Confidence

July 19, 2004
Drawing on more than 300 interviews with leaders in business, sports and politics, Kanter cogently explains the role confidence plays in the performance of institutions and individuals. Losing streaks are often created and then perpetuated when people lose confidence in their leaders and systems, while winning streaks are fueled by confident people who are secure in their own abilities and the ability of their leaders. Winning streaks are characterized by continuity and continued investment, Kanter argues, while losing streaks are marked by disruption and a lack of investment that typically give way to a self-fulfilling prophecy of failure. Combining theory with practical advice, Kanter details how losing organizations can instill accountability, collaboration and initiative—Kanter's three pillars of confidence—to help start a turnaround. She illustrates her ideas with a number of real-world examples, among them how the new owner of the Philadelphia Eagles stopped the team's chronic losing ways and built a winning organization. Kanter, a professor at the Harvard Business School and author of numerous books (including Men and Women of the Corporation
), delivers valuable insights on the importance of confidence to success and on how organizations can create practices that build that much needed asset.

September 15, 2004
Sports are usually the first thing that comes to mind when discussing winning and losing streaks. So it's apropos that Kanter (Harvard Business Sch.; Evolve!) would include teams from across the spectrum of high school, college, and professional sports in her research. From her interviews with hundreds of companies, teams, and schools, she dissects the anatomy of winning and losing streaks in organizations. Kanter's training as a sociologist is evident as she examines organizational and personal traits that contribute to success and failure. It's not skills or talents alone that ultimately determine success but an organizational culture and leadership that bring out the best in all members of an organization. People who believe they can win will win; those who believe they can't win won't. Kanter shows how to recognize these patterns early on and turn around a losing record before it becomes legendary. A good prescription for Chicago Cubs fans as well as business collections in all types of libraries. Carol J. Elsen, Univ. of Wisconsin, Whitewater

Copyright 2004 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2004
Professional gamblers are very aware of the power of winning streaks and losing streaks-- and that elusive attribute that differentiates the two: confidence. Individuals, sports teams, companies, and entire nations create moods so contagious they create self-fulfilling patterns that can persist for decades. When Kanter spoke to leaders of streak-prone organizations, it was consistently the winners that wanted to share their experiences. (It seems no one wants to be slapped with the "loser" label.) But the Chicago Cubs consistently came up as the example of the organization with the most infamous losing streak, and although the players deny that the brand influences them, the constant reminder from media and fans keeps the jinx alive. She also looks at the factors necessary to create a turnaround, where strong leadership is essential, as recently exemplified at Gillette and the Philadelphia Eagles. It's been said that "confidence builds nations" and although this is primarily an examination of self-reinforcing cycles, Kanter shows how we as individuals and groups ultimately have a measure of control over our responses to circumstance.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2004, American Library Association.)