Provocateur, Why Great Leaders Are Educators, Entertainers, Sages, and Sherpa Guides--But Not Generals

Success in the old economy used to be based on command and control, the photo of the leader on the cover of Business Week or Fortune with arms folded, looking strong, ready to issue orders. They looked like generals and in fact many modeled their leadership on Patton and other legendary military figures. They thought of business is a zero-sum game. If I win, you have to lose. This model is wrong for today's world, one in which technology is rapidly changing both the content and context of business.

"The Provocateur" provides an alternative - leaders who don't just build companies but create communities. They are Educators (like Steve Jobs of Apple) who believe that learning involves listening to customers and creating a dialogue; Entertainers (like Herb Kelleher of Southwest Airlines) who build a bond with employees and customers through talent and charisma; Sages who are intellectually vibrant and curious, whose interests are not limited to business but include literature, art and music; Sherpas (like Candice Carpenter of iVillage) who guide others along uncertain paths, developing individual skills and strengthening commitment; and Head Concierges (like Lou Gerstner of IBM) who believe the product is important but so is customer service, delivery, financing and every other element, a person who keeps everything running smoothly from check-in to check-out and who knows how to solve problems when theyarise.

In today's business world it's easy to say "we need to innovate, " or "think out of the box, " but we all know how hard that is to do and especially how difficult it is to lead and encourage others to think that way. Weber, with a proven track record, describes how other leaders create environments that challenge employees to take risks, challenge norms, and create new approaches and how you can employ these techniques for yourself.