Organizations consist of people with different orientations toward time. Each type of person makes his or her own contribution and has unique limitations. The most effective leaders understand and recognize the differences in the way people feel and think about time and use them in constructive ways. Literally, they have good timing. This book explains the concept of temporal alignment and explores ways to enhance one's skills based on a solid understanding of this important component of leadership. Time matters to leaders. They worry about the past, present, and future, but most lean heavily in one direction, becoming past-, present-, or future-oriented. This bias is associated with strengths that we can effectively use and weaknesses that can hinder us. Different situations require different time orientations. If we are aware of our time orientation or temporal alignment, we can begin to "mind" our time and grow attuned to the appropriate orientation for each situation. This book explains that when leaders develop an understanding of temporal alignment, they can accurately anticipate the alignment required by each circumstance and find ways to behave appropriately--even when the leader's personality does not fit the situation.

"Finding the Best and Brightest" proposes an approach to choosing leaders based on a set of criteria designed to align individual qualities with organizational or institutional goals. Peg Thoms challenges the popular trend in theory and practice toward transformational or visionary leadership, arguing instead that leadership must be developed in context; many organizations, for example, don't need visionaries as much as they need operational leaders, who get things done by focusing on present-day tasks, such as designing superior products and delivering exceptional customer service. This book provides guidance for how to recruit, select, and retain the right people for leadership positions at any level of the organization. Drawing from research conducted in the private, public, and non-profit sectors, Thoms features powerful examples of effective and ineffective leadership in a variety of situations, and sheds light on the complex relationships between leaders and those who follow them.

We all choose our leaders. We hire them to run our companies. We vote them into office. We appoint them to committees. We decide to work for, serve, and follow them. In fact, all leadership is relative; by taking direction or orders, going to bat or war, marching behind, listening, and agreeing, we are choosing to allow another individual to lead us. Whether the stage is a corporation, a country, a club, a school, or any other organization, effective leaders matter. Yet despite such high-profile examples of leadership disasters--from the California recall of Gray Davis to the fall of such business titans as Ken Lay and Sam Waksal--we continue to choose, hire, and elect poor leaders.

"Finding the Best and Brightest" explores this phenomenon in business, politics, and other sectors of society, and proposes an antidote--an approach to choosing leaders based on a set of criteria designed to align individual qualities with organizational or institutional goals. Peg Thoms challenges the popular trend toward transformational leadership, which focuses on identifying universal characteristics, arguing instead that leadership must be developed in context. Many organizations, for example, need operational leaders who can focus on present-day tasks, such as designing superior products and delivering exceptional customer service, and not inspirational or visionary leaders, whose otherwise admirable qualities might be ill-suited to the challenges at hand. Outlining six typical leadership search scenarios--from school principal to hospital CEO--Thoms shows readers how to identify the traits and behaviors that are most essential for the position and how to structure interviews and other search techniques to elicit the most informative responses and home in on the best candidates. She also reminds us that many organizations fail not because they can't find good leaders but because they can't keep them, and offers strategies to promote leadership development. Whether you are an executive giving the nod to a new department head, a concerned citizen casting your vote for a municipal councilman, a club member choosing a new president, or an aspiring leader deciding which offer will provide the greatest growth opportunities, "Finding the Best and the Brightest" offers fresh insights on the dynamic relationship between leaders and those who follow them.

Effective managers matter to an organization. After all, they translate strategy into action and motivate the people they lead. But managers are sometimes less than effective, ending up in positions of authority and responsibility due to technical competence, company growth, or serendipity. Unprepared, they often lack key skills. Or, like so many managers promoted due to stellar job performance, they may have trouble understanding and motivating other people. Managers thrust into roles of authority need grounding in the fundamentals of management. And that's exactly what management experts Peg Thoms and Jim Fairbank deliver: The Daily Art of Management is the mentor at a manager's shoulder, full of excellent advice and encouragement. Most advice to managers consists of general prescriptions: "Be inspiring," "Drive innovation," or "Beat the competition through crisp execution." Great, but how? It's not easy doing any of these things. This book, which draws on the experience of Thoms and Fairbank as well as their research on management behavior, closes the gap between the idealized leader and reality--the gap between "book learning" and "street smarts." It shows managers and aspiring leaders at all levels of the organization how to master ten key roles and practice them on a daily basis. Examples and practical guidelines reinforce the concepts and serve as a handy resource for anyone interested in the art and science of effective management. In this book, managers will learn how to: -Set goals -Create an ethical environment -Create a vision -Select and motivate followers -Manage change -Handle competitors . . . and other critical skills effective managers employ to get the job done withstyle. The Daily Art of Management covers the issues managers face every day--but for which they are rarely trained.

Effective managers matter to an organization. After all, they translate strategy into action and motivate the people they lead. But managers are sometimes less than effective, ending up in positions of authority and responsibility due to technical competence, company growth, or serendipity. Unprepared, they often lack key skills. Or, like so many managers promoted due to stellar job performance, they may have trouble understanding and motivating other people. Managers thrust into roles of authority need grounding in the fundamentals of management. And that's exactly what management experts Peg Thoms and Jim Fairbank deliver: The Daily Art of Management is the mentor at a manager's shoulder, full of excellent advice and encouragement. Most advice to managers consists of general prescriptions: Be inspiring, Drive innovation, or Beat the competition through crisp execution. Great, but how? It's not easy doing any of these things. This book, which draws on the experience of Thoms and Fairbank as well as their research on management behavior, closes the gap between the idealized leader and reality-the gap between book learning and street smarts. It shows managers and aspiring leaders at all levels of the organization how to master ten key roles and practice them on a daily basis. Examples and practical guidelines reinforce the concepts and serve as a handy resource for anyone interested in the art and science of effective management. In this book, managers will learn how to: -Set goals -Create an ethical environment -Create a vision -Select and motivate followers -Manage change -Handle competitors . . . and other critical skills effective managers employ to get the job done with style. The Daily Art of Management covers the issues managers face every day-but for which they are rarely trained.