The Oz Principle: Getting Results Through Individual and...

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 291 pages
• Published by: Prentice Hall Press
• Edition: 1st Edition October 15, 1998
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0735200432
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0735200432
• Book Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Weighs: 1.1 pounds

From Booklist
The "Land of Oz" has come to stand as a symbol for things not being as they seem. The three authors here, though, go to the basic theme of L. Frank Baum's classic: the trip to see the wizard is a journey of self-awareness and discovery, wherein the characters learn that only they themselves possess the power to fully realize or change their lives. The authors extend the metaphor of Dorothy, the tin man, the scarecrow, and the lion by describing the heart, courage, and wisdom needed to acknowledge, accept, and deal with circumstances and events as they are. The result is a willingness to accept responsibility, which leads to individual (and organizational) accountability. Connors and Smith head Partners in Leadership, a management consulting business that conducts seminars based on the Oz characterizations, and Hickman has written several management books, most recently Mind of a Manager, Soul of a Leader (1990). David Rouse --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Book Description
How people can move beyond victimization to overcome obstacles, accept responsibility, and rise to new heights of achievement.

"I didn't have enough time." "It's not in my job description." Many people and organizations have recognized the need to move away from this type of "blame game" and toward greater personal accountability at work, but few have known how to foster or maintain it--until The Oz Principle.

Now in paperback, The Oz Principle explores how people in business suffer from the same feelings of anxiety and helplessness that beset the characters in The Wizard of Oz. Through a broad mix of examples and stories, this book looks at how people use their victimization to justify inaction, excuse ineffectiveness, or rationalize poor performance. It shows how they can break through "above the line" with an attitude of accountability that empowers them to overcome problems, excuses and biases to achieve the results they want. Self-assessment charts and quizzes enable readers to chart their own path to personal empowerment and enhanced company performance. Working through this book is a true journey of discovery, the discovery that, just as in The Wizard of Oz, the real Wizard lives within each of us.

Reader Reviews
This review is from: The Oz Principle: Getting Results through Individual and Organizational Accountability (Hardcover) In this revised and updated edition, the co-authors share with their reader what they have learned since their book was first published in 1994. Then and now, their objectives are the same: "...to help people become more accountable for their thoughts, feelings, actions, and results; and so that they can move their organizations to even greater heights. And, as they move along this always difficult and often frightening path, we hope that they, like Dorothy and her companions, discover that they really do possess the skills they need to do whatever their hearts desire." In this volume, Connors, Smith, and Hickman invoke once again a core concept of a "Line" below which many (most?) people live much (most?) of the time. Theirs is the attitude of victimization: They get stuck on a "yellow brick road" by blaming others for their circumstances; they wait for "wizards" to wave their magic wands; and they expect all of their problems to disappear through little (if any) effort of their own. What to do? Connors, Smith, and Hickman explain (step-by-step) how to Live Above the Line by assuming much greater accountability for whatever results one may desire. This can be achieved through a four-step process: "See It": Recognize and acknowledge the full reality of a situation "Own It": Accept full responsibility for one's current experiences and realities as well as others' "Solve It": Change those realities by finding and implementing solutions to problems (often solutions not previously considered) while avoiding the "trap" of dropping back Below the Line when obstacles present themselves "Do It": Summon the commitment and courage to follow through with the solutions identified, especially when there is great risk in doing so How easy it is to summarize this four-step process...and how difficult it is to follow it to a satisfactory conclusion. (When composing brief commentaries such as this, I always fear trivializing important points.) Connors, Smith, and Hickman have absolutely no illusions about the barriers, threats, and challenges which await those who embark on this "journey" to accountability. As they indicate in this new edition of their book, they have accumulated a wealth of information during the past decade which both illustrates and reconfirms the importance of making a personal choice to rise above one's circumstances and assume the ownership of what is required to achieve desired results. This is precisely what Theodore Roosevelt had in mind when praising "the man in the arena" and what W.E. Henley asserts in the final stanza of "Invictus": "It matters not how straight the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul." Organizations are human communities within which everyone involved must somehow balance personal obligations to themselves with obligations to others. For me, the interdependence of these obligations best illustrates the importance of the Oz Principle: "Accountability for results at the very core of continuous improvement, innovation, customer satisfaction, team performance, talent development and corporate governance movements so popular today." Connors, Smith, and Hickman go on to observe, "Interestingly, the essence of these programs boils down to getting people to rise above their circumstances and do whatever it takes (of course, within the bounds of ethical behavior) to get the results they want," not only for themselves but also for everyone else involved in the given enterprise. Connors, Smith, and Hickman cite Winston Churchill's admonition, "First we shape our structures, and then our structures shape us." Were the Steps to Accountability easy to take, if everyone lived and labored Above the Line, there would be no need for this book. There is much of value to be learned from L. Frank Baum's account of the perilous journey which Dorothy and her companions share. What they finally realized -- and so must we -- is that, to paraphrase Pogo, "We have met the Wizard and he is us." Comment | | (Report this)