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Title: Flight of the Buffalo : Soaring to Excellence, Learning to Let Employees Lead by Ralph C. Stayer, James A. Belasco ISBN: 0-446-67008-1 Publisher: Warner Books Pub. Date: 01 August, 1994 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $14.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 4 (19 reviews)
Rating: 3
Summary: Too many personal reflections, lack of focus towards topic
Comment: The authors, James A. Belasco and Ralph C. Stayer, introduce their book as the "coming together of theory and practice". Dr. Belasco, a Ph. D. and professor at San Diego State University, describes his passion for teaching and research. Dr. Belasco is also a consultant and speaker in the ten to thirty thousand dollar range. In addition to teaching, Dr. Belasco owns and operates several businesses from software to specialty chemicals. Ralph C. Stayer operates a family owned sausage and food manufacturing / distribution business. Mr. Stayer was featured in a Tom Peters video, which launched his consulting career. Both authors speak of their similar beliefs and experiences in which "we became I"; henceforth the basis in which they wrote this book, and presented the topic in the first person.
Belasco and Stayer begin with discussing the need to change the readers leadership paradigm, "Out with the Old, In with the New". They analogize the old leadership style to a herd of Buffalo, with the leader as the head Buffalo and the followers as the herd. The comparison to the Buffalo herd is that they will not act independently without the guidance of the leading Buffalo, therefor the followers will stand idle and be slaughtered if the chief buffalo is killed first. The new and recommended leadership paradigm is analogized to a flock of geese, which has many leaders flying together in a "V" formation, all knowing where each other is going and endorsing the flock. The authors press onward with the "systematic method I developed for transforming buffalo into geese", the Leading the Journey (LTJ) leadership system. The system is based on the following principles:
Transfer ownership
Create the environment for ownership where each person wants to be responsible
Coach the development of personal capabilities
Learn faster and encourage others to do the same
The route the authors first take is a self-analysis of the culture derived from the leader actions, interactions and personal leadership s! tyle. "What am I doing or not doing, as a leader, that prevents them from assuming responsibility and performing at the new level?" Dr. Belasco and Mr. Stayer believe that all people will rise to the challenge, when it is their challenge. In transferring ownership, the authors present that "I am the Problem" in accepting the followers' responsibilities, similar to the Harvard Business Review article "Who's got the Monkey".
Intellectual capitalism is the term they define as the new order of business. The authors rarely use the term culture, yet they clearly describe that leaders must paint a clear picture of great performance for the organization and each individual. Leaders, through discussion, must focus individuals on the few factors that create great performance. In this environment, leaders must align organizational systems and structures to send a clear message as to what is necessary for this great performance to occur. Tapping into followers "Intellectual Capitalism" is great performance for the leader.
"Coaches help people see beyond where they are now." As a coach you help people raise their expectations, to constantly raise the bar towards great performance.
The authors address learning only as a display of experiences, and are negligent on providing any concrete methods such as continuing education or trade group forums.
This leads me to where I believe this book lets you down. While Dr. Belasco talked about his passion for research, however the book provides no theory based, research backed model of leadership. Most of the presentations are reflections of personal experiences by the authors as they relate to their own businesses or consulting jobs they have rendered. The substance of the book tangents off to some very good sales techniques, but does not contribute to supporting their "Lead the Journey" model. At one point in the book, they list seven pages of job classification for Johnsonville's sausage factory, while trying to parallel how the proper compensation syste! m sets the tone for goal orientation and alignment to great performance.
On the positive note, Flight of the Buffalo does attain some very insightful issues that relate to organizational culture. The authors discuss that "Actions must reflect the vision. I learned that the leader must live the vision, or no one else will." "Everything must contribute to creating the picture." "People wanted to see if I really did walk my customer-orientated talk."
To summarize the authors intended direction in the statement: "More than a thousand people work in my company, none of whom I control, but all of whom I have influence on through my leadership as set by the cultural orientation which I set as the Lead goose."
Too many personal reflections, lack of focus towards the topic, and no supportive documentation, dilute a good book with a good topic: Organizational culture.
Rating: 5
Summary: As a client said,"The best management book I have ever read"
Comment: Unlike most management texts, the Buffalo is written for all employees in any organization. The books's sub-caption is "Learning to let employees Lead" The Buffalo gets that across without ever using the buzzword, "empowerment," and it attacks the employee leadership issue with strong (and inspiring) emphasis on delivering great performance to the customer.
The Buffalo also has the marvelous ability to tranform thought and to get those who read it - from CEO to employees on the line - to realize that change must start with them, and to ask themselves, "How and where do I need to change?" This is essential, for as consultants we go into most every company and ask the CEO if these things are happening in his/her company. Inevitably the reply will be, "Yes, Yes, we are doing a, b and c." Then we ask the employees, and they say, "No way, not happening" Both sides really want it to happen, but it seldom happens in companies. Why? First because it really isn't easy, and second because top management is in fact typically trying to "fix" the employees. The employees sense it, don't like it, and believe that "it's top management that needs to be fixed." It is extremely difficult for CEO's or consultants to break this circle, but the Buffalo can be an enormous help - if both top managment and the employees read it -and then teams are organized to address how to implement it.
Yet even after top management and the employees have realized that change begins with themselves, to actually achieve employee leadership is still a challenge. Typical business press advice is that "CEO's must give up power." Incorrect and certainly not helpful. Here again the Buffalo shines, as in the second half of the book it provides exceptionally clear and practical examples of how one company did it - the systems they set up, and most importantly, how they measured their progress.
Landmark book.
Brooks Helmick
Managing Director
The IML Boston Group
Rating: 4
Summary: Good General Principles Trust Your Workers
Comment: These are good business principles to live by. Involve your workers, and better yet, make them feel like they are a vital part of your organization.
Read this with your employees.
My boss did this when I worked at Fond du Lac...and we got some good debate going.
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Title: Teaching the Elephant to Dance: The Manager's Guide to Empowering Change by James A. Belasco ISBN: 0452266297 Publisher: Plume Books Pub. Date: 01 July, 1991 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
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Title: Soaring with the Phoenix: Renewing the Vision, Reviving the Spirit, and Re-Creating the Success of Your Company by Jerre Stead, James A. Belasco ISBN: 044652400X Publisher: Warner Books Pub. Date: 01 March, 1999 List Price(USD): $25.00 |
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Title: PRINCIPLE CENTERED LEADERSHIP by Stephen R. Covey ISBN: 0671792806 Publisher: Free Press Pub. Date: 01 October, 1992 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
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Title: Who Moved My Cheese? An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life by Spencer Johnson, Kenneth H. Blanchard ISBN: 0399144463 Publisher: Putnam Pub Group (Paper) Pub. Date: 01 September, 1998 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: The Tao of Personal Leadership by Diane Dreher, Lao Tzu ISBN: 0887308376 Publisher: HarperBusiness Pub. Date: 15 January, 1997 List Price(USD): $15.95 |
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