There was time, not all that long ago, when business hardly rated more than cursory mention in the mainstream media.
Those days of corporate anonymity are gone. Our captains of industry are now, as new book to be released next month explains, “celebrity figures”. Enter The Hero Manager.
This 240 page Penguin release is not, however, about the heroic exploits of leaders such as Microsoft’s Bill Gates. The Hero Manager: Learning from New Zealand’s Top Chief Executives is tale of the exploits and accomplishments of nine home-grown, Kiwi hero managers.
The authors are Brad Jackson, senior lecturer with the School of Business and Public Management at Wellington’s Victoria University, and Ken Parry, associate professor of management also at Victoria.
Their heroes are reasonably predictable but no less relevant for the cross section of the profession which they represent. Our heroes are: Dame Margaret Bazley, Roderick Deane, George Hickton, Dick Hubbard, Peter Hubscher, Ralph Norris, Sir Gil Simpson, Dame Cheryll Sotheran, Stephen Tindall.
The book explains their leadership and management philosophies, their key learning and development experiences.
Why leaders need empathy during difficult times
In the current economic climate many employees are worried about their income and job security which can fuel workplace anxiety that leads to wellbeing and productivity issues. Sarah Bills writes that