Leadership on the Line

Résumé du livre

Ronald A. Heifetz is a leadership expert, a senior lecturer in Public Leadership at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, and the founder of the Center for Public Leadership. He’s recognized for his pioneering work on leadership and adaptive change, merging theories of leadership, organizational change, and conflict resolution. He has coauthored other influential books, including The Practice of Adaptive Leadership and Leadership Without Easy Answers.

Leadership is a challenging journey that requires confronting others with difficult truths and encouraging them to abandon familiar habits and beliefs, often at the cost of their sense of identity. The experiences of Lois and Maggie, two determined Native American women, highlight the transformative yet risky nature of adaptive leadership. Lois persistently held Alcoholics Anonymous meetings despite initial lack of attendance, while Maggie, inspired by Lois, spent years helping her community overcome alcohol dependency. Both faced resistance as they urged their communities to relinquish a deeply ingrained coping mechanism for trauma, yet their perseverance sparked meaningful change. Adaptive leadership extends beyond solving immediate problems; it demands reshaping attitudes, behaviors, and values, often provoking resistance as people grapple with feelings of loss, disloyalty, and betrayal of long-held beliefs. By understanding these complexities, leaders can better navigate the risks—such as exclusion, distraction, criticism, and temptation—that groups may use to resist the discomfort and sacrifices required for transformative change.

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