Leading for innovation. (Books).

I find that reading business books can be a real chore. New titles come out daily, yet rarely does the plethora produce any truly new thoughts.

Not so with the current volume from the Drucker Foundation's Wisdom to Action Series, Leading for Innovation. Edited by Frances Hesselbein, Marshall Goldsmith, and lain Somerville, this compendium of expert critical thinkers from the world of leadership and organizational research is a delight to read. The series is the brainchild of the Drucker Foundation, which also produced the Business Week bestseller, The Leader of the Future.

The book's premise is simple: Peter Drucker believes that successful businesses have two basic functions: marketing and innovation. Drucker defines innovation as "change that creates a new dimension of performance." To help business leaders understand how to lead for innovation, this book offers a collection of essays on innovation leadership under four main headings: Leading the People Who Make Innovation …