Leading Quietly: An Unorthodox Guide to Doing the Right Thing

FROM OUR EDITORS

The Barnes & Noble Review
During the height of the recent economic boom, business books aggressively trumpeted the virtues of "self-branding," a term that seemed to suggest a socially acceptable (although still unpleasant) form of self-aggrandizement. Shouldn't today's executives -- who are, after all, entrusted with the well-being of our economy -- dedicate themselves to something more meaningful than the endless process of self-promotion extolled in these books? Now that the proverbial pendulum has swung the other way, bringing us into an era where the basics of management are once again receiving attention, the time is right for the insights that Joseph L. Badaracco Jr., the acclaimed author of Defining Moments, offers in this thoughtful, engaging volume. Eschewing the myth that great leaders are oversize personalities who get immediate results, Badaracco instead focuses on flexible individuals who can appreciate the multiple realities of a problematic situation and take considered action that will lead to long-term success. As he notes, "preparation, care, and attention to detail are usually the best approach to everyday challenges." If these are managerial qualities that you'd like to develop, this book is the perfect introduction.

After introducing the basics of quiet leadership, Badaracco narrates the story of Rebecca Olson, the CEO of a hospital who was faced with a difficult situation when a member of her staff was charged with sexual harassment. This story, in turn, leads Badaracco to develop four guiding principles -- "you don't know everything," "you will be surprised," "keep an eye on the insiders," and "understand the distinction between realism and cynicism" -- that are essential to his discussion of realistic leadership. The rest of the book proceeds in a similar fashion, with key ideas arising out of and illuminating actual stories of people struggling with complex dilemmas. Indeed, it is that commitment to the complexity of workplace-related issues that is, I think, one of the strongest features of the book. It's easy for any of us to read a list of general principles but considerably tougher to implement those principles in the complicated, often fractured world we inhabit for five days out of every week. Badaracco offers a vision of leadership that is not only deeply inspiring but achievable and practical as well. (Sunil Sharma)

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"Most of us think of leaders as courageous risk takers, orchestrators of major events - in a word, heroes. Yet while such figures are inspiring and admirable, Harvard Business School Professor Joseph Badaracco argues that their larger-than-life accomplishments are simply not what makes the world work. What does, he says, is the sum of millions of small yet consequential decisions that men and women working far from the limelight make every day: how a line worker for a pharmaceutical company responds when he discovers a defect in a product's safety seal; how a manager deals with a valued employee suspected of stealing; how a trader handles a transaction error that will cost a client money." "Badaracco calls them "quiet leaders" - people who choose responsible, behind-the-scenes action over public heroism to resolve tough leadership challenges. These indidviduals don't fit the stereotype of the bold and gutsy leader, and they don't want to. What they want is to do the "right thing" for their organizations, their coworkers, and themselves - but inconspicuously and without casualties. They do so by being baldly realistic about the complexities of their own motives and those of the dilemmas they face. In today's fast and fluid business world, nothing is as it seems. And they know it." Drawing from a four-year study of quiet leadership, Badaracco presents eight practical and counterintuitive guidelines for confronting situations in which right and wrong seem like moving targets. Grounding each strategy in an engaging story, he shows how these "non-heroes" succeed by managing their political capital, buying themselves time, bending the rules, and more.

SYNOPSIS

Badaracco (business ethics, Harvard) observes that the most effective leaders are rarely public heroes or high-profile champions of causes. His study of "quiet leadership," carried out over four years, presents a series of stories describing quiet leaders at work and drawing practical lessons for executives and aspiring corporate leaders. The cases include a hospital CEO dealing with a case of sexual harassment; a bank president under pressure to remove underperforming but longtime employees; and a high-tech marketing rep who learned that his company was dumping obsolete equipment on its small customers. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

When we think of great leaders, it's usually the charismatic, globally influential Churchill, Patton, Jack Welch who spring to mind. But as Harvard Business School professor Badaracco (Defining Moments: When Managers Must Choose Between Right and Right) correctly points out, everyday leadership is not so dramatic, and daily leadership decisions are rarely carried out at the top of an organization. Badaracco focuses here is on helping the middle- and senior-level managers who make the ordinary decisions that ultimately determine an organization's success. As he puts it: "What usually matters are careful, thoughtful, small, practical efforts by people working far from the limelight. In short, quiet leadership is what moves and changes the world." Out of a four-year study of these real-life leaders, Badaracco describes eight strategies for making effective leadership decisions in murky situations where the "right" thing is far from obvious. The strategies range from the commonsensical (truly examine the question at hand; don't ignore corporate politics) to the counterintuitive (don't expect to be wholly altruistic and accept that some of your motives are self-interested; try not to make important decisions as quickly as possible). Badaracco presents each principle with a brief introduction, followed by a case study and summary of the lessons to be learned. The sum is a useful checklist middle-level managers can put to work immediately. (Feb. 11) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Soundview Executive Book Summaries

Every profession and walk of life has its great figures, leaders and heroes, people who are exalted for their achievements and treated as role models. Yet, in day-to-day life, we often find that the most effective leaders are rarely public heroes; they maintain a low profile, yet they do what is right (for themselves and their organizations) inconspicuously and without casualties.

These are the "quiet leaders" Joseph L. Badaracco, Jr. studies and celebrates in Leading Quietly, those whose modesty, restraint and patience are in large part responsible for their impressive achievements. Citing the results of four years of research, Badaracco identifies a set of common guidelines all quiet leaders follow, and notes how the seemingly small steps these leaders take often result in the biggest, most successful actions of an organization.

Badaracco writes that quiet leaders are realists; they see the world as it is, and, in the process, tend to have similar ways of viewing their professional environment. They recognize that anything can happen and, in the course of doing business, people and events can surprise, dismay and astonish. Things can turn out to be better or worse than expected, requiring leaders to move carefully and seize opportunities while they can.

Embracing Complexity
Leaders who embrace complexity, both in the world around them and within themselves, are more likely to succeed at difficult everyday challenges than individuals who try to airbrush away those stubborn realities and mixed motives. When faced with a challenge, effective leaders rarely rush forward with "The Answer"; instead, they often look for ways to beg, borrow and steal a little time. Badaracco writes that they recognize the positive effects time can have on a difficult situation.

He also writes that these leaders succeed by using other tactics, such as quick fixes and strategic stalling. Quick fixes are the small things that enable leaders to deflect or delay something or someone. They involve few risks, and buy just a little time, but they can be effective. Strategic stalling involves tactics that buy large amounts of time - increasing the challenge and level of risk proportionally. In such cases, the rationale for a significant delay should be substantive and should look like and be something that an effective manager would do in a particular situation.

Before effective leaders get involved in risky or uncertain efforts, Badaracco writes that they check to see just how much political capital they have - an intangible entity consisting mainly of the person's reputation and relationships at work, and the perception others have of that person. When quiet leaders take action on a difficult problem, they pay close attention to how much of this intangible capital they are risking and the likely returns on their investment.

When to Put Political Capital at Risk
Quiet leaders know that problems that seem simple and familiar are sometimes risky and complicated; hence, before they put their political capital at risk, they think about those risks and the possible rewards, considering what course of action would have the greatest possible impact with the least risk and cost. In the best case, doing what they feel is right will improve their reputations and relationships.

Bending the rules is not something we associate with responsible leadership; real leaders, according to the conventional view, play by the rules because they see it as their duty and it sets the right example for others in their organization. Day-to-day life situations are, however, often more complicated, revealing cases in which strict adherence to the rules might do more harm than good.

Seize Opportunities
Because the world is ambiguous and uncertain, quiet leaders must respond in a particular way. They typically are reluctant to break the rules, but they don't want to obey them mechanically and cause harm. In these instances, Badaracco writes, they look for imaginative or creative ways to bend the rules without breaking them. When they find a way to bend the rules, they seize the opportunity and use it to uphold their values and commitments.

Despite careful efforts, a leader's commitment to solving a problem might lead him or her into situations in which the path ahead is far from clear, leaving the leader with no choice but to improvise to find a solution. Badaracco writes that this means they must find ways to nudge, test and carefully escalate their efforts. Instead of trying to crack the case, they look for ways to work the problem.

Badaracco writes that quiet leaders believe that crafting a compromise is often a valuable opportunity to learn and exercise practical wisdom, and to defend and express important values in enduring, practical ways. The other guidelines that quiet leaders follow are all critical steps toward this final goal of developing workable, responsible ways to resolve everyday ethical problems. Crafting a compromise is often the best way to do this.