The Leadership Gap.pdf

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Volume 22, Number 22 • Copyright ©2005 Business Book Review, LLC • All Rights Reserved

The Leadership Gap Building Leadership Capacity for Competitive Advantage

David S. Weiss and Vince Molinaro ©2005 Dr. David S. Weiss and Dr. Vince Molinaro Adapted by permission of John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd. ISBN: 0-470-83568-0

Reviewed by Lydia Morris Brown

Introduction Because leaders must shape their t heir organizations, build teams, team s, drive results, and in inspire spire their employees to deliver value, value, leadership is a critical source sour ce of competitive advantage in today’s economy. economy. However, However, Weiss and Molinaro’ Molinaro’ss research resear ch has found that many senior executives have little confidence that their organ izations possess this k kind ind of leadership capability. Despite widespread investments in management and leadership education, there appears to be a wide gap between actual leadership practices and the results needed to succeed in changing business environments long term. Drawing on their extensive research and experience in i n the field, the authors present The Leadership Gap, a practical strategic road map, which executives, managers, and HR leaders can use to respond to this disparity. This strategic guide offers a comprehensive approach, the Holistic Leadership Framework, which balances the responsibility of leaders in developing developing their leadership leader ship capacity with the t he organization organizat ion’’s responsibility to provide leadership development development and manage key leadership talent. Business Book Review™ Vol. 22, No. 22 • Copyright © 2005 Business Book Review, LLC • All Rights Reserved

The Leadership Gap

David S. Weiss and Vince Molinaro

PART I: LEADERSHIP CAPACITY AND TH E LEADERSHIP GAP

The speed and complexity of change is escalating so dramatically that a different kind of organizational response and a different kind of leadership are needed in order to keep organizations from becoming irrelevant. Thus, the consensus among leading

Their research has found, however, that, despite widespread investments in management/leadership education, many companies and public sector organizations worldwide are falling short in their attempts to bridge the four interrelated aspects of leadership—talent, capability, values, and development.

“Many senior Human Resources professionals link the effective-

business thinkers, say Weiss and ness of responding to business challenges to the strength of the Molinaro, is that “leadership leadership capacity that exists in their organizations. They also capacity”—the “extent to which

recognize that traditional strategies to build leadership capacity

organizations can optimize their are inadequate to address the leadership gap.” current and future leadership to drive business results and successfully And this shortfall (or “leadership gap”) is preventing them meet the challenges and opportunities of an ever-changing from building the leadership capacity they need to ensure business environment”—has become mission critical. their long-term survival. The pool of young talent, which should be ready to

About the Authors Dr. David Weiss is vice president and chief innovation officer of Knightsbridge, a Canadian human capital management firm. He has been providing consulting services in the field of leadership and HR consulting for the past 20 years and has developed an extensive practice in strategic and business planning, integrated leadership development, human resources strategy, organizational consulting, and executive coaching. Dr. Weiss is a sought-after keynote speaker and also author of Beyond the Walls of Conflict , In Search of the 18th Camel , and the HR bestseller, High Performance HR: Leveraging Human Resources for Competitive Advantage. Dr. Vince Molinaro is a Knightsbridge principal and a National Practice Leader in leadership capacity. He has provided consulting services in the field of leadership, organizational development, and executive team development for the past 15 years, and he is a keynote speaker on the topics of building leadership capacity, holistic leadership, creating high-performance culture, and executive team development. Dr. Molinaro has also published extensively in journals and business magazines. For more information, please visit: www.knightsbridge.ca

move into senior leadership roles, is steadily shrinking, due to ongoing demographic changes in the workforce. Organizational restructuring has, in addition, eradicated the hierarchical layers that once provided potential leaders with the career opportunities needed to develop their skills, capabilities, and maturity. Thus, extreme pressure exists to attract, retain, and develop a strong group of potential leaders both from within and from outside the organization. A significant gap also exists in such critical areas of leadership capability as team building, gaining employee commitment, making employees feel valued, strategic thinking, and bringing a holistic perspective to the business. Given this reality, a clear priority for organizations will be to ensure that leadership development programs help leaders acquire the capability to inspire, engage, and align their employees. Unfortunately, many leadership development practices are often fragmented and, thus, lack an overall strategy. They tend to focus on leadership at the top at the expense of building leadership capacity at all levels. They often adopt models and strategies that are generic, outdated, and too theoretical to connect with the day-to-day realities of leadership. They seem to stress personal attributes rather than tangible business results. And, they rely too heavily on irrelevant classroom training. Weiss and Molinaro also note that, many HR leaders do not know how to influence CEOs and boards to assume responsibility and accountability for this aspect of leadership.

Business Book Review™ Vol. 22, No. 22 • Copyright © 2005 Business Book Review, LLC • All Rights Reserved

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The Leadership Gap


Finally, a critical gap exists between the work-related values of current executive leaders and those of younger middle managers. Studies have shown that current

In contrast, holistic leaders, because of their whole and complete way of thinking about organization and leadership, are able to balance the dynamic interplay between the

executives tend to value individualistic leadership and every-person-for-himself competitiveness. In contrast, younger managers value collaboration, stakeholder management, use of influence, and building leadership

integrative and self-assertive tendencies that exist within themselves, the team, the organization, and the entire economic landscape. Nonetheless, this kind of leadership is not the either/or of holistic versus functional; rather, it

throughout the ranks. They believe that many executives fail to realize their own inadequacies and, thus, do not allow middle managers to demonstrate their leadership talents

emphasizes and/also, validating functional leadership in the context of holistic leadership. It addresses leadership capacity’s new requirement that both the big picture and

and capabilities. And, they see the extra demands and

its component parts be understood. Through their research and “Individual leaders must commit to becoming holistic leaders experience with hundreds of clients and integrating the six elements of the Holistic Leadership over the past two decades, Weiss and

Framework. Organizations must focus on helping their leaders develop each of these six elements because they ... represent the leadership capacity required in the future.”

pressures of senior leadership positions as being in direct conflict with their desire to live balanced lives. Weiss and Molinaro believe a partnership between the organization and its leaders is the key to bridging the gap across these four aspects of leadership and building leadership capacity. They advocate a balanced approach in which leaders take responsibility for self-development and the organization commits to establishing the infrastructure that enables leaders to learn. PART II: HOLISTIC LEADERSHIP

The inability to bridge the leadership capacity gap and, thus, optimize organizational performance can be explained, in part, by the inability of leaders to see both the “forest” as well as the “trees.” They may operate effectively as functional leaders, able to see individual trees and bark, but they are less effective as holistic leaders who, understanding the interdependencies of what they do, perceive the entire forest and the surrounding environment. “Functional leadership” (leadership that views the organization’s core disciplines as separate from one another) can, of course, be useful in solving technical challenges. However, when it develops into an entrenched mindset, functional leadership can become a source of organizational dysfunction, creating intellectual and structural rigidity, an overemphasis on rigorous analysis in problem-solving, and the rule of top-down authority and decision-making.

Molinaro have developed the Holistic Leadership Framework, which consists of six integrated elements: (1) customer leadership, (2) business strategy, (3) culture and values, (4) organizational leadership, (5) team leadership, and (6) personal leadership. These six elements define the kind of leadership capacity needed by organizations in the new business environment and form the foundation for developing the balanced and integrated perspective required to bridge the talent, capability, development, and values aspects of the leadership gap. Customer leadership means that all leaders, no matter where they work in the organization, align around a common understanding of how to deliver value to the external customer. It forms the centerpiece of the holistic framework because it is the focus of all leadership. It is the launching pad for business strategy, functions as a core value that shapes organizational culture, and aligns all areas, focusing team efforts and personal leadership in the achievement of optimum organizational performance. Thus, customer leadership supports all the other components of the holistic framework, which, in tur n, contribute collectively to successful customer outcomes. Effectively demonstrating strong customer leadership requires that all leaders actively listen for the customer’s “voice” (i.e., interests, concerns, motivations, etc.) in everything they do: They must build liaisons with sales and marketing so as to understand what the customer is telling them directly. They must invite other business unit leaders into their functional arenas so as to gain a holistic perspective of customer challenges. And, they must ensure


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The Leadership Gap


that every leadership team meeting includes a discussion about how value is being created for the customer. Demonstrating strong customer leadership also

Weiss and Molinaro argue that both approaches are valid in a holistic framework, for both are necessary for building the leadership capacity that most businesses need.

requires that leaders be customer advocates, despite what others in the organization are or are not doing. Thus, they need to implement only those changes that are customer driven. They must be knowledgeable about how the entire

They note that strategic planning without the dynamic of strategic thinking is static. And, strategic thinking, without a viable strategic plan, cannot be implemented. Thus, success with this element means developing excellence in

value chain delivers customer value and ensure that interdependencies work efficiently and effectively. And, they need to articulate all objectives and measures

each phase of the business strategy process—architecting the strategy, balancing priorities, creating contingency

“Achieving customer loyalty functions as a core value

in such a way that there is a clear connection to the that shapes the culture of the organization. It aligns all value these objectives create for the customer. areas to achieve organizational leadership. It focuses The new arena for customer leadership also efforts for team and personal leadership.” requires achieving customer loyalty in addition to delivering enhanced value. For, as Weiss and Molinaro note, customer loyalty is essential in most business sectors in order to retain customers in the face of aggressive competition. Leaders who wish to deliver this kind of value must work to create an environment and culture characterized by: the agility to adapt and respond quickly to marketplace opportunities, broad versus business/product-focused thinking, blurred reporting lines, internal cross-functional team approaches, and reward systems that support both team and personal contributions. The speed of change in the business environment makes it necessary for all leaders in the organization (not just senior executives or the strategic planning department) to understand business strategy; to think strategically in order to react quickly to change; and to align their actions, and the direction of their teams, to the business strategy. Analyzing the environment, and generating a long list of strategies and tactics in response (the “shotgun” approach), tends to generate such leadership problems as excessive waste, distraction, exhaustion, confusion, and ineffectiveness as leaders attempt to work on multiple strategies of mixed value. The alternative “laser beam” approach requires focus and precision and guides leaders at all levels to concentrate on what is important, to continually make choices that align all organizational, team, and personal leadership activities with the intended strategic outcomes, and to achieve results with minimal waste and distraction. However, some are of the opinion that this kind of stable linear process does not allow for dynamic strategic thinking.

scenarios, deploying plans, and evaluating outcomes. Architecting requires an inductive thought process (characterized by strategic thinking) to identify innovative ideas for co-creating value with customers and others. It also requires deduction as a means of reducing the big picture and core strategies into workable goals, metrics, outcomes, and accountabilities. Because the essence of strategy is choosing what not to do, leaders need to revisit priorities and remove unnecessary goals and projects in order to free themselves from the extraneous and focus on what really needs to be done. A primary challenge in this arena is how to balance the forces for growth with the forces for efficiency and economies of scale—a task that many organizations do through such work optimization initiatives as: reallocating resources through vacancy analyses, redeployment of underutilized resources, and FTE (full time equivalent) realignment; establishing standards through benchmarking; using talent upgrades and/or shared services to reduce the total FTEs; reducing the total FTEs by abandoning, delaying, or streamlining nonessential work; and/or changing the balance of FTEs within and outside the organization through outsourcing. Whereas balancing priorities focuses on how to grow in a climate of constraint, contingency scenario planning involves preparing for the worst and knowing how to respond if the worst occurs. The more uncertain the environment and the competitive arena, the more essential the contingency scenario planning process becomes. Effective leaders anticipate and respond to these contingency challenges quickly and professionally.


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Weiss and Molinaro warn that leaders who do not give as much attention to deploying strategic plans as they do to architecting, balancing priorities, and contingency

form a critical component of holistic leadership. They embody an enduring and integrating ideal that distinguishes an organization and communicates its unique identity

scenarios are missing the essential purpose of the strategy development process. Strategy deployment is continuous and should be considered even as the plan is architected, announced, and completed.

to employees, customers, and stakeholders. However, because culture is fragile, leaders must continuously act to strengthen it by leading culture change, integrating values into the organization, and using culture and values to drive

The probability of effective deployment can also be increased when leaders: develop mini business-unit strategies that align with the overall plan; ensure that

employee engagement. Leading culture change means paying attention to the three variables of mindset, structure, and rewards. Mindset,

employees understand the strategic direction and have individual performance accountabilities that are directly linked to the plan; implement a set of metric indicators to track progress on the strategy; remove any problematic

the common understanding throughout the organization that culture change is urgently needed, is the first step to generating commitment and engagement. Because structure helps employees work more effectively together

systems and processes that can limit the plan’s effectiveness; and stand prepared to modif y the plan as conditions change. In addition, leaders must take care to spend as much

in bringing about a new culture, leaders need to redesign reporting relationships, roles, and accountabilities as a means of enabling a new culture to take a firm hold. And, rewards (i.e., incentives and consequences) must “The process of strategy development should serve be in place to reinforce the new culture on an the dual purpose of producing a deployable plan and ongoing basis. further developing the strategic thinking capabilities of Holistic leaders integrate values into high-potential leaders.” organizational practices by making values part time and effort communicating the strategy as they do of the organization’s strategic framework, by using values to developing it. develop team behavioral commitments, and by developing In the evaluating outcomes phase, the challenge is to recognition award programs to motivate desired behavior. develop the capacity to rise above the micro measures that They select, develop, and promote leaders who live the govern day-to-day performance management objectives, values. And, they leverage values to create a compelling understand the big-picture strategy expectations, and heed workplace by inspiring employees, establishing a sense of early warning indicators. community, fostering an open and supportive environment, Holistic leaders know how to participate in all these celebrating achievements, and promoting a climate of phases of business strategy. They ensure that the customercontinuous learning. focus strategies and business strategies are implemented in When leaders view culture as a means of getting a manner that aligns and engages all their employees. And, the most out of employees, a disengaged and exhausted because they understand that exposure to strategic issues is workforce is usually the result. For this reason, holistic very beneficial for leadership development, they leverage leaders develop cultures that can get the best from their the process as another learning-experience opportunity for people. They continually think about the extent to which high-potential leaders. This increases the probability that their employees are personally invested in, and engaged the organization has the leadership capacity to meet its with, the organization’s culture and values. Moreover, they future leadership challenges. understand that being a part of a winning organization, According to Weiss and Molinaro, culture consists working for admired leaders, having positive working of the distinguishing customs and ways of doing things relationships, doing meaningful work, being recognized that are unique to one organization over another. And, and appreciated, and living a balanced life are the critical values represent what is fundamentally important to the factors that drive employee engagement. organization—they guide behavior and decision-making Unlike leaders burdened with a functional mindset that and help employees set priorities. Thus, culture and values points them toward a vertical organizational perspective, Business Book Review™ Vol. 22, No. 22 • Copyright © 2005 Business Book Review, LLC • All Rights Reserved

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holistic leaders are able to guide their departmental functions and also direct across functional boundaries, effectively leading the organization as a whole and

to leverage the potential of individual team members as a means of creating something greater than the sum of its parts. Leaders exercise strong team leadership by:

integrating alignment and engagement. Alignment reflects the degree to which business units, departments, and teams are able to work together efficiently, moving the entire organization in the same direction, to implement business

aligning and engaging senior management teams with a common strategic direction; defining success for the whole company, and building collective leadership, rather than being self-absorbed with their own agendas; creating open

strategy and drive customer leadership. And, engagement reflects the degree to which everyone in the organization is personally and deeply committed to, and invested in, the

communication through dialogue; and enabling teams to deal with ambiguity, uncertainty, and conflict. Because sustaining these kinds of optimum conditions

success of the entire enterprise. High-performance organizations take a balanced approach to achieve both high alignment and high engagement. In these enterprises, leaders

requires proper maintenance, the authors suggest eight tactics that leaders can implement on a daily basis: (1) Enhance the team’s knowledge of itself so that members

“Leadership is largely about alignment and engagement.

recognize that the path to long-term, sustained Any manager can get people to do things. But r eal leadsuccess comes from attending to both business ers align work and engage people to the company’s results and people. Thus, power and authority take future direction and energize their people to that direca back seat to inf luence and the kind of stakeholder tion. ... This is what is at the core of leadership.” management that chooses to collaborate with fellow leaders, employees, suppliers, advocacy groups, and understand the team’s fundamental task, understand regulators. And, there is a clear sense of the customer and their strengths and weaknesses, and understand the a comprehensible business strategy that drives customer environmental issues with which they must contend. leadership. (2) Allow the team to gel (team relationships are a High-performance leaders have an enterprisewide fundamental success factor) before focusing on the results perspective, they consider the “ripple effects” of their it must attain. (3) Measure the team against collective actions on other functions and departments, and they work goals instead of against individual performance goals. (4) in the interests of the whole business. Thus, work processes, Create team commitments. (5) Establish a clear decisioninformation, and ideas f low smoothly up, down, and across making process so as to reduce confusion and ensure that the organization. Shared learning among departments, decisions get made. (6) Identify mutual expectations and joint planning and problem solving, common processes, interdependencies so as to avoid the tendency for team collaboration on specific cross-functional initiatives, and members to work at cross purposes. (7) Use coaching to structural integration are used to increase enterprisewide drive team performance. (8) Manage team conflict so that collaboration and integration. Employees are engaged it acts as a mechanism to strengthen relationships, address with the culture and values, they understand the big issues openly, and make better business decisions. picture, and they know how their work contributes to the The final element in the Holistic Leadership Framework organization’s success with customers. And, performance is personal leadership, which Weiss and Molinaro define measures and rewards are aligned to the business strategy as “the ability ... to lead in a more reflective and conscious and implemented in an engaging manner. manner.” From their perspective, leaders must build inner According to the authors, because of the complexity strength so that customer, organization, and team leadership of the business environment, organizations can no longer efforts are effective and so they can create successful rely on a few minds at the top to resolve complicated business strategy, culture, and values. challenges and make effective business decisions. Thus, However, the authors’ research found that many most great organizational accomplishments are the result leaders fail in this attempt because of personal arrogance, of the collective intelligence of strong teams, and strong emotional incompetence, domineering leadership styles, teams require effective team leadership—the capacity conflict avoidance, and/or risk aversion. Thus, they offer Business Book Review™ Vol. 22, No. 22 • Copyright © 2005 Business Book Review, LLC • All Rights Reserved

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their CAPABLE Personal Leadership Model, in which the letters of the acronym “CAPABLE” represent actions that allow leaders to better focus and integrate the other elements of the leadership framework: Cultivate credibility, Achieve results, Practice humility, Acquire perspective, Build leaders, Leverage conversations, and Exercise work/life balance.


Second, organizations need a compelling story that communicates its leadership philosophy and approach. This story, which should be built around compelling challenges, related to the personal actions of individual leaders, and carefully crafted and communicated, must become part of the organization’s folklore. And, it should create an expectation that leaders will behave consistently with the

IMPLEMENTATION

story and its message. Third, organizations need to find the most entrenched organizational process (e.g., the employee survey, the

Weiss and Molinaro believe that, collectively, the six elements of the holistic leadership framework will focus leaders on driving business results; create the conditions for the organization to achieve sustainable business alignment,

quality audit, or performance management) and anchor leadership capacity to it. The long-range benefits of using these strategies in combination are substantial: Leaders have a clear and usable

PART III: LEADERSHIP CAPACITY

approach to leading their organizations. And, they can move more easily between functional areas and adjust more quickly to their new roles. Employees can also move more easily between functional areas and adjust more quickly to a new leadership approach. Senior executives can be more confident that all the leaders within the organization can understand and utilize all the leadership messages executives communicate. And, H R professionals can develop formal and informal learning experiences and processes, which can be applied throughout the organization. Although many view succession planning as a process to identify successors for every senior position in the organization, Weiss and Molinaro believe this approach results in “valueless lists ... a ‘vanilla’ solution that overprotects some leadership positions that are not at great risk, and ... underprotects some critical positions.” These positions, which are key to the organization’s achievement of sustainable competitive advantage or parity, include: jobs that are important to the business’s short- and longterm strategic direction, those that consist of multiple vital roles, those with extensive and deep networks that influence key stakeholders, those that have a major impact on the organization if they are not filled, and those that will be required in the future because of the evolving business. Because organizations need to give extra attention to these critical areas, the authors advocate a fivestep, focused approach to developing leadership capacity through succession management (the overall planning and

“The struggles in the implementation of leadership capacity stem from a lack of a comprehensive organizational approach. Some organizations do not even have a strategy. Other organizations have a series of practices ... that exist in isolation from one another.” employee engagement, and customer loyalty; and bridge the leadership gap. However, organizations must concentrate on helping their leaders develop each of these elements by putting in place the systems, processes, and development needed to implement holistic leadership. Building this kind of leadership capacity requires a comprehensive enterprisewide strategy that integrates four critical success factors: (1) embedding a common leadership approach into the organization, (2) focusing on critical positions and key talent, (3) applying an integrated-solution approach to leadership development, and (4) having clear accountabilities that ensure leadership capacity remains as a top priority for executives, line managers, and HR professionals. Weiss and Molinaro define embedded leadership as “the process of ensuring that leadership capacity is seen and becomes an integral part of the very fabric of the organization.” In their research, the authors have found three overlapping foundational strategies that contribute to this kind of process. The first, ensuring a secure supply of leadership talent, can be accomplished by developing leadership talent from within the organization, at any level in the hierarchy; focusing on high-potential leaders; recruiting from external sources; and conducting executive, as well as board of director, leadership-talent reviews.


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development of “ready now” successors for targeted critical positions). 1. Identify critical positions by analyzing what creates

is to identify critical positions and put key talent in them as a means of maximizing the potential of these roles. Traditionally, organizations have relied primarily on

the organization’s business and its customer and stakeholder value. 2. Assess the current incumbents occupying the critical positions to determine their vulnerability in these

what the authors call the single-solution approach, or the multiple-solution approach, when building their leadership capacity. The single solution (in which over-reliance on the classroom is the primary development method) is easy

positions (i.e., to determine if the incumbent is near retirement; if he or she is dissatisfied in the current “Executives need to make choices about which areas role and, thus, a retention risk; if there are plans to of the business are at the greatest risk because of the

promote the incumbent to a more senior position; potential of either a current or future leadership capacity gap. The organization needs to give extra attention to or if the incumbent suboptimizing the critical those critical areas.” position because he or she is not key talent). 3. Identify the development pathways to to implement and ensures a certain level of consistency. building this competence to determine if people in However, leaders cannot be developed solely in a classroom, critical positions require specialized knowledge, technical classroom training is too time-consuming, and the “training capabilities, and influence skills in order to succeed. These games” used are seen as silly and irrelevant. Moreover, this pathways may include: one-on-one internal mentoring; method has a tendency to overemphasize generic leadership external coaching for strategic, leadership, and professional models that focus on personal traits and individual leadership development; placement in critical feeder positions; leading characteristics—a focus that is often perceived as being too cross-functional assignments; leading customer value and/ theoretical and disconnected from practical reality and other or stakeholder value research; and exposure to internal and important elements of leadership. external executive programs. The multiple-solution approach, which can include 4. Identify potential candidates for critical positions. assessment, coaching, learning, and experience, exposes 5. Implement development plans and evaluate leaders to a greater number of development options. outcomes. However, the authors have observed that these options are Weiss and Molinaro are careful to note that they often implemented in a fragmented manner that lacks an consider succession management for targeted critical overall strategy, causes confusion among leaders and, thus, positions to be distinct from retention strategies, which fails to generate much value for the organization. Given focus on key leadership talent . A critical position is often these results, they advocate a comprehensive, rigorous purposely designed into the organizational structure, and “integrated-solution” approach that brings together and there is strategic intent in the design. By contrast, a key unites an array of development options over the long term talent comes about by accident, in most cases, and refers so that they add value to one another. This technique to individuals in possession of a unique combination of must be strategic, concentrating all development options skills and abilities. on helping the organization gain competitive advantage. These individuals are consistently able to deliver It must be synergistic, in that the options are selected remarkable results, which others cannot easily duplicate. and implemented in a seamless manner. And, it must be Because it is unlikely that organizations can develop sustainable, recognizing that leadership development is an such an individual, strategies can be employed to retain iterative process in need of constant attention, focus, and those who do possess this gift. The authors found that the resources. driving factors of engagement—being part of a winning Finally, one of the key reasons the leadership gap organization, working for admired leaders, having positive continues to exist is the confusion about whether executives/ working relationships, doing meaningful work, recognition senior leaders, or HR professionals, should be accountable and appreciation, and living a balanced life—also drive for leadership capacity. Weiss and Molinaro suggest retention of key talent. Essentially, the ultimate challenge that both groups must share the responsibility—that Business Book Review™ Vol. 22, No. 22 • Copyright © 2005 Business Book Review, LLC • All Rights Reserved

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only organizations with the right balance of executive and HR accountability will be in a position to succeed. When this kind of balance is in place, executives are

is primarily the responsibility of the individual. If a gap exists, their challenge is to find someone who already has the necessary skills. Human Resources is forced to

accountable for overall leadership capacity. They position leadership capacity as a strategic priority and conduct annual talent reviews that explore retention strategies and succession management. They continually develop

fight for leadership dollars, and executives often have no understanding of what those dollars are buying or how the purchase benefits the organization. In other cases, organizations view development as an entitlement of

their own capabilities and model holistic leadership. And, they provide the needed time and resources to build capacity, make development a priority for their direct

employment; however, this development is not focused on building specific leadership capacity to respond to the new business environment.

reports, and develop other leaders. Essentially it is about visibly championing the importance of leadership capacity throughout the organization and developing leaders through modeling, coaching, and mentoring of high potential talent,

Unfortunately, neither of these approaches has had much success, and as a result, building leadership capacity has become one of the most challenging business issues today. The short-term and long-term viability of today’s

and also through developmental experiences. Human Resources professionals need to act as strategic co-creative partners with the executive team and be accountable for technical leadership capacity. Their role is to develop the tools and processes that can be leveraged across the organization to enhance overall leadership capacity, including succession management, leadership development, finding the best talent, lateral transfers and promotion programs, formalized coaching, performance management, etc. They must ensure that all HR initiatives are aligned and that they deliver value to the external customer. And, they must create the conditions for line managers and executives to take responsibility for building leadership capacity.

organizations will depend on how well organizations recognize and respond to the vast challenges and risks inherent in an ever-changing business environment—one that necessitates a very different kind of leadership. Of course, many original thinkers have addressed this need, providing a body of literature, containing many excellent works, which stand as valuable contributions to the evolution and development of leadership theory and practice. The Leadership Gap provides distinct value, however, in its acknowledgement that leadership, by definition, is comprised of more than one dimension. And, by offering a very thorough analysis, which gives equal prominence to each dimension (talent, capability, development, and values), the book clearly illustrates the interdependent nature of these various aspects and how this interdependency is critical in forming the leaderorganization partnership required to build leadership capacity. This integration represents a dynamic process— one that forms a comprehensive, holistic foundational template for leadership development. Relevant, real-life examples show that when organizations operate within this framework, they are able to build out leadership capacity along multidimensional tracks that leave no critical succ ess factor of leadership untapped. Thus, this seminal work provides many valuable insights and guidelines that professionals in many different roles can use to advance leadership both conceptually and practically: Executives, managers, and consultant will have a better understanding of the new value that leadership must provide. Boards of directors, responsible for recruiting leaders and reviewing their performance, can

* * * Footnotes and a subject index is provided.

Remarks The Leadership Gap is a result of the authors’

combined 40 years of consulting and managerial experience within organizations, and it addresses what they have found to be one of the most mission critical business issues facing organizations today—building leadership capacity. However, some executives make the mistake of assuming that leadership development and learning


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fulfill that responsibility more effectively. Those in internal and external human resources, talent management, and leadership development can gain a more refined perspective


www.BusinessBookReview.com), for they provide a conceptual foundation of substantial educational value.

on the new role for leaders so they can attract, cultivate, and retain those best suited for that role. Associations, concerned with leadership, strategy, and organizational issues related to leadership capacity, have more relevant information

CONTENTS PART 1: THE BUSINESS IMPERATIVE Chapter 1: Mission Critical

concerning successful implementation in these arenas. Members of academia have access to a well-researched and practical teaching tool for their MBA, organizational

Chapter 2: Bridging the Leadership Gap PART 2: THE LEADER’S RESPONSE Chapter 3: Holistic Leadership—an Overview

psychology, and human resources development programs. And, legislators, regulators, political leaders, and academic institutions can begin to understand the emerging critical link between leadership capacity and the broader society.

Chapter 4: Customer Leadership Chapter 5: Business Strategy Chapter 6: Culture and Values Chapter 7: Organizational Leadership

Reading Suggestions

Chapter 8: Team Leadership Chapter 9: Personal Leadership PART 3: THE ORGANIZATION’S RESPONSE Chapter 10: Leadership Capacity Implementation Chapter 11: Embedding Leadership in the Organization Chapter 12: focus on Critical Positions and Key Talent Chapter 13: Integrated Leadership Development Chapter 14: Accountability for Leadership Capacity Chapter 15: The Leadership Economy

Reading Time: 19-21 Hours, 349 Pages in Book

Because Weiss and Molinaro believe their integrated approach to building leadership capacity is a unique response to the leadership crisis that many organizations are currently experiencing, they recommend reading the The Leadership Gap in its entirety in order to understand this integrated perspective fully. Although most of you will benefit from this strategy, the authors acknowledge that others may have different needs: some may want to use the book as a study guide, some may be primarily interested in the leading-edge elements of holistic leadership, some may want to understand how to create a leadership culture and build leadership capacity, and others may simply wish to focus on the many leadership stories. If this is indeed the case, “A Description of the Book” and “How to Read This Book,” which are both found in the preface, will guide you in determining what sections will address your needs most effectively. For those readers, who may want to explore a topic not mentioned in these guidelines, a detailed index is available to guide your search. This index also references the resource material found in the footnotes (there are no bibliographic endnotes, bibliography, or suggested reading list). We suggest that you take note of these resources (reviews for several of them can be found at


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A Note to Our Readers We at BBR encourage our readers to purchase the business books we review. BBR Reviews are intended as a service to busy professionals, as we recommend only those books that are worth your time to read in their entirety. We apply stringent criteria in selecting only the best business books, and in that selection process, strive to help you make informed book-purchasing decisions.

This book is available at bookstores and online booksellers. Business Book Review™ is a service of Business Book Review, LLC For more information about BBR, to subscribe to BBR, or to provide us feedback, visit our Web site. www.businessbookreview.com Business Book Review, LLC 1549 Clairmont Road, Suite 203 Decatur, GA 30033 Copyright © 2005 Business Book Review, LLC • All Rights Reserved No copies may be made of this review unless appropriate license has been granted. ISSN 0741-8132


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