyone working in a not-for-profit environment.

• The Most Effective Organization in the U.S.: Leadership Secrets of The Salvation Army by Robert A. Watson and Ben Brown -- Learn how servant leadership makes it possible for an organization with a payroll of 50,000 has a workforce of 3.4 million people.

• The One Minute Apology: A Powerful Way to Make Things Better by Ken Blanchard and Margaret McBride. The title says it all. If you’re looking to be part of a high-trust, high-performance organization, this book is a must read.

• The One Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson — There’s a reason why millions of copies have been sold. It’s the ideal book for managers who are too busy to learn how to be managers in a classroom — and a great annual tune-up for everyone with leadership responsibilities. Cover the bases in little more than an hour of light but profound reading.

• The One Minute Manager Meets the Monkey by Ken Blanchard, William Oncken, Jr. and Hal Burrows. Another quick read that will have you seeing the interactions in your place of work in an entirely new way. If you have responsibility for other people and find yourself overburdened, this book was written for you.

• Putting the One Minute Manager to Work: How to Turn the 3 Secrets into Skills by Ken Blanchard and Robert Lorber. A very brief book that does exactly what its title promises. An invaluable follow-up to the classic, The One Minute Manager (see above).
  

• The Power of Ethical Management by Ken Blanchard and Norman Vincent Peale — A tiny book with the power to have a big impact. Handy to have and to review from time to time.
  

• Servant Leadership: A Journey into the Nature of Legitimate Power and Greatness by Robert Greenleaf — The book that launched the explicit concept of servant leadership. Especially helpful for those serving on or working with the governing boards of large organizations.
  

• The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey — An excellent book for serious self-development.
  

• Whale Done: The Power of Positive Relationships by Ken Blanchard, Thad Lacinak, Chuck Tompkins and Jim Ballard — A short book with a simple parable that provides guidance and encouragement for developing the people around you.

Midwest Leadership Institute
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