Description
Book SynopsisBased on twelve years involvement with more two thousand MBAs, managers and professionals,
Maximum Performance is a comprehensive analysis of leading and managing people set against a backdrop of accelerating organizational, business and technological change.
It covers traditional topics - such as personal performance and stress management, employee motivation and performance, power and politics, communication skills and leading and managing change, as well as more contemporary issues, such as business ethics in a global economy and leadership in high-tech and virtual organizations. It also looks at how leaders and managers can create cultures to promote essential modern organizational competencies such as creativity and innovation, the effective dissemination and use of knowledge and intellectual capital, and creating systemic intelligent learning capabilities amongst employees.
Maximum Performance represents a distillation of the best practical ideas about leadership and people management of recent times, condensed into a form that busy managers and professionals can assimilate and make immediate use of at work in large, medium-sized or small organizations, and in the public or private sector.
Trade Review'This is a big book in more ways than one. . . a detailed and illuminating exploration of leadership qualities, attributes, skills and competencies. . . the mixture of theory, reflective questions, stories, tools and practical exercises demand a level of thoughtful engagement and self-reflection rarely required by books on leadership. . . the Australian content is refreshing, as is the lack of evangelistic promises of immediate transformation. . . this book is firmly grounded in supporting the learning and skill development needed for maximum performance.' (Boss magazine, August p.55). -- The Australian Financial Review - AFR Boss
'If we were giving a graduate-level class in leadership and people management skills (I'm a UCLA Business and Management Program instructor) I would choose this book as the text. If a client asked for a great book to enhance his/her leadership skills, (we consult in organization, compensation and performance management) this would be one of first books I would suggest. It's that good! The book offers a comprehensive guide for developing leadership and people management skills. It's a powerful, broad-spectrum leadership toolkit with a wealth of information about skills and practices, and hundreds of suggestions and opinions from business and political leaders, consultants, and academics. This book is an outstanding resource for leaders and aspiring leaders. It is filled with an abundance of insights: the distinction it makes between a leader and a manager is one of the best, if not the best, we've read. Just a few of the subjects covered are: the leadership-as-servant philosophy; leaders as coaches and mentors; communication; motivation; leading and managing teams; women as leaders; managing power, politics and conflict; leading organizational and cultural change; creating an innovative organization; leadership and people management in high-tech, networked; and virtual organizations. Throughout the book are bullet-point lists, exercises, and to-the-point conclusions. It is clearly written and superbly organized. An excellent bibliography and subject index top off this outstanding work. We highly recommend this book.' -- Yvette Borcia and Gerry Stern, Stern's Management Review
'Maximum Performance
is a comprehensive business tome. Although it is designed for students, busy executives who use the chapter summaries or chapter sections to focus on topics that interest them will find the book useful. Organizations with large collections on management or leadership will want to buy it. Business researchers with limited library space or who are looking for a good summary of current management topics may also find the book of value. . . The strength of Maximum Performance
is its breadth. Forster touches on everything from whether leaders are born or made to Machiavellian strategies for dealing with toxic work environments. Anyone interested in ideas on leadership will likely find several sections of interest. Those sections that are particularly strong include the discussions on the different roles and organizational context of leadership, key issues in motivating employees, the team development process, and best practices in leading organizational change.' -- Scott R. Jenkins, Business Information Alert
'Nick Forster's large text is for MBA students. He writes in a clean, clear style and frankly admits that leadership and people-management skills cannot adequately be learned from books. He knows however that good books can help, and also that cliches of management can be inspirational and will be used widely though they call for close analysis of substance or context. He is in this a modern-day Samuel Smiles, equipped with a variety of diagnostic tools.' -- The Australian
Table of ContentsContents: Preface 1. The Foundations of Leadership and People Management 2. Personal Performance and Stress Management 3. Communication at Work 4. Employee Motivation, Empowerment and Performance 5. Leading and Managing Teams 6. Doing it Differently? The Emergence of Women Leaders 7. Managing Power, Politics and Conflict 8. Leading Organizational and Cultural Change 9. Innovation and Organizational Learning 10. Managing Employee Knowledge and Intellectual Capital 11. Leadership and People Management in High-Tech, Networked and Virtual Organizations 12. Leadership and Business Ethics Conclusion: Leading and Managing People at Work Appendix 1: The Business Case for Emotional Intelligence Appendix 2: The Benefits of Health and Wellness Programs Bibliography Index
