The Leader's Climb

July 1, 2012
The recommended-reading list for a business leader is extensive, with new books from well-known authors, such as Jim Collins (Great by Choice, 2011, and others), and ones by new writers, such as journalist Charles Duhigg's The Power of Habit (2012). Yet business leaders should pay attention here, because executive coaches Parsanko and Heagen have captured an important business trend, the art of listening, which has been noticed by the McKinsey Quarterly. Although that particular lesson isn't necessarily the one they espouseinstead, they point to going too fast, fighting too much, and forcing too many decisionsit is the heart of fictional CEO protagonist Adam and his almost-fall from glory, literally and figuratively. During his vacation, Adam has a rock-climbing accident, and while recovering, he meets contractor Duncan and trail-guide A. J., who provide teachable moments in the midst of his disagreement with the board of directors about a possible acquisition. Good things to learn here, especially considering that 85 percent of today's CEOs are new top dogs and are expected to remain only about 3.5 years in their positions.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)