Routledge Leaders in Transition: The Tensions at Work as New Leaders Take Charge

Leaders in Transition brings a new perspective on why some leaders succeed more than others when taking charge of an organisation. Based on in-depth case studies, when four new leaders and their teams in large and complex international organisations were tracked for over a year, this book uncovers that success in managing transition is directly related to leaders' ability to balance tensions, appropriately to the context. The reasons for each leader's effectiveness are explored and analysed, allowing the authors then to extrapolate some general conclusions about the ways in which these tensions reveal themselves during all leadership transitions. Evidently, the success or failure of a new leader is the result of the way multiple actors (the new leader, his or her boss, his organisation and its stakeholders) behave, before and during the taking charge. These multiple interactions are revealed and discussed. Review "Amado and Elsner bring us something readers so rarely get: no-nonsense factual accounts of leaders taking charge in a range of contexts. Then the authors cut through the complexity of the data to show us what factors really made the difference between success and failure. This has got to be one of the most insightful and practical leadership books that I have read for a long time."--Graham Prentice, Global Human Resources Director, Nestle Nutrition "Faced with the demands and stresses of challenging, unfamiliar roles even experienced managers need points of reference to guide them, and against which to analyse and assess their actions. The tensions identified in this book will be readily recognized by all managers who have ever sought to improve themselves and to understand how they can become more effective leaders. Practical, accessible and enlightening."--Richard Barker, General Manager, Commercial Network, Post Office Ltd. "In a world of rather strident treatises on leadership, the work of Gilles Amado and Richard Elsner stands out for its thoughtfulness, rigour and applicability to the complex, real-life workplace. The research underpinning their findings is impressive, but they never lose touch with the need to apply this to the professional challenges business leaders face today. This is a book which is thought-provoking, readable and useful--and one worth returning to whenever one faces a new leadership challenge."--Deborah Loudon, Director General, Civilian Personnel, The Ministry of Defence "Newly appointed leaders in today's internet world have to hit the ground running, and to know how to take early advantage of their very newness. I wish I had had the benefit of Amado and Elsner's insights before I faced the challenges of taking the official helm of a Government Department. The psychodynamic analysis they offer will help an new leader make sense of the conflicting tensions and mix of emotions that they are bound to encounter when they push down on the accelerator of change. The candid testimony of the leaders who managerial journeys the authors followed provide telling personal insights into what works, and what both set-backs and ultimate success feel like, inspiring that extra confidence to strike out boldly."--Sir David Omand, GCB, ex-Permanent Secretary of the Home Office and of the Cabinet Office, Great Britain "This is one of the rare management books which focuses on the extraordinary decisive first moments in a new position. Success effectively depends on the emotional intelligence that is applied to understand the specifics of the organizations rather than on the technical skills. In-depth case studies are presented that make this book very useful and easy to read. I recommend it to all managers who wish to give a real boost to their own career."--Concetta Lanciaux, Advisor to the Chairman, LVMH Group About the Author Gilles Amado