The Leadership Investment.(Review)

The Leadership Investment Robert M. Fulmer & Marshall Goldsmith Amacon, 2001 334 pages, $27.95 Hardcover

The Leadership Investment is subtitled "how the world's best organizations gain strategic advantage through leadership development." This is an appropriate subtitle as within this volume the authors examine the leadership development and management education processes at six top organizations and then how universities are adapting their programs in order to meet the needs of modern executives.

The authors begin the book with a discussion of the strategic value -- and possible competitive advantage -- created by leadership development. They then discuss each of the six organizations and their management development systems. Chapter 2 provides a look inside Arthur Anderson's Center for Continuing Education in St. Charles, Illinois which was created in 1994 to assist Anderson employees worldwide acquire and build the knowledge, skills, and behaviors required to be valued and trusted business advisors in an ever-changing marketplace. It serves as the entry point for all new Arthur Anderson employees. The four major lessons learned by employees at the CCE include the following: (1) offer world-class program quality, (2) generate leadership support, (3) feedback is critical, and (4) communicate, communicate, communicate. Chapter 3 examines the operations of the Corporate Leadership Development arm of Crotonville within General Electric -- the original corporate university in operation since 1956. The following four activities are seen as contributing to the accomplishment of GE's mission: (1) educate employees -- focusing on leadership, change, Six Sigma (a 5-phase quality improvement process including define, measure, analyze, improve, & control of products, services, and expectations), and key corporate initiatives; (2) communicate and strengthen commitment to GE and GE values; (3) build bridges across boundaries by transmitting best practices from one GE location to another, and by providing a setting for employees to interact across businesses, functions, and hierarchies; and (4) improve relationships with strategic customers and other key constituencies. Chapter 4 concerns Hewlett Packard's ...