Sunday, September 26, 2010

Leadership the Eleanor Roosevelt Way - Timeless Strategies from the First Lady of Courage

Over a year ago when I was visiting my favorite library (the Upstart Crow, San Diego Seaport Village), I saw a book called the Eleanor Roosevelt Way Leadership. Because I'm a fan of Mrs. Roosevelt, I knew I had to pack, but then something happened and distracted me, and I left the library without a book in hand. One thing led to another and I never got to order it. So I was really happy when I visited again last month and the book washere!

Part biography, part leadership statement in the context of business, leadership Eleanor Roosevelt as an easy read and interesting. The author offers a chronological overview of the life of Mrs. Roosevelt and the lessons learned in each phase, which makes for a reasonably effective presentation.

My only quibble with this approach is that Gerber moves from time to time by the historical narrative to present an example of a business without much notice and called for closerPlease note that the book otherwise requested.

The focus of the book, not surprisingly, women in leadership positions, although many of the lessons transcend gender. The opening explains that the guide is particularly important for the gender differences that continue to win, with examples of business and politics. Similar disparities in the law and report to the National Association of Women Lawyers' Annual Report of the Third National Survey on the Conservation and Promotion of the specifiedWomen in law firms, which means it is among the top 200 law firms and women include:

* Less than 16% of shareholders equity;
* 15% of medium-high society of the Committee (and an additional 15% of companies have no women on committees) and
* 6% of the firm's managing partner.

In addition, the study found that male equity partners earn women outside an average of $ 87,000. While these statistics are of limited scope, they show that, at least in the companies studied, significantInequality remains. As Gerber wrote,

Although these problems are a bit 'different in nature or extent of the problems of the day of Eleanor, the solutions are on the same basis of: leadership. Why? Leadership is about change. It means consciously make a useful, ethical, and this lead to a process of mutual support and motivation of leaders and those who wait.

Gerber draws lessons of leadership among the various stages of the life of Mrs. Roosevelt. Wider rangeand in depth, the lessons are still instructive, and probably for the reader "to provoke reflection. For example, the following lessons (learned" the hard way ") derive from painful period in which Mrs. Roosevelt found FDR's affair with Lucy Mercer

1. Comment. Every leader experiences difficult circumstances, they can not control. The solution is to learn to say to the leaders to control their reaction. Self-control is a central leadership, because as Mrs. Roosevelt wrote, "theThey exert influence through his life and what it yourself. "Leaders must sample and reactive tendencies instead of reacting to problems.

2. Reflect. At a stroke, suffering, a leader must reflect on the situation and his response. A leader must understand thoroughly, including that of a crisis means to his self-esteem and sources of energy, it can draw on it.

3. Courage to change. When a crisis occurs, the fear is a natural reaction. Mrs. RooseveltThe answer is revealing: "Courage is more exhilarating than fear, and in the long term, it is easier not to become heroes to see the night, but one step at a time, everything that the meeting opens, which is not .. so bad as it looked to be discovered, we have the strength to look down. "

4. Accept the changes and actions taken. After some thought and have the courage to act must be a leader. Mrs. Roosevelt wrote: "People can overcome what appears to be total defeat, difficultytoo large to be worn, but requires the ability to re-adjust to continuously changing conditions of life. "Managers must learn to take measures in question and forward, which occur despite the setbacks on the road.

What are the benefits for lawyers? As shown in the example above, the lessons of leadership Gerber has often drawn from writings and speeches of Mrs. Roosevelt. Leadership the Eleanor Roosevelt Way offers many driving lessons, usually on a rather superficial level,is a general principle without compiling content in depth. Consequently, those who seek thorough discussion on the practical application of leadership or to be disappointed. If you like the story of Roosevelt, however, not a good spirit, but the discussion of the lessons of their current leadership, is likely to benefit from reading Eleanor Roosevelt Way of Leadership.

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