Wiley-Blackwell 10 Virtues of Outstanding Leaders: Leadership and Character: 09 (Foundations of Business Ethics)

Review “Ten Virtues of Outstanding Leaders is an extraordinarily insightful, compelling, and timely discussion of the very foundation of leadership—the character of leaders. Al Gini and Ronald Green powerfully and persuasively make the case that it’s imperative for leaders to be attuned to their ethical responsibility to others. And they are right. All the programs to develop leaders, all the courses and classes, all the books and tapes, all the blogs and Websites offering tips and techniques are meaningless unless the people who are supposed to follow believe in the person who's supposed to lead. In an era in which it often seems that anything goes, it’s vital that every leader and every leadership educator take Gini’s and Green’s message to heart. It’s vital not only to their personal success, it’s vital to the long-term viability of our society. Ten Virtues of Outstanding Leaders is a must-read, and I urge you to get started immediately.”   —Jim Kouzes, coauthor of the bestselling The Leadership Challenge and The Dean's Executive Fellow of Leadership, Leavey School of Business, Santa Clara University “Ten Virtues of Outstanding Leaders is a thoughtful and thorough exploration of that knottiest of all leadership questions - what constitutes "good" leadership? Gini and Green have been wrestling with related issues for years, and it shows. The book is a valuable contribution to the never ending discussion of what it takes to lead wisely and well.”—Barbara Kellerman, Harvard Kennedy School, and author and editor of many books on leadership and followership including, most recently, The End of Leadership and Leadership: Essential Selections on Power, Authority, and Influence  “Few leadership books mine the field of philosophy for its practical knowledge. Few use the treasury of insights available in the writings of philosophers that speak to issues of character and ethics, ones that are critical for successful leadership. Fewer still apply those insights to living examples of leadership: Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, and Steve Jobs. In their new book, Ten Virtues of Outstanding Leaders, the philosophers Gini and Green do all this, and more.”—Thomas Donaldson, Mark O. Winkelman Professor, The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Director of the Zicklin Center for Business Ethics Research, and coauthor of Ties that Bind: A Social Contracts Approach to Business Ethics Product Description What makes a good leader? Ten leaders, ten key virtuesThis readable distillation of the core common features of successful leaders shows how an individual's character, and especially their virtue, is the defining factor. Without these ten vital virtues, leadership becomes "misleadership." The authors, both renowned business ethicists, combine theory with fascinating biographical detail on exemplary leaders such as Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, and Oprah Winfrey. The result is an accessible text on the ethics of leadership which, unlike many publications that claim to reveal the secrets of success as a leader, is informed by a wealth of exceptional academic experience. Review “If this was, indeed, their intention, I believe they have been entirely successful.  Also, as I said earlier, it's a very good read.  And, if that phrase seems to trivialise it, let me add that it includes an abundance of references and signposts to sources of further study, which gives it undoubted academic cachet.”  (New Nurturing Potential, 1 July 2013) From the Inside Flap Arguing that an individual’s character—particularly as constituted by ten particular virtues—is the core factor in determining leadership ability, this book offers a fresh perspective on a subject which has spawned hundreds of books claiming to share the secret ingredients of a leader’s success. Here, exemplars as varied as Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, Steve Jobs, and Oprah Winfrey provide the evidence for ten core leadership virtues