The Classic Touch Lessons in Leadership from Homer to Hemingway

by Clemens, John; Mayer, Douglas

• ISBN13: 9780809227976
• ISBN10: 0809227975
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1999-11-01
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Education

Summary

"We all think that management is a twentieth-century, newly invented skill, but its roots go back thousands of years. This book is essential reading to learn that we cannont deal with today's problems without understanding yesterday's." -- Leonard A. Lauder, President, Estee Lauder Companies "A classic way to solve business problems." --U.S. News & World ReportIn Homer's day, a hostile takeover meant blood and arrows, not mergers and layoffs. However,The Iliadis still a valuable guide for steering the right course in today's tricky business world. Shakespeare'sKing Learhas more to say about succession, delegation, and decentralization than do most management texts. And Thoreau's "Walden" offers astute observations on what can happen when an organization gets too big. Captivating and instructive, this book is the first to tap the collective wisdom found in the classic works of Western literature and apply it to the problems of modern managers and leaders. Drawing on sources that range from Homer's time to Arthur Miller's, this treasure trove of passages and stories offers invaluable advice for solving today's most difficult business dilemmas. It addresses such issues as building a team and keeping it together, managing an acquisition once it's in place, eliminating daily distractions, and trusting your intuition. Whether you are reading these works for the first time or are revisiting old favorites,The Classic Touchoffers you a rich understanding of the art of leading. John K. Clemens, professor of management at Hartwick College, is the founder and executive director of the Hartwick Humanities in Management Institute, an organization that conducts leadership seminars for emerging leaders in Fortune 500 companies. He is also the coauthor ofMovies to Manage By: Lessons in Leadership from Great Films. Douglas F. Mayer is the former chairman of the economics and management department at Hartwick College. He is the coauthor of Shakespeare and Management--Othello, Macbeth, and Lear: Lessons About Behavior in Organizations.

Author Biography

John K. Clemens, professor of management at Hartwick College, is the founder and executive director of the Hartwick Humanities in Management Institute, an organization that publishes leadership cases and provides programs for emerging leaders in Fortune 500 companies. His articles have appeared in Fortune and the Wall Street Journal.

Douglas F. Mayer is the former chairman of the economics and management department at Hartwick College. He is the coauthor of Shakespeare and Management--Othello, Macbeth, and Lear: Lessons About Behavior in Organizations.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	xi
Introduction	xv
PART ONE THE CLASSICAL WORLD
Searching for Management Balance	1	(6)
Homer
Chronicler of Heroes	7	(24)
Plutarch
Biographer of Great Leaders	31	(22)
Plato
The Philosopher-Manager	53	(20)
Pericles
Father of Corporate Culture	73	(10)
Sophocles
The Psychology of Leadership	83	(18)
PART TWO THE RENAISSANCE
Triumph of Individual over Organization	101	(6)
Chaucer
Those Annoying Little Differences	107	(10)
Castiglione
More than a Renaissance ``Miss Manners''	117	(12)
Machiavelli
Prince of Power	129	(16)
Shakespeare
Timeless Management Insight	145	(36)
PART THREE THE INDUSTRIAL AGE
Triumph of the Organization	181	(8)
Edmund Burke
Look Backward Before Leaping Forward	189	(14)
John Stuart Mill
Participative Leadership	203	(14)
Charles Darwin
Only the Fittest Survive	217	(14)
Thoreau
Simplify, Simplify	231	(12)
Arthur Miller
Death of the Sales Force	243	(12)
Ernest Hemingway
Authority Versus Influeence	255	(14)
Notes	269	(10)
Bibliography	279	(8)
Index	287