With The Powers to Lead, Joseph S. Nye Jr. offers a sweeping look
at the nature of leadership in today's world, in an illuminating
blend of history, business case studies, psychological research,
and more. As he observes, many now believe that the more
authoritarian and coercive forms of leadership-the "hard power"
approaches of earlier military-industrial eras-have been largely
supplanted in postindustrial societies by "soft power" approaches
that seek to attract, inspire, and persuade rather than dictate.
Nye argues, however, that the most effective leaders are actually
those who combine hard and soft power skills in proportions that
vary with different situations. He calls this "smart power."
Drawing examples from the careers of leaders as disparate as
Gandhi, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Lee Iacocca, and-in a new
preface-Barack Obama, Nye uses the concept of smart power to shed
light on such topics as leadership types and skills, the needs and
demands of followers, and the nature of good and bad leadership in
terms of both ethics and effectiveness. In one particularly
instructive chapter, he looks in depth at "contextual
intelligence"-the ability to understand changing environments,
capitalize on trends, and use the flow of events to implement
strategies. Thoroughly grounded in the real world, rich in both
analysis and anecdote, The Powers to Lead is sure to become a
modern classic, a concise and lucid work applicable to every field,
from small businesses to nations on the world stage. "Mr. Nye has
performed a valuable service in rounding up and summarizing the
various academic studies and theories of leadership into a single,
slim volume." -The Economist "One of the first to include new
scholarship on the youngest emerging leaders, Nye readily
demonstrates his ability to traverse the intellectual and pragmatic
without becoming esoteric or pedantic.... Highly recommended."
-CHOICE "Finally, a book that analyzes what leadership really means
and how it relates to power. It will be invaluable for both
political and business leaders alike. Nye developed the concept of
hard and soft power, and now he shows how the best leaders use both
in a smart way." -Walter Isaacson, author of Einstein: His Life and
Universe "An outstanding primer on leadership and all its
dimensions. A sharp, gracefully written introduction to leadership
that will benefit anyone from Washington to Wall Street." -General
Brent Scowcroft, former U.S. National Security Advisor
General
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