Person-Centered Leadership

Book excerpt: From the Business Community... "Person-Centered Leadership builds on that foundation of caring for every individual in the organization and takes it to the next level. It features engaging ′people first/team result′ anecdotes from a variety of American companies and straightforward ′how-tos′ for becoming the kind of leader (not just business) that people love to work for and be associated with. We′ll use it as a discussion for one of our upcoming staff get-togethers." --Michael A. Fisher, Premier Manufacturing Support Services "Dr. Plas′s book provides insights into aspects of human behavior that enhance effective management skills. She affirms that respecting employees as individuals with unique talents and needs within the workplace creates a productive atmosphere that results in happier people and higher profits. This book is now required reading for everyone in our firm who manages people. I totally agree with Dr. Plas′s conclusions about competent leadership and its positive impact on all aspects of the individual and the company." --Bill W. Shoptaw, Shoptaw-James, Inc. From the Academic Community.. "I found particularly interesting the insightful comment that past teamwork and TQM efforts are flawed because they have not rewarded individuals. This suggests a new form of team with individual recognition and elaborated roles for members. The key ideas of related individualism, authenticity, and acceptance of strength and weakness provide guidelines for transforming organizations. There are three chapter-long case studies and a number of shorter examples that add much interest to the book. I would recommend the reader to look at the ′person-centered principles′ that accompany the three chapter-long cases in the second part of the book and the ′actions, hints, and cautions′ sections in the boxes in Chapter 13. I found the ideas to be well presented and insightful and the case studies to be rich and interesting. I think the practical suggestions in the final chapter will be helpful to managers who try to apply the book′s recommendations for change." --Joseph Seltzer, Department of Management, La Salle University Why hasn′t TQM (total quality management) worked as well in the U.S. as it has elsewhere? In the United States, employees seem to prefer recognition of individual achievement over recognition of the work team. Could the American cultural emphasis on the individual be a crucial factor? This engagingly written textbook demonstrates that the recent participatory management failures are the result of a lack of appreciation for the cultural role of rugged individualism. Offering an alternative, person-centered leadership, which puts the individual at the very center of the management approach, author Jeanne M. Plas demonstrates effective, psychology-based, person-centered management techniques using contemporary examples--many of them drawn from her research and consulting work with successful U.S. businesses and CEOs. Topics include: A historical overview of the relationship of the individual to the corporation. The response of new leaders to the problem of rapid technological and social change that outpaces the development of cultural attitudes. Illustrations of a variety of person-centered leadership approaches that fit different companies and different managerial styles. Specific strategies that leaders and managers can use to bring out the best in themselves, their associates, and their organizations.