The Leader-Manager: Guidelines for Action (William D. Hitt)

I borrowed William Hitt's The Leader-Manager: Guidelines for Action from my own manager many months ago after asking for book recommendations. In the meantime, many other books got onto my reading lists, and I've just finished this one. Fortunately, being published in 1988 means that another 6 months didn't hurt it at all.

The author approaches leadership from a practical perspective, proposing what he calls a "functional" theory of leadership. This is compared to the functional theories of management where the functions of a manager (leader) in this case are laid out and the specific methods for fulfilling those roles are left up to the individual. Eight functions of a leader are proposed and described:

1. Creating a Vision
2. Developing the Team
3. Clarifying the Values
4. Positioning
5. Communicating
6. Empowering
7. Coaching
8. Measuring

Executing those 8 functions well is the job of a true leader-manager, one who acts as a change agent in their organization. The leader-manager is described as one who creates a vision (knows where to go) and then puts it into action (leads a team to get there). Contrasting leadership styles are put on a traditional 2x2 matrix; the Victim neither knows where to go nor manages to get there, the Doer cares naught for vision, but simply action, and the Dreamer is full of possibility, but doesn't get off their duff.

From the beginning, The Leader-Manager looks like a textbook. There is no fancy cover or attempt to be more than it is, a list of actions for managers who want to be leaders. The eight functions are clearly described, with rationale for each one and at least one list of possible activities to bring it about. Some might argue that Hitt takes a checklist approach to management that fails to incorporate the softer side of things. This is certainly true, but the issue would seem to be that his approach is not incorrect, but rather insufficient. For a leader or manager looking to cover all their bases, this book provides a solid foundation for further study and practice.

Overall Rating: 3 out of 4