True Leaders. . - Bookshelf: Books in Brief - book review

HR Magazine, June, 2002

By Bette Price and George Ritcheske

Dearborn Trade Publishing, 2002

223 pages

List Price: $25

A healthy profit margin isn't the only measure of an effective CEO or corporate president. In their book, True Leaders, Bette Price and George Ritcheske say successful executives are those who can balance human values with economic principles. The best leaders can integrate "human interactions with technological innovations to effectively lead change and sustain momentum in future innovations," they write.

ISBN: 0-7931-4826-X

Price, president of The Price Group, and Ritcheske, president and CEO of CoachWorks International (both companies are based in the Dallas area), interviewed 27 corporate leaders to identify common values and characteristics. Four values emerged as dominant motivators:

* Social. Price and Ritcheske describe this as a desire to lift and develop potential in others.

* Utilitarian. Leaders recognize the importance of practicality and the need to realize a return on investment-whether that is measured in dollars or time.

* Individualistic. The authors describe this as "a desire to have the power to control one's own destiny and influence the destiny of others."

* Traditional. Leaders typically hold strong beliefs in areas such as religion and politics.

Price and Ritcheske also questioned corporate leaders about the characteristics they believe effective leaders must possess. These include:

* Passion. The authors describe this as the drive to build an environment that demonstrates caring for employees and shareholders, and the desire to serve a cause greater than profits.

* Vision. "True leaders tend to be more strategic than tactical in their thinking," say Price and Ritcheske. "One of their greatest strengths is to integrate new knowledge with old to envision better methods, better techniques and better ideas."

* Communication skills. This includes being able to both speak and listen well.

* Intuition. The authors describe this as "a combination of learning and experience that enables one to trust that inner voice that sometimes says 'no' when all the facts say 'yes.'"