Book Review

BY DIANA MARIE

Through this book, Russell E. Palmer offers a unique look at what often seems like a cliched topic – Leadership. Based on his diverse experience, Palmer talks about the idea of a suitable leadership model for each situation and observes that depending on the organisational style, a different leadership style is more appropriate.

Ultimately, he says, leadership boils down to inspiration. The ability to help organisations weather stormy seas and mould their culture to change with changing times is the ultimate test of your ability to lead. Understanding and applying principles is not enough. The leadership approach needs to change with the context of the situation. Palmer notes that one of the biggest mistakes a leader can make is to fail to understand that what works in the leader’s own organisation can be very wrong in other contexts that may be a part of the leader’s wider responsibilities. He tells stories about how he has seen leaders who were brilliant in shaping their own organisations fail utterly when they found themselves in leadership roles in very different organisations. Why that happens will be the theme as he described a number of different leadership contexts and explored the special challenges facing their leaders. Each context requires a different approach to leadership.

Leadership is never a coincidence. Palmer stresses that it is built on character and performance standards to which everyone is held accountable.