Music and Academe Miller, Rodney E. Institutionalizing Music: The Administration of Music Programs in Higher Education. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas, 1993, 203 pp. Miller's book is organized around the process of the institutionalization of music, which he defines as a process of indoctrination of music literature; instruction on procedures for learning, digesting, and producing music; and exposure to those who carry out indoctrination and instruction. His interest rests in "non-aesthetic dimensions" of music programs in higher education, which leads to his focus on the roles and responsibilities of students, faculty, and administrators as well as interactions between these constituencies. His six chapters cover music as a bureaucratic enterprise, a historical sketch of music in American higher education, qualities of music administrators (demographics; skills in governance, leadership, and management; role orientation using multidimensional scaling), faculty (traits, hiring, retention, evaluation), students (marketing, recruiting, retention, competition), and strategic planning. The bibliography is extensive, albeit now dated.
Musical Chairs: Management Handbook for Music Executives in Higher Education, ed. Frederick Miller, Robert J. Werner, and William Hipp. Missoula, MT: The College Music Society, 2006, 124 pp. This book serves as both a primer and resource for music executives and is the most recent publication intended specifically for administrators in music. Its fourteen chapters by various authors address leadership, management skills, strategic planning, enrollment management, music curricula, budgeting, personnel and legal issues, facilities (architecture, planning, and acoustics), instruments and equipment, technology, fundraising, and special issues for smaller music units. Most chapters offer straight-forward, pragmatic information and advice, while others invite the reader to be reflective in considering the characteristics of excellent leadership.
Nettl, Bruno. Heartland Excursions: Ethnomusicological Reflections on Schools of Music. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1995, 170 pp. A renowned ethnomusicologist turns his gaze inward to explore and explain the culture of a major music school, dubbed "Heartland U." Nettl approaches this culture through four perspectives: as a religious or social system ("In the Service of Masters"), a mixture of social classes ("Society of Musicians"), the meeting of different music cultures ("A Place for All Musics"), and the study, development, and performance of a musical canon ("Forays into the Repertory"). Alternating between the perspectives of a "native informant" (a longtime professor) and a "scholar from Mars," this fascinating ethnographic study offers a revealing look at the rituals of musical academe and its culture.
Interpersonal Skills Bernstein, Albert. Dinosaur Brains: Dealing with All THOSE Impossible People at Work. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1988, 256 pp. This humorous and insightful book addresses important matters of working effectively with people. Using a dinosaur brain as a metaphor, Bernstein and Rozen walk through their definitions of "Lizard Logic" (get it now; the triple F response; be dominant, defend the territory; get the mate; if it hurts, hiss; like me, good—not like me, bad) and then suggest ways of addressing such logic when it stares one in the face. In a very subtle way, the book suggests that leaders are just as prone to acting with the logic of lizards. Also included is a brief bibliography.
Fisher, Roger and William Ury. Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In. New York: Penguin Books, 1981, 161 pp. This thin volume is a classic in the negotiation literature that arose out of the Harvard Negotiation Project. Divided into four chapters, Fisher and Ury explain the problems that arise when one bargains over positions instead of focusing on solutions. Their method includes separating the people from the problem, focusing on interests instead of positions, inventing options for mutual gain, and insisting on objective criteria for evaluation. Chapter three provides suggestions for difficult situations when negotiations begin to break down, including finding the best alternative to a negotiated agreement (BATNA). There is no bibliography.
Maisel, Eric. Twenty Communication Tips @ Work. Novato, CA: New World Library, 2001, 127 pp. This brief book provides tips and guides on ways to build good and sustainable relationships at work. The twenty tips focus on clarity of expression, effective ways of responding to people, and being mindful of agendas. Interspersed among the tips are sections that address communicating via e-mail, strategies for handling performance anxiety, building networks, bringing positive attention and clarity to your and your organization's message, and how to ask for what you want. There is no bibliography.
Mauboussin, Michael J. Think Twice; Harnessing the Power of Counterintuition. Cambridge: Harvard Business Press, 2009, 190 pp. While there certainly are times when one relies on instincts, Mauboussin makes a compelling argument for the power of rational thinking, particularly in complex situations that require us to step back, consider the full range of options, be aware of confirmation bias, tunnel vision, halo effects ("making specific inferences based on general impressions"), or the undue influence of purported experts. Arguing for one being cognizant of the situational dynamic that influences decisions, he explores when intuition may work and when it will not, and of accepting evidence even when one does not want to. He encourages the development of good decision-making, which rests in being aware of one's decision-making processes (he suggests keeping a decision journal) and being critically reflective of decisions made. Thoroughly documented with many case studies, it contains a sixteen-page bibliography.
Nierenberg, Roger. Maestro: A Surprising Story about Leading by Listening. London: Penguin Books, 2009, 120 pp. This brief book is an outgrowth from The Musical Paradigm, a program that places executives into a rehearsal by a professional symphony orchestra. It tells the story of a struggling fictitious executive who eventually learns leadership skills in listening carefully, building a larger, more inclusive vision, developing team ownership, and inspiring individuals to perform their best.
Patterson, Kerry, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, Al Switzler. Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High. New York McGraw Hill, 2012, 244 pp. This useful book focuses on developing skills and strategies toward holding productive conversations when they count the most. In this respect, it is not a book of theory but of application. A crucial conversation is defined as any conversation that affects one’s life, one in which opinions vary, stakes are high, and emotions are strong (1). The eleven chapters explore how one masters crucial conversations, which includes developing effective dialogue skills, understanding one’s role in controlling change, understanding one’s motives and goals, working on both a problem and the relationship, setting up choices, building safety, and finding a way to meet through mutual purpose, The authors present various skills through acronyms, such as CRIB (Commit to seek mutual purpose, Recognize the purpose behind a strategy, Invent mutual purpose, Brainstorm new strategies: 91-96), STATE (Share your facts, Tell your story, Ask for others’ paths, Talk tentatively, Encourage testing: 135-147), AMPP (Ask to begin the process, Mirror to confirm feelings, Paraphrase to acknowledge the story, Prime the conversation if it gets stuck, offering your best guess at what the other is thinking: 162-167), and ABC (making it clear where there is Agreement, Build on points of agreement, Compare how each sees things: 170-172). There also are helpful soundbites, such as focusing on progress instead of perfection (99), becoming aware that only we create our own emotions” (104), controlling our emotions by the stories we tell ourselves (108f), how acting forcefully, convinced that one is right, will lead to resistance instead of resolution (144), and many more. Throughout the book there are scenarios that apply the authors’ ideas, including an entire chapter on “tough cases.” Also included is a link to the book’s online site. Ury, William. Getting Past No: Negotiating with Difficult People. New York: Bantam Books, 1991, 161 pp. This book delves deeper into the challenges of negotiation by focusing on those moments when there seems to be no interest in another party to find a solution. Ury outlines a five-step "breakthrough strategy": don't react, disarm them, change the game, make it easy to say yes, and make it hard to say no. His goal, as summarized in the conclusion, is to turn adversaries into partners. Also included is a useful analytical table of contents outlining his method. The endnotes contain references to secondary sources and to actual cases used in the book. There is no formal bibliography.
Leadership Bennis, Warren. On Becoming a Leader. New York: Addison Wesley, 1989, 226 pp. This book serves as an excellent primer for gaining a sense of the values and qualities of a leader. Bennis is one of the foremost authorities on leadership with more than two dozen books to his credit (seehttp://www.leadershipnow.com/leadershop/warrenbennis.html). Also, he was President of the University of Cincinnati for seven years in the 1970s and is well versed—as this book shows—in the unique challenges an academic leader faces. In this volume he explores ten topics (mastering the context, understanding the basics, knowing yourself, knowing the world, operating on instinct, deploying yourself, moving through chaos, getting people on your side, how organizations can help and hinder, and forging the future) and draws upon profiles of twenty-eight leaders from numerous fields as both models and case studies. His fundamental premise is that “leaders are made, not born.” He describes leadership as a way of being, that “becoming a leader is synonymous with becoming yourself,” of being fully engaged in shaping both the present and future. References draw on a rich collection of sources from literature in leadership to Ralph Waldo Emerson, The Federalist Papers, cultural studies, the poetry of Wallace Stevens, and much more.
Bolman, Lee G. and Terrence E. Deal. Reframing Organizations: Artistry, Choice, and Leadership. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1991, 492 pp. This text focuses mostly on styles of management, proposing four different "frames" (styles) of management: structural, human resource, political, and symbolic. While Bolman and Deal claim that all managers have preferred styles that they use as frameworks, they also assert it is the skill of a good manager to know all four frames and to be able to reframe an issue to find the best solution. Each frame is described extensively. Also included are examples and scenarios of how these frames interact and how the results one experiences may change by applying different frameworks to a situation. The book concludes with a twenty-seven-page list of references.
Buller, Jeffrey L. Academic Leadership Day by Day: Small Steps that Lead to Great Success. San Francisco: Jossey Bass, 2011, 309 pp. This gem of a book assigns a topic for every day of the traditional academic year, September through May. Topics, which are about one page long, include understanding one’s role, interpersonal skills, fund raising, career development, daily and long-term planning, reflection, mentoring, time management, team building, fiscal planning, priority setting – the list is long. Its scope is broad, so there are some entries that will not have as music value for a department chair than a dean, and vise-versa. The index is organized topically (budgets, communication, donors, evaluation, gratitude, listening, etc.).
Carucci, Ron A. and Eric C. Hansen. Rising to Power: The Journey of Exceptional Executives. Austin: Greeenleaf, 2014, 267 pp. This book is geared toward individuals seeking careers as chief executives; in academe, those positions would include deans of large music programs, provosts, academic vice presidents, or presidents. Its intent is to help individuals in the transition from department chair positions into upper administration, a transition that requires shifting focus to a broader institutional perspective and understanding the interconnectedness of “power sources,” which the authors define as power in choice, power in breadth, power in connection, and power in context (186). The theory underlying these sources are explored through eight chapters divided into four sections (Ascend, Adjust, Assert, Affect). They are tied together through a fictitious narrative about a company named Huntington Industrials that is in trouble and whose rescue provides the journey through which the protagonist, Jordan, passes.
Chun, Edna and Alvin Evans. The Department Chair as Transformative Diversity Leader Building Inclusive Learning Environments in Higher Education. Sterling, VA: Stylus, 2015, 202 pp. Chun and Evans highlight the role the department chair plays in creating a transformative environment specific to diversity and inclusion. Following an overview of the “educational playing field,” the book considers the vantage point of the department chair as it relates to diversity, the chair’s role in formal and informal processes, looking at navigating organizational design and creating an inclusive environment, and developing a departmental action plan. Each of the eight chapters concludes with helpful references.
Collins, Jim. Good to Great. New York: Harper Collins, 2001, 300 pp. Collins attempts to find what the difference is between a good company and a great company – that is, between companies that succeed and those that both excel and sustain excellence over at least fifteen years. His research, itself spanning five years, unearthed three broad stages (disciplined people, disciplined thought, and disciplined action) that lead a company to breaking through the pack and moving from a successful organization to one that excels. Within these stages are explanations of two particular theories for which Collins has become known: Level 5 Leadership (building “enduring greatness through a paradoxical blend of personal humility and professional will”) and the Hedgehog Concept (the intersection of finding one’s excellence, understanding and sustaining presence in one’s market, and being “deeply passionate” about what one does). The book is filled with examples and case studies. It also contains extensive chapter notes and a general index.
____________. How the Mighty Fall and Why Some Companies Never Give In. New York: Harper Collins, 2009, 222 pp. In what may be viewed as the final book in his trilogy about successful companies (along with Built to Last, 1997, and Good to Great, 2001), Collins offers a model of decline in companies that falls into five stages: hubris born of success, undisciplined pursuit of more, denial of risk and peril, grasping for salvation, and capitulation or irrelevance or death. He provides case studies of companies, some of which appeared in his earlier books, that have or have not failed when they entered a downward trend. While his research focuses on corporations, his stages of decline, many of which were entered unwittingly by the companies he profiles, may be applied to academic programs as well. This book offers guidance to music executives on how to build and sustain a program on a solid foundation and what warning signs there may be in a program that is losing focus, overextending itself, or trying to find a quick fix to systemic issues.
Covey, Steven R. Principle-Centered Leadership. New York: Fireside, 1990, 334 pp. In this book Covey presents his theory of leadership. Fundamental to his theory is the belief that natural laws exist behind principled leadership and that these laws will influence outcomes. He encourages leaders to turn away from “maps that are based on experience-produced perceptions” and instead be guided by a moral compass defined by “fairness, equity, justice, integrity, honesty, and trust.” Relying on such a compass can produce “fundamental transformations of individuals, relationships, and organizations.” The book’s thirty-one chapters are divided into two parts: Personal and interpersonal Effectiveness and “Managerial and Organizational Development.” Topics include development of principles, communication, management, empowerment of yourself and the people who work for you, and “total quality management,” among others.
DePree, Max. Leadership Is an Art. New York: Currency/Doubleday, 1987 & 2004, 176 pp; Leadership Jazz. New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell, 1992, 240 pp. DePree might be described as part of the “second generation” of leaders and writers subscribing to the concept of “servant leadership,” an approach first voiced by Robert Greenleaf. In this pair of slim books, through both description and narrative, DePree winsomely draws the reader into an understanding of what he views as the central qualities of leadership: the ability to understand the diversity of people’s gifts and skills, the wisdom not only to accept but to liberate and enable those gifts, the humility to allow the gifted persons to lead in situations for which their unique gifts equip them, and the ability to nurture a network of relationships within community in which individual strengths can flourish and contribute—all of which relate to the models of servant-leadership and participatory leadership. DePree’s style is to suggest, rather than to pronounce, and to lace his writing with a wealth of stories illustrating his premise that leadership, like jazz, is an art, not a science. His intuitive approach is reflected in chapter titles such as “What Is Leadership?” “Roving Leadership,” “Giant Tales,” and “Marks of Elegance” (Leadership Is an Art), and “Leaders’ Leaders,” “Polishing Gifts,” and “Followship” (Leadership Jazz).
Fulton, Roger. Common Sense Leadership: A Handbook for Success As a Leader. Berkeley: Ten Speed Press, 1995, 127 pp. This book offers a collection of claims that explore the qualities of leadership, which then are reinforced with quotations about leadership by a broad range of famous individuals, past and present. The seven chapters are organized topically (preparation, defining a leader, supervision, management, vision, leadership style, mistakes), and the appendices provide lists of behavioral characteristics that can hinder or help potential leaders.
Gergen, David. Eyewitness to Power: The Essence of Leadership, Nixon to Clinton. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2000, 382 pp. Gergen worked under four presidents: Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, and Bill Clinton. His personal narrative brings alive his experiences with working for presidents; its value for leadership development rests in his candid analysis of the wildly different approaches to leadership by these presidents. His succinct conclusion highlights seven lessons of leadership germane to anyone assuming a leadership position.
Gigliotti, Ralph A. Crisis Leadership in Higher Education: Theory and Practice. New Brunswick: Rutgers 2020, 177 pp. Gigliotti’s study of the nature of crisis leadership in higher education is framed around four research questions: “What events/situations are characterized as crises in higher education; how do these events/situations become defined and labeled as crises; what are the prominent characteristics of the discourse around crisis and crisis leadership in higher education; and what skills, values, and competencies are important for the work of crisis leaders in higher education” (7)? He defines a crisis as “an event, series of events, or situation that presents reputational risk to the institution and requires immediate attention on behalf of its leaders” (11). While theory and practice are mentioned in the title, the book leans toward theory with two primary issues significant to leadership explored throughout: the centrality of communication, and understanding a crisis as a social construct. Gigliotti draws from interviews of thirty-seven senior university leaders and an exhaustive review of the secondary literature (the list of references extends to 18 pages). Specific to practice, noteworthy themes include leadership competencies and their adaptation in crises, definition and categorization of different crisis in higher education, and qualities of effective crisis leadership, which include, among other things, understanding how perceptions matter, comprehending the scope of a crisis, the value of distributed leadership, understanding crisis as a process with stages, effective verbal and non-verbal communication, the ability to move swiftly and with agility in an environment of shared governance, and the uncompromising importance of being led by one’s core values (83, 126-133). Chapters conclude with questions for reflection, suggesting the book also had a didactic purpose.
Goleman, Daniel, Richard Boyatzis and Annie McKee. Primal Leadership: Realizing the Power of Emotional Intelligence. Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 2002, 306 pp. This book offers an application of the theory of emotional intelligence to leadership. Part I explores the power of emotional intelligence by defining types, qualities and styles of leadership; part II focuses on the use of emotional intelligence in making leaders; the third section expands the discussion to building emotionally intelligent organizations. There are two appendices: one explains the difference between EI and IQ, and the second provides a summary of leadership competencies as viewed through the lens of emotional intelligence. The endnotes provide both further references and clarification of terms. For more information on emotional intelligence, see Daniel Goleman, Emotional Intelligence (New York: Bantam Books, 1995).
Greenleaf, Robert. K. Servant Leadership: A Journey into the Nature of Legitimate Power & Greatness. New York: Paulist Press, 1977, 370 pp. This book is the foundational text for servant leadership and is, in this regard, essential reading. For Greenleaf, a servant leader is forward-thinking and consensus-building, someone who by nature patiently searches and listens in the process of building a better future. This leader, claims Greenleaf, balances an alert, intense knowledge of the present with “a sense for the unknowable” and the ability to “foresee the unforeseeable” (35). He describes a servant leader as someone who has heightened awareness and is able to sort the urgent from the important. Servant leaders, says Greenleaf, are intuitive, dependable, and trustworthy. In his argument, they carry institutions toward their objectives with a combination of “interpersonal skills, sensitivity to the environment, tenacity, experience, judgment, ethical soundness, and related attributes and abilities that the day-to-day movement requires” (79). Their perspectives are shaped by understanding the realities of the past and the present, and the possibilities of the future. They will be honest and, when needed, disturb solace. They foresee contingencies, persuade effectively, and build as well as sustain relationships. For Greenleaf, the central quality that empowers a leader, that gives that person legitimacy, is trust, and that “[t]he only sound basis for trust is for people to have the solid experience of being served by their institutions in a way that builds a society that is more just and more loving, and with greater creative opportunities for all of its people” (83). A servant leader knows that serving an institution and its constituents is a privilege, not a right; it carries an obligation to think beyond oneself, to lead through affirming actions, and to serve a common purpose.
Jackson, Phil and Hugh Delehanty. Sacred Hoops: Spiritual Lessons of a Hardwood Warrior. New York: Hyperion, 1995, 224 pp. This book offers thoughts on leadership and team building from Phil Jackson, one of the most successful coaches in professional basketball today. With a combination of Eastern philosophy, Christian values, and Native American spirituality, Jackson explores selflessness and mindfulness as approaches that assist a leader and a team to develop clearly defined principles, to recognize the value of leadership with vision as well as interconnectedness, and to control anger.
James, Jennifer. Thinking in the Future Tense. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1996, 254 pp. Subtitled A Workout for the Mind, this book outlines the challenges leaders face with the accelerating pace of change and offers strategies for helping both leaders and those they lead with adapting to inevitable and fast-moving change. The bibliography has titles that are both specific and tangentially related to the book's topic.
Jaworski, Joseph. Synchronicity: The Inner Path of Leadership. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler, 1996, 213 pp. Drawing on the work of psychologist C.G. Jung (Synchronicity: An Acausal Connecting Principle), historian Joseph Campbell (The Hero with a Thousand Faces), physicist David Bohm (Wholeness and the Implicate Order),cognitive scientist Francisco Varela, biologist Rupert Sheldrake, leadership specialist Robert Greenleaf (Servant Leadership), and philosopher Martin Buber (I and Thou), Jaworski poses a model that attempts to define the fundamental qualities of leadership. He views the nature of leadership as a commitment of being, not of doing, or something that focuses on creating the future, something that can happen only by our participating in creating that future and by seeing the world as an interlocking of relationships. This impressive and challenging book uses the archetype of the heroic quest for the process of change an organization and its leader(s) must follow in the transformative process of becoming a leader who moves beyond issues of positional power and conscious accomplishment to "creating a domain in which we continually learn and become more capable of participating in our unfolding future." "Leadership," writes Jaworski, "is about creating, day by day, a domain in which we and those around us continually deepen our understanding of reality and are able to participate in shaping the future." The notes are brief, although there are numerous references throughout the book to texts that have influenced Jaworski's thinking.
Kanter, Rosabeth Moss. Confidence: How Winning Streaks and Losing Streaks Begin and End. New York: Crown Business, 2004, 402 pp. Beginning by explaining that winning is no accident, magic, or dumb luck, Kanter’s thorough study explores ways confidence is built, how it can both ebb and flow, and how one can turn around a program that may be caught in a spiral of low morale and consistently disappointing results. Drawing from examples in sports, business, education, and other sectors, she shows how both success and failure do not happen overnight, that “it is from an accumulation of decisions, actions, and commitment that become entangled in self-perpetuating system dynamics.” This book, and the systematic approach it offers toward turning a program around, is ideal for an administrator who may be caught in an environment that either is dysfunctional, has low morale, or both. There are detailed endnotes and a general index.
Kellerman, Barbara. Bad Leadership: What It Is, How It Happens, Why It Matters. Cambridge: Harvard Business School Press, 2004, 282 pp. Kellerman explores ways power, authority, and influence can be exercised to do harm and the factors that contribute to followers allowing themselves to follow bad leaders. Qualities of bad leadership include incompetence, rigidity, intemperance, callousness, corruption, insularity, and doing evil. With case studies that focus mostly on business and government, Kellerman dissects each of the qualities listed above, offering valuable analysis and insight. Also included are chapters on improving both leadership and followership.
Letters from Leaders: Personal Advice for Tomorrow’s Leaders from the World’s Most Influential People, compiled and edited by Henry O. Dormann. Guilford, CT: Lyons Press, 2009, 250 pp. This book serves well in those moments when one is looking for quick inspiration or encouragement. International in reach with contributions from eighty leaders chosen from the fields of sports, politics, business, media, journalism, the arts, real estate, finance, Foreign Service, law, and even royalty, Dormann’s collection is not a book of theory. Some contributions amount disappointingly to no more than quips, but the gems of wisdom one also finds make the book helpful during times when one needs encouraging words or ideas that will help one reflect on what leaders do. Themes among the writers emerge, including be purposeful, be positive and proactive, work hard and diligently, listen well, accept responsibility, be accountable and ethical, do the “right” thing even when it is unpopular, value people, and always conduct yourself with integrity. The brief index lists the book’s contributors.
Martin, Josef. To Rise above Principle: The Memoirs of an Unreconstructed Dean. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1988, 180 pp. Don't let the date or the brevity of this book question its value for an academic leader in the twenty-first century. The author ("Martin" is a pseudonym, the jacket cover says, of a longtime dean at a major American university) offers a memoir that is both philosophical and pragmatic. The writing is engaging and, at times, quite entertaining. Through both reflection on an administrative career and recounting of actual experiences, this excellent book contains pragmatic suggestions for dealing with everyday vagaries and compelling assertions of the value of administrative work.
Matthews, Jeffrey. Blacksheep Leadership: A Story about a Leadership Challenge and the Nature of Transformational Leadership. University Place, WA: University Place Publishing House, 2012, 204 pp. Blacksheep leadership is Matthews’s approach to transformational leadership, which he describes as the ability to balance transactional, needs-based leadership with a greater purpose, one that seeks “extraordinary levels of performance from individuals and groups for the purpose of realizing attractive, worthy visions and accomplishing ethical and collective goals that reach far beyond the gratification of self-interests” (71). This leadership theory is highlighted through a fictitious narrative of three siblings with different leadership styles. Matthews then explains the principals of transformational leadership and its development, and concludes with two case studies, one of the Antarctic explore Ernest Shackleton and a high school teacher named Erin Gruwell.
Maxwell, John C. The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1998, 231 pp. The pretension and the righteousness of the title notwithstanding, this book is a good primer on the qualities of leadership. Citing leaders from politics, business, and sports, often through anecdotes that at times are superficial, Maxwell addresses issues of personal effectiveness, influence, professional development, finding and charting a vision, developing trust, being respectful of others, the importance of intuition, magnetism, seeing the big picture, developing a following, choosing staff, empowerment, mentoring, momentum, sacrifice, timing, and building a legacy. In the end, leadership, according to Maxwell, determines the success of the organization. Endnotes are minimal; there is no bibliography.
Morrell, Margot and Stephanie Capparell. Shackleton’s Way: Leadership Lessons from the Great Antarctic Explorer. New York: Penguin, 2001, 238 pp. Sir Ernest Shackleton was one of Britain’s most legendary explorers. One trip, in which he and his crew became marooned for sixteen months in Antarctica (and in which all crew members miraculously survived), was his greatest test of leadership. Morrell and Caparell have retraced the journey in a compelling narrative, which they interrupt with analysis and commentary on Shackelton’s leadership. Topics of the eight chapters deal with leadership skills, building a team, maintaining morale, recognizing and capitalizing on each team member’s gifts, crisis management, and, through one’s leadership, leaving a legacy. “Leadership, after all,” note the writers, “is more than just reaching a goal. It is about spurring others to achieve big things, and giving them the tools and the confidence to continue achieving.” Shackelton’s example is nothing short of inspiring.
Sample, Steven B. The Contrarian's Guide to Leadership. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2002, 192 pp. Steven Sample presents his portrait of the "contrarian leader," a leader who bucks conventional wisdom and, along the way, finds her/his unique voice. The eleven chapters explore the qualities he sees in a contrarian leader, which include thinking gray (and free), listening artfully, professional development in leadership, leadership qualities, making decisions, cutting losses, and working for those who work for you. He concludes with a case study on contrarian leadership, focusing on his presidency of the University of Southern California. Sample summarizes the main points of his book in "When the Buck Stops, Think Contrarily," Chronicle of Higher Education, 19 October 2001: B 11-13.
Sinek, Simon. Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action. London: Penguin, 2009, 246 pp. "What is your Why?" This question has become popular in self-help literature. Here, Sinek applies the question to leadership. While this text becomes repetitive quickly, the principles of Sinek's approach to leadership offer a good primer. Arranged in what he terms the Golden Circle, he frames meaningful leadership as moving from focusing on "what" (what we do, results of actions), to "how" (how we do something, what actions we take), to the most important, fundamental quality of good leadership, "why" (purpose, cause, belief; the reason we do something). His text walks through various examples of successes and failures to substantiate his model; Steve Jobs and the success of Apple receive considerable attention. Along the way he touches upon important issues related to successful leadership: inspiration, creating a following, motivation, sharing a purpose, loyalty, trust, authenticity, and teamwork.
Tuchman, Barbara W. The March of Folly: From Troy to Vietnam. New York: Alfred Knopf, 1984, 447 pp. It may seem unusual for a book of history to be cited in this bibliography. However, Tuchman's study of four moments from history when governments pursued "policies contrary to their own interests" -- that is, they committed folly -- provides invaluable case studies in leadership.Thoroughly researched (there are thirty-seven pages of notes), her extensive and detailed descriptions as well as insightful analyses of the legend behind the wooden horse in the Trojan War, the corruption of the Renaissance popes that led to the Reformation, Great Britain's loss of the American colonies, and our "betrayal" of ourselves in the Vietnam War outline the perils leadership failure. Topics explored include denial (refusing to listen to what we do not want to hear, rationalizing bad decisions instead of accepting them for that they are and moving in new directions), corruption (falsehoods that undermine credibility), favoritism (cronyism, keeping incompetents in place), and overreaction. She shows how leaders and their communities found it harder to call off a folly than carry it through, and that such lack of courage by leaders and their followers produced nonsensical, damaging, and costly continuance of failing policies. Applied to academic leadership, Tuchman’s narratives may help an administrator find a way to either fix or avoid creating a dysfunctional department.
Wheeler, Daniel. Servant Leadership for Higher Education: Principles and Practices. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2012, 190 pp. Wheeler presents a convincing argument toward applying Greenleaf’s theory of servant leadership to leadership in higher education. After describing leadership models that have not succeeded, he describes the philosophy and principles behind servant leadership and then walks through ten principles of service leadership: service to other, facilitate meeting the needs of others, foster problem solving and taking responsibility, promote emotional healing in people and the organization, means are as important as ends, keep one eye on the present and one on the future, embrace paradoxes and dilemmas, leave a legacy, model servant leadership, and develop more servant leaders. Each chapter ends with suggestions for next steps with points to consider, developmental aspects to explore, and strategies to promote meeting the needs of others.
Management, Nuts and Bolts Adams, Scott. Dogbert's Top Secret Management Handbook. New York: Harper Collins, 1996. It may seem irreverent to include a satirical book based on cartoons in this bibliography, and it certainly does not stand next to the many sustained, substantive, and serious books listed on this site. Still, it is worth both a look and a laugh. With a brutal honesty that only humor can bring, this book sews together a selection of Dilbert cartoons with a hilarious text that addresses such issues as the character of managers, the power of communication (or lack thereof), strategic thinking (some have other words for it), awarding merit pay, downsizing, professional development, and personnel management. If you find yourself avoiding decisions, denying more than admitting responsibility, organizing yet another task force, calling far too many meetings, stressing out your secretary, micromanaging, procrastinating, creating yet more busywork for others, or spouting jargon (such as "dialoging" with someone, structuring "vertical empowerment" paradigms, "differentiating value-added strategy," or "utilizing" an individual's full resource potential), this book offers the corrective antidote. It concludes with a witty and slightly cynical brief history of the development of management from the Stone Age to the Industrial Revolution.
Austin, Rob and Lee Devin. Artful Making: What Managers Need to Know about How Artists Work. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall, 2003, 201 pp. Drawing on analogies to the performing arts, especially theater, Austin and Devin propose the application of processes that are especially effective for projects or circumstances that require innovation and teamwork. "Artful making" is a process that balances individual difference with effective collaboration. It has four qualities: release (risking the loss of control to enable things to emerge), collaboration through an iterative—as opposed to sequential—process, ensemble (innovation that arises through interdependence among makers, materials, forms, and final purposes), and play (similar to performance: letting a project unfold through controlled circumstances). The authors also caution that all conditions and circumstances are not appropriate for artful making, that there are times when "industrial making" (sequential tasks, exact repetition) is the best approach. Sources cited come from the arts, management theory, memoirs, and literature on leadership.
Covey, Stephen R. Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1989, 358 pp. This is one of the standard texts in management and leadership that focuses on a principled approach to conducting one's life and work. It provides a thorough explanation of the "seven habits" (Be Proactive, Begin with the End in Mind, Put First Things First, Think Win/Win, Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood, Synergize, Sharpen the Saw). Two appendices include suggestions of alternative perceptions of your life and a model day of being effective. Also included are an index organized around problems and opportunities, and a general index.
________, A. Roger and Rebecca R. Merrill. First Things First. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1994, 373 pp. This book expands Habit 3 of Covey's seven habits ("Put First Things First") into an extensive look at time management. In a principled approach that characterizes Seven Habits, the book explores theories of time management, the qualities and skills behind putting first things first, the power of interdependence, and the relationship between time management and leadership. Also included are worksheets, a workshop on developing a mission statement (the fundamental basis, according to Covey, for managing priorities and, ultimately, one's time), and bibliographies on time management and wisdom.
Gladwell, Malcolm. The Tipping Point. New York: Back Bay Books/Little, Brown, 2002, 302 pp. This is the second of Gladwell’s popular recent books on human behavior (Blink, Tipping Point, Outliers, David and Golaith). It offers helpful information as well as analysis of ways individuals who, like department chairs or deans, can find themselves in situations where they can influence outcomes. Central to Gladwell’s theory, which he supports with many case studies, are three types of “players”: connectors (people who have “a special gift for bringing the world together” and who “know a lot of people and a lot of different people”), mavens (people who accumulate knowledge, broker information, and “provide the message”), and salesmen (people who “persuade us when we are unconvinced of what we are hearing”). According to Gladwell, consciously bringing such people into an environment can help things “tip” – that is, change. He describes the qualities of contagiousness and stickiness of messages, the importance of context, and building community. “Look at the work around you,” writes Gladwell. “It may seem like an immovable, implacable place. It is not. With the slightest push – in just the right place – it can be tipped.” The book contains a general index and eleven pages of reference-filled notes.
Gunsalus, C.K. The College Administrator’s Survival Guide. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2006, 244pp. This book is highly recommended for a person new to administration. Its succinct text, delivered in clear, direct, and engaging prose, offers both an overview of the new mindset essential for administrative work as well as specific techniques and skills necessary for success in administration. Its eight chapters present both issues and questions, some personally reflective, others process and action oriented, that lead to a greater understanding of one’s new role. Chapters on personnel matters, from understanding and negotiating with one’s colleagues as well as how to handle complaints and bullies, are especially useful. The first chapter, “Embrace Your Fate,” should be required reading for all administrators, regardless of levels of experience. Also included are a brief list of recommended readings and a general index.
Heath, Chip and Dan. Switch: How to Change Things when Change is Hard. New York: Currency, 2010, 305 pp. Any leader will have to manage change. The Heaths's theory is that three factors must be navigated, which they present as the Driver, the Elephant, and the Path. The Rider is the rational thinker and planner, the Elephant is one's emotional side, and the Path is a way of thinking that considers problems situational as opposed to people-rooted. All three must align for meaningful change to take root. Through copious case studies and anecdotes the authors provide examples of how to direct the Rider with SMART goals ("Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Relevant, and Timely," 82), motivate the Elephant (“anytime the six-ton elephant and the rider disagree on which direction to go, the Rider is going to lose,” 7), and shape the Path by tweaking the environment, building habits, and rallying the herd (chapters 8-10). An appendix provides a brief guide to overcoming obstacles, and there are helpful annotated end notes.
Lees, N. Douglas N. Chairing Academic Departments: Traditional and Emerging Expectations. Bolton. MA: Anker Publishing Company, Inc., 2006, 338 pp. This book includes updated information about the role of the department chair position—the then and now, and the soon to be. Lee reviews how the chair of the 21st century must be a leader with newer skills than before, due to the significant changes made in higher education, including the accountability movement that began in the 1990s. The author reviews the characteristics of an effective chair, how to remain professionally viable while chairing a department, working with faculty, the dean, and other administrators; student and staffing interactions, how to guide faculty careers, fiscal constraints, the faculty evaluation, strategic planning and preparing for change; the chair as entrepreneur and finally, how to exit the chair position. There is a total of twenty-five chapters divided into five parts with each chapter ending with a summary. A bibliography is included.
Luecke, Richard. Crisis Management: Master the Skills to Prevent Disasters. Cambridge: Harvard Business School Press, 2004. 138 pp. While directed more toward business than academe, Luecke’s primer on crisis management offers a quick and succinct overview of crises, how they occur, how we manage them, and what we learn from them. Topics of the eight chapters include taking stock of potential perils, avoiding the unavoidable, contingency planning, crisis recognition, containment, resolution, working with the Media, and learning from experience. Two appendices include outlines for developing an emergency contact list, seeing the warning signs of a pending crisis, analyzing lessons learned from a crisis, and writing a press release. Also included is a brief list of additional sources.
Tucker, A. Chairing the Academic Department: Leadership among Peers, third edition. Phoenix, AZ: Oryx Press, 1993, 566 pp. Tucker's broad and comprehensive work explores the history, nature, styles, duties, and responsibilities of the department chair/division head. Each of the seventeen chapters ends with questions and references, and some with exercises. In addition to leadership, other topics include delegation, recruitment, decision making, faculty development and evaluation, handling grievances, working with unions, maintaining faculty morale, strategic planning, managing budgets, and delegation.
Mentoring Boice, Robert. The New Faculty Member: Support and Fostering Professional Development. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1992, 376 pp. Boice's book covers the chairperson's and an institution's responsibilities in helping new faculty with the transition and acclimation to their new roles. Based on extensive literature and field research (the bibliography alone is twenty-five pages long), and filled with conclusions that are both reflective and pragmatic, it is divided into three sections: obstacles confronting new faculty members, helping new faculty overcome obstacles, and building an institutional support system. While containing material that is germane to all institutional types, the field research and data used as a basis for the study make Boice's book most appropriate for new faculty at comprehensive and research institutions. Also included as a resource is a questionnaire to interview new faculty.
________. Advice for New Faculty Members. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1999, 319 pp. If The New Faculty Member is geared more toward the development of faculty mentoring programs, this volume is directed squarely toward the new faculty member, providing helpful ways of learning how to work and socialize effectively. The book's focus centers on nihil nimus, which Boice translates as "everything in moderation." This mantra informs Boice's advice, which he structures around "rules" in teaching, research, and socialization. Appendices include a summary of nihil nimus rules, abstracts of useful sources in faculty development, and an extensive list of references.
Boyer, Ernest L. Scholarship Reconsidered: Priorities of the Professoriate. Special Report from The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 1990, 147 pp. Boyer offers a new way to evaluate academic scholarly activity by suggesting four areas—rather than the typical three areas—of academic review for tenure and promotion: discovery, integration of knowledge, teaching, and service. Moreover, he argues that citizenship activities and projects are directly related to scholarship and should be tied directly to one’s special field of knowledge. Boyer believes that evaluation criteria must be tailored to personal talents as well as campus needs. There is a great deal of innovative thought and discussion in these seven chapters that examine scholarship over time, how to enlarge the perspective, the talents of the faculty, creativity, diversity, scholarship and community and the new generation of scholars. A helpful tool for writing letters for promotion and tenure when faculty do not necessarily fit the standard mold.
Kelsky, Karen. The Professor Is In: The Essential Guide to Turning Your Ph.D. into a Job. New York: Three Rivers Press, 2015, 438 pp. Part of leadership work includes helping people in their respective journeys, be they faculty members who want to move on (or perhaps should or have to), graduate students looking for first jobs, alumni reaching out for advice, and the like. This guide serves as a helpful reference in an engaging, straight-talking text. Sixty-three issues are organized into ten sections: Dark Times in the Academy, Getting Your Head in the Game, Nuts and Bolts of a Competitive Record, Job Documents that Work, Techniques of the Academic Interview, Navigating the Job Marked Minefield, Negotiating an Offer, Grants and Postdocs, Some Advice about Advisors, and Leaving the Cult). While geared primarily toward the person seeking a first job (as are her periodic articles in the Chronicle of Higher Education), Kelsky offers advice that is germane to anyone seeking a position in higher education, wherever one is in a career. Specific to Music, its one limitation is the absence of concrete advice for individuals in the performing arts. In this regard, it is geared toward individuals in academic as opposed to applied positions, although there are ways to apply Kelsky's ideas through the guidance of a mentor.
Watkins, Michael d. The First 90 Days: Proven Strategies for Getting Up to Speed Faster and Smarter. Cambridge: Harvard Business Review Press, 2013, 278 pp. The major challenge of any leader moving into a position is the successful transition and acclimation to a new institution, its environment and culture. Watkins's book looks comprehensively at this critical stage when starting a new position or assuming a new role. Topics include preparing for a transition, accelerating one's learning, developing a transition strategy based on the type of situation one is entering, finding early wins, aligning achievement, building a team, creating alliances, and building self-efficacy. His text is supplemented with copious charts, diagrams, and exercises.