Features
- Cover Type: Hard Cover with 288 pages
- Published by: AMACOM
- Edition: 1st Edition May 5, 2000
- Written in: English
- ISBN 10 Number: 0814405436
- ISBN 13 Number: 978-0814405437
-
Book Dimensions:
9 x 6.1 x 1.4 inches
- Weighs: 1.2 pounds
From Publishers Weekly
Although their experiences may sometimes seem torturous, most managers aren't facing dangerous or life-threatening conditions. Even so, argues consultant Perkins, they would do well to learn from both triumphant and failed expeditions. A former Marine lieutenant, Perkins introduces ten key concepts he believes are essential to productive leadership with lively anecdotes from the adverse but ultimately successful expedition to the South Pole led by Ernest Shackleton in 1914 (his entire crew survived on the ice with almost no supplies or hope for rescue after their ship drifted off course and was crushed), which he contrasts with a disastrous Canadian expedition launched at almost the same time. Among the principles in the book's first half: "Minimize status differences and insist on courtesy and mutual respect"; "Take care of yourself, maintain your stamina and let go of your guilt"; "Set a personal example with visible, memorable symbols and behaviors." He also suggests that managers can benefit by keeping an "expedition log" in which they write about their current work situations. The second half of the book consists of four business case studies, including one of Malden Mills, a family-owned company that remained open despite fires that virtually shut down its operations. General readers are likely to find these studies less compelling, though experienced executives may identify with some of the management issues. (May)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
The New York Times, May 28, 2000
Perkins has distilled ten principles from [Shackleton's] survival experiences he offers them as a guide for business leadership at the edge.
Reader ReviewsThis is one of the most exciting books I have read in recent years. In collaboration with others, Perkins briefly reviews the key details of the "Shackleton Saga" before shifting his attention (in Part One) to ten leadership strategies which, he correctly suggests, have direct, indeed compelling relevance to the contemporary business world. They are: 1. Never lose sight of the ultimate goal, and focus energy on short-term objectives. 2. Set a personal example with visible, memorable symbols and behavior. 3. Instill optimism and self-confidence, but stay grounded in reality. 4. Take care of yourself: Maintain your stamina and let go of guilt. 5. Reinforce the team message constantly: "We are one -- we live or die together." 6. Minimize staff differences and insist on courtesy and mutual respect. 7. Master conflict -- deal with anger in small doses, engage dissidents, and avoid needless power struggles. 8. Find something to celebrate and something to laugh about. 9. Be willing to take the Big Risk. 10. Never give up -- there's always another move. Examine any of today's great organizations and you will encounter an abundance of evidence of these ten lessons' effectiveness. In Part Two, Perkins provides four case studies based on Business Communication Systems (AT&T/Lucent Technologies), Rice Health Systems, Weyerhaeuser Company, and Malden Mills. The material in Part Three suggests how to "lead at the edge" and then, in an Epilogue, Perkins provides his "perspective" on success and failure. Part Four consists of various resources: Critical Leadership Skills Survey, Your Leadership Expedition: A Personal Development Plan, Your Leadership Expedition Map, Further Readings from The Edge, and a wealth of notes on the text. From the time that Ernest Shackleton set sail (December 5, 1914) on the Endurance with his crew of 26 seamen and scientists until he and his crew finally reached South Georgia (May 10.1916), he steadfastly followed each of these ten strategies. The challenges encountered along the way ("at the edge") are almost beyond comprehension. All of these challenges are discussed in chilling detail in Caroline Alexander's brilliant study, The Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Anarctic Expedition (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1999). If you have a taste for great adventure and/or an interest in great leadership, I urge you to read Perkins'book, preferably in combination with Alexander's.
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