FREE ESSAY ON THE LEADERSHIP MOMENT

THE LEADERSHIP MOMENT

The Leadership Moment is a collection of nine true stories of triumph and disaster and
their lessons for us all. The stories are familiar: Eugene Kranz and Apollo 13; John
Gutfreund and Salomon Brothers; Joshua Lawrence 
Chamberlain and the Civil War, to name a few. The stories are drawn from the past and
present, represent a wide-range of challenges that include both natural and man-made
disasters, and illustrate lessons of success and failure. 
The author, Michael Useem, is the director of the Wharton School's Center for Leadership
and Change Management. He does a superb job of relating the events and definitive moments
of each narrative. Events unfold with the right mix of facts and drama to keep the reader
interested. Lessons, or implications as Useem calls them, are woven throughout the
narratives. Charts and pictures supplement the text where appropriate. The nine stories
are sandwiched by an introduction and conclusion. All the implications presented in the
book, about 40, are summarized in a final chapter called A Leader's Guide. 
The book assumes that much can be learned about leadership by the successes and failures
of others. The author's concluding chapter extracts nine leadership principles from the
nine leadership moments: know yourself, explain yourself, expect much, gain commitment,
build now, prepare yourself, move fast, find yourself, and remain steadfast. 
The Leadership Moment reads like an adventure novel. Even the book's cover, mountain
climbers trudging up a foreboding slope, promotes a sense of intrigue and danger. Useem
is a great storyteller. His selection of narratives provokes many thoughts about
leadership triumphs and disasters. 
My only real frustrations with the book stem from the implications and the nine
leadership principles. The 40 implications that Useem introduces across the nine chapters
can overwhelm a reader. Even though he summarizes them in the Leadership Guide, I doubt
most people will remember more than about five once they put the book away. Readers will
more likely remember the nine short-and-simple principles. Unfortunately, their
introduction at the end of the book gives the appearance that they are an afterthought.
Useem should introduce them at the beginning and help the reader understand the context
for selecting each narrative. 
The Leadership Moment is easy reading. I kept the book in my car and read it during the
10-15 minutes I often spend waiting to pick up my daughter at school or the bus stop. The
short-story format is perfect for the person with lots of fragmented time. The Leadership
Moment is a great addition to your reading list. 
Lynn Heinrichs is associate dean of the College of Business and associate professor of
computer information systems. Her interests include data communications, networks, and
information technology management