Great leads for effective leaders

For everyone from newly-elected City Council leaders to corporate

managers and heads of scout troops, the Newport Beach Public Library

is a prime source for books about leadership.

From one of New York City’s most effective civil servants comes

the much anticipated “Leadership: How to Run Your Business Like the

Greatest City in the World.” Opening with a gripping account of his

reaction to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, Rudolph Giuliani describes

the management, decision-making and leadership skills that made him a

success as both a prosecutor and mayor in this new offering.

Giuliani may have taken his cues from “Leading on the Edge of

Chaos: The 10 Critical Elements for Success in Volatile Times.” In

their primer for facing crises, leadership consultants Emmett Murphy

and Mark Murphy use the experiences of chief executive officers from

Southwest Airlines, Dupont, IBM, Cisco and other corporations to show

how threats can be transformed into opportunities. Especially helpful

is an appendix designed to help executives assess hiring practices,

employee morale, customer care and organizational flexibility.

Beyond the boardroom, leadership strategies can be culled from the

locker room. Former college baseball player and management consultant

Michael DeMarco examines the moves of controversial baseball manager

Billy Martin in “Dugout Days.” While as much has been made of

Martin’s turbulent relationship with Yankees owner George

Steinbrenner as of his coaching, the experiences of a man who

transformed two teams from being 100-game losers one season into

league champions the next provide much insight into effective

management.

For basketball junkies as well as business types, NBA great Bill

Russell provides 11 lessons on leadership in “Russell Rules.” Using

insight gleaned from working within a team, the former Celtics star

breaks down qualities that helped him earn 11 NBA championships into

principles for corporate managers.

A hero whose success can be measured by survival rather than

scores provides the inspiration for “Shackleton’s Way: Leadership

Lessons from the Great Antarctic Explorer.” In this combination

travel narrative and corporate explorers’ handbook, Margot Morrell

and Stephanie Capparell distill leadership tips from Ernest

Shackleton’s attempts to reach the South Pole and his two-year fight

to save his crew.

Leaders in our lives need not be the stuff of legends. They can be

bus drivers, teachers and literary protagonists -- a point made by

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Robert Coles in “Lives of Moral

Leadership.” Through stories of people who have motivated him,

including Robert Kennedy, Dorothy Day, college professors and

elementary school teachers, this professor of psychiatry at Harvard

Medical School creates a fascinating portrait of moral leadership.

Managers of all types can learn to motivate a team, create winning

solutions and direct everyone’s energy into achieving results through

what Chris Alexander calls “synergistic leadership.” Meet the author

of “Synergizing Your Business” at a workshop beginning at 5:30 p.m.

Tuesday at the Newport Beach Central Library, 1000 Avocado Ave.

* CHECK IT OUT is written by the staff of the Newport Beach

Public Library. This week’s column is by Melissa Adams, in

collaboration with Steven Short. All titles may be reserved from home

or office computers by accessing the catalog at

www.newportbeachlibrary.org.