Review Subject: How to Grow Leaders: The Seven Key Principles of Effective Leadership Development

Citation

McVanel, S. (2010), "Review Subject: How to Grow Leaders: The Seven Key Principles of Effective Leadership Development", Leadership & Organization Development Journal, Vol. 31 No. 1, pp. 98-99. https://doi.org/10.1108/01437731011010425

John Adair is the author of over 50 books on a range of leadership topics, including motivation, creative thinking, innovation, inspiration and decision making. Argued to be the author of the “first” leadership book, Training for Leadership (1968), he is recognized internationally for his contributions to the field.

Adair clearly states that this current text, How to Grow Leaders: The Seven Key Principles of Effective Leadership Development, is his most personal and reflective of all his writings. The reader is invited to join him on a reflective “personal odyssey”, and thereby doing, must suspend expectations of a traditional leadership text; the writing style is casual and anticdotal, and is a mixture of philosophy, theory and personal experience. “I am handing the torch to you. May it help you to help others to grow as leaders. May it – if all else fails – be a star on your own personal journey towards excellence as a leader” (p. 5).

This text is divided into two main parts. Part one, Exploring Leadership – A Personal Odyssey, considers leadership from a qualities approach (what leaders have to be), group or functional approach (what leaders have to do), and situational approach (what leaders have to know). In part two, How to Grow Leaders – The Seven Principles, he covers:

1. 1.

   training for leadership;

2. 2.

   selection;

3. 3.

   line managers as leadership mentors;

4. 4.

   the chance to lead;

5. 5.

   education for leadership;

6. 6.

   a strategy for leadership development; and

7. 7.

   the chief executive.

Not surprisingly, there is helpful advice for those of us in the field with responsibilities for launching or sustaining leadership development activities in our organizations. Such advice includes:

• •

  Descriptions of the six functions required of all leaders – planning, initiating, controlling, supporting, informing and evaluating.

• •

  Seven generic attributes or qualities of leaders – enthusiasm, integrity, toughness or “demandingness” coupled with fairness, humanity, confidence, humility and courage.

• •

  Signs of organizational readiness for “leadership activities”.

• •

  Needs assessment questions for leadership training.

• •

  Five leadership competencies with behavioural examples – leadership and teamwork abilities, decision‐making abilities, communication abilities, self‐management abilities and personal qualities.

Adair also leaves the reader with, at times controversial, “food for thought” about key issues in the field. He believes that too great an emphasis has been placed on the “manager versus leader” debate, which has fuelled a “wild goose chase” as well as “the absurd notion that organizations need ‘leaders’ at the top and a staff of ‘managers’ at all levels below them” (p. 34). He also states that when organizations are not ready for “leadership activities”, they must take heed of this, and furthermore, not simply turn to external “experts”; “To make matters worse, the self‐nominated guides [academics, consultants, teachers] are as blind themselves” (p. 62). He also stresses that no leader should be appointed to a role or position unless she or he has received training and preparation for the role. Finally, he stresses leaders grow despite what organizations have to offer; leadership “transcends organizations, for it is society that grows leaders” and the educational institutions that work with potential leaders during their “formative years” are thereby “are the second nurseries of leaders” (p. 144).

Less controversial in nature is the notion that organizations are most successful when leadership excellence exists at all three levels – strategic, operational and team. He notes that when choosing leaders, chose those who are leaders already, including emergent leaders who display natural talent and abilities (e.g. Ghandi).

Overall, Adair's dominate references are to the military and British educational institutions, and arguably, less transferable to an international audience of readers. For those with such organizational contexts or interests, however, this book may be of particular value, with appealing practical and metaphorical references.

This book might be a helpful resource in one's already diverse library of leadership texts. This reviewer would argue, however, that it does not provide sufficient evidence‐based data, theory, practice advice or concrete plans to be used as a stand‐alone reference. Fortunately, there is a proliferate library of books and articles on the topic of leadership, talent development and the like that should be used in tandem with this most recent contribution to the field.