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Compelling and thought provoking  2004-02-03
Carolyn Corbin intertwined her future predictions of the 21st Century with leader/worker development to become a viable workforce in the future she predicted. While not outside the realm of common sense, her predictions are still eerily thought-provoking. This book outlined the five steps to becoming a leader in the 21st Century. In Step One, she discussed assessing one's own leadership effectiveness and compared that to what skills will be needed for the future. She summarized major world changes into four "dynaforces" of the 21st Century...globalization, marketization, informatization, and democratization. Step Two was order the chaos. Many futures books discuss how to adapt to change or how to go with the flow...so I was exceedingly curious what exactly she proposed to "order" this. She thoroughly explained the future factors that will lead to change and chaos, and the more we understand these factors we can pro-actively work to diffuse as many chaotic factors as possible. Step Three provided many examples of blending multiple organizational models of profit, non-profit, government, religious, higher education, and more. She shows the limitless possibilities of applying successful models from organizations that have already dealt with issues to different types of organizations that will be confronting similar issues in the future. Steps Four and Five have to do with the individual-engaging employees on all levels of their person and providing a workforce that fosters their innovation. She illuminates the skills we can develop today to prepare for tomorrow. Whether intentional or not, her description of the future makes one re-examine everything you think about current leadership training and how it does not adequately prepare employees for what is to come.
Synopsis and a final comment - Pepperdine Doctoral Student  2004-01-28
1. Synopsis: Corbin's foresee that by 2010 great leaders must be at what she calls level 2 leaders, and in order to operate at this level these leaders must: Orchestrate a 360 degrees worldview, Order the chaos, blend multiple organizational, engage the whole person, and ignite innovation. Orchestrate a 360 degree worldview includes two steps:1. Gather organizational intelligence by overcoming worldwide trends that occurs during periods of opportunity (or windows) and foresee the outcome (or issues); and 2. Understand the dyna-forces (interesting concept) created by these worldwide trends that originate systematic change. These dyna-forces are: globalization, marketization, informatization and democratization. In order to overcome chaos, level 2 leaders need to figure out the root cause of the chaos (changes in speed, changes in rules or changes in structure), be aware of the new century organization models and be prepared for the role of the 21st century leader (level 2). Level 2 leaders need to foresee the blending of multiple organization models during the next Century, foresee the driving of the 21st Century worker and be aware of the present blending of organizations and the strategies applied to blend those organizations. Level 2 leaders will need to engage the 21st Century worker as a whole person and not by his/her skills and ignite innovation at any cost. Corbin foresees a hermaphrodite workplace (androgynous) where man (FINALLY) will learn soft skill (typically considered feminine) by engaging in a spiritual search. Final Comment: This last statement along with numerous stereotypes, sexist and deeply Christian religious remarks, casts big doubts about the seriousness of the book. What a shame!
Read this book or be obsolete by 2010 2002-01-23
Carolyn Corbin's: Great Leaders see the Future First: Taking Your Organization to the Top in Five Revolutionary Steps, balances practical how-tos (in just about every paragraph) with great stories. Her bottom line: if you don't change from being what she calls a Level 1 leader (reactionary, always busy, focus on gathering & analyzing information, sacrifice innovation to pursue continuous improvement) you will be obsolete by 2010! To survive you must be moving to Corbin's Level 2 (strategizing, focusing on the whole person, leading at warp speed, improve through innovation). Most of the book covers a quick way for moving from a level 1 to a level 2 leader by applying the following 5 steps: 1) Orchestrate a 360 degree worldview (use strategies to be "tossed" high in the air to see 5, 10, 25 years into the future) 2) Order the chaos (by controlling it) 3) Use a blend multiple organizational models (like for-profits, nonprofits, universities, military, religious institutions - because one will not longer do) 4) Engage the whole person (meet employee's physical and spiritual needs like day care, elder care, and providing work-place Chaplains) 5) Ignite innovation (via creativity, remove inhibitors, add humor) You might think that 214 pages would go fast. But the book had an uncanny ability of slowing me down as I focused on my own style of leadership, my own organization's shortcomings. Every page is packed with something to move the reader from Level 1 to Level 2. For example, in the chapter 6 on "The Role of the 21st Century Leader" ideas included crafting an organizational mission statement in 10 (5 is preferable) key words, really listen to workers and act on their requests, understand other cultures, and move from a 20th century leader to a 21st century leader by changing from being: boss --> coach
authoritarian --> participatory
tough --> tough and tender
informs --> listens
status from position --> status from working harder Late in the book Corbin asks the reader to spend time going through two self-assessment exercise: 1) exploring your soul and 2) assessing your preferences and core competencies. My only critique of the work is the lack of more of these kinds of reflective exercises earlier in the book. Although Great Leaders may not be as holistic as Steven Covey's Seven Habits of Highly Effective People which deals more deeply with all aspects of one's personal, business and professional life, I do recommend it for any leader who influences the future of their organization. I recommended it to two of our Human Resources personnel after they gave a "How to Managing Our Institution's Way" seminar. Dave Harmeyer
Pepperdine University doctoral student (Ed.D. Educational Technology)
Vision and Street Smarts: A Winning Combination 2001-08-04
The title of this book should not be taken literally. What Corbin correctly suggests is that the most effective leaders are those who recognize, sooner than anyone else does, certain indicators of what often become emerging trends and perhaps even a new industry. Stated another way, they see the possible (perhaps probable) implications and consequences of events occurring now. I am reminded of countless such situations when someone (later characterized as a "visionary") said something like this: "If we can figure out how to pressurize the cabin, an airplane can transport people as well as cargo." Thus is how entirely new industries are developed. Corbin's book is about "becoming a great leader under a new set of global rules....Organizations are recognizing the value in looking ahead. Scanning the horizon for various internal and external trends, global changes, economic booms and busts, and demographic peaks and valleys is part of the regular routine in many enterprises." At least ideally, these organizations develop leadership at all levels, creating what Tichy characterizes as a "leadership engine." Corbin's objective is to help her reader take her or his organization "to the top in five revolutionary steps." In the first chapter, she provides (Figure 1.1) a "Leadership Level Evaluation Exercise" which poses 22 questions. The respondent is thus able to calculate her or his score and thereby determine at which of two levels of leadership she or he is at the moment. Corbin then shifts her attention to the five "revolutionary steps" to which the book's subtitle refers. They are: 1. Orchestrate a 360 Degree Worldview (Chapters 1-3) 2. Order the Chaos (Chapters 4-6) 3. Blend Multiple Organizational Models (Chapters 7-9) 4. Engage the Whole Person (Chapter 10) 5. Ignite Innovation (Chapter 11) Each of these steps is explained and then developed in detail. It is important to note that Corbin contrasts dominant characterizes of Level 1 and Level 2 leaders. For example, L1's react, emphasize hard skills, gather information, and manage positions whereas L2's strategize, focus on the whole person, lead at warp speed, and manage people flow. You get the idea. My own experience suggests that what Corbin calls a Level 1 leader is a believer and involved whereas a Level 2 leader is a zealot or evangelist and engaged. I urge you to check out a book which is entirely devoted to Level 2 leaders. Its title is Radicals and Visionaries, written by Thaddeus Wawro and now available in a paperback edition. One of the book's most valuable chapters is the last, "Trumping the Competition", in which Corbin suggests that the Organizational Chaos Model (Figure 4.1) can help an organization to overcome its competition. "The goal is for your organization to change the rules, structure, and speed of its industry so that your competitors are thrown into chaos....The idea is to confuse the enemy. While the opponent is digging out of the confusion, the organization in the offensive position seizes the dominant position." She lists and then briefly discusses "The Nine Factors of Innovation" which can help to achieve such dominance, in process providing analyses of various industries to illustrate her key points. She concludes with a call to action, urging her reader to "execute boldly, step forward courageously, and lead responsibly as if your organization's prosperity depends on it -- because it does." I join her in wishing "Godspeed, great leader."
Consider This One! 2001-03-16
Being a retired Nacy Captain, I was asked to speak to Canadian Navy officers on the subject "Leadership in the New Millennium." I am pleased to tell you that the theme of my presentation was from Mrs. Corbin's book, "Great Leaders See The Future First." I found it to be a marvelous reference, and I held up my copy twice during the presentation saying, "If you have time for only one book, consider this one!" As a result of this presentation, I was approached by the Association of Professional Engineers of Nova Scotia and asked to repeat my presentation at the kick off of National Engineering Week. Again, I referred to Mrs. Corbin's book and urged them to use it."
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