Leadership on the Line, With a New Preface: Staying Alive Through the Dangers of Change

281 Pages·2017·1.01 MB·English

by  Ronald A. Heifetz

LEADER

MANAGEMENT L US$35.00
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“ Chock-full of political wisdom as well as wisdom for the soul. Anyone with TO LEAD IS TO LIVE DANGEROUSLY
A
passion to make a difference in public life ought to read this book before
taking another step.” Although it may be exciting to think of
D
— DORIS KEARNS GOODWIN, Pulitzer Prize–winning historian; author, Team of Rivals: leadership as inspiration, decisive action,
The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln E and powerful rewards, leading requires
taking risks that can jeopardize your career and
RSHIP WITH your personal life. It often requires putting
“ With stories that are inspiring and sobering, Heifetz and Linsky show us
A NEW yourself on the line, disturbing the status quo,
the perils of leadership and offer us the keys to survival. This book will be
S PREFACE and surfacing hidden conflict. And when
indispensable to anyone trying to make big changes in how their company
people resist and push back, there’s a strong
does business.”
RONALD HEIFETZ and MARTY LINSKY have been H temptation to play it safe. Those who choose
—ROBERT IGER, Chairman and CEO, Walt Disney Company
colleagues and collaborators at the Harvard to lead forge ahead, face the danger, and—too
Kennedy School for over thirty years. Heifetz I often—get burned.
cofounded the School’s Center for Public “T his book goes well beyond making a significant contribution to the field of P It doesn’t have to be that way, say renowned
Leadership and is the author of Leadership leadership. Heifetz and Linsky leverage their formidable professional and leadership authorities Ronald Heifetz and Marty

Without Easy Answers. Linsky has served as personal experiences to show all of us, at work and love and play, how to lead Linsky. In this new, refreshed edition of their
O O
Faculty Chair of many of the school’s executive and live more fully.” N contemporary classic, Leadership on the Line,
programs. they show how it’s possible to make a difference
—WARREN BENNIS, pioneer of leadership studies; author, On Becoming a Leader N without getting “taken out” or pushed aside.
They present the key principles of adaptive
leadership—when leading through change
A true contemporary classic, Leadership on the Line has influenced generations
T requires you to challenge people’s familiar
of leaders around the world since it was first published in 2002. In this timeless book, T
HE reality—as well as everyday tools that give equal
preeminent leadership authorities Ronald Heifetz and Marty Linsky bring to life the H
weight to the dangerous work of leading change
transformative concept of adaptive leadership and offer powerful and practical ideas
and the critical importance of personal survival.
for reducing the risks of putting yourself on the line. E
In their preface to this new edition, Heifetz
Both profound and useful, Leadership on the Line is your essential guide for leading
and Linsky set the context for the book’s ideas

change with courage, competence, and wisdom.
L in a new era and an ever more volatile world,
LIN showing that the need for adaptive leadership
E
I has only become stronger, in our communities,
Also by Ronald Heifetz N in our companies, and in our personal lives.
and Marty Linsky
Staying Alive Through Through vivid stories from people in all walks
E of life, the authors present crucial strategies for
The Dangers of Change
navigating the perilous straits of leadership.
Whether you’re a parent or a politician, a
HEIFETZ RONALD HEIFETZ CEO or a community activist, this wise and
practical book shows how you can exercise
LINSKY
leadership and survive and thrive to enjoy the
JACKET DESIGN: JAMES DE VRIES
MARTY LINSKY fruits of your labor.
ISBN-13: 978-1-63369-283-1
90000
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Leadership
on the Line
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Leadership
on the Line
Staying Alive through the
Dangers of Change
RONALD HEIFETZ
MARTY LINSKY
Harvard Business Review Press
Boston, Massachusetts
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discounts when purchased in bulk for client gift s, sales promotions, and premiums.
Special editions, including books with corporate logos, customized covers, and
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For details and discount information for both print and
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Copyright 2017 Ronald Heifetz and Marty Linsky
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into
a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior
permission of the publisher. Requests for permission should be directed to
[email protected] or mailed to Permissions, Harvard Business
School Publishing, 60 Harvard Way, Boston, Massachusetts 02163.
Th e web addresses referenced in this book were live and correct at the time of
the book’s publication but may be subject to change.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Heifetz, Ronald A. (Ronald Abadian), 1951-author. | Linsky, Martin, author.
Title: Leadership on the line: staying alive through the dangers of leading / Ronald
A. Heifetz, Marty Linsky.
Description: Boston, Massachusetts: Harvard Business School Press, [2017] |
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifi ers: LCCN 2016058719 | ISBN 9781633692831 (hardcover: alk. paper)
Subjects: LCSH: Leadership. | Risk Management. | Life skills.
Classifi cation: LCC HM1261 .H45 2017 | DDC 303.3/4—dc23 LC record available
at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016058719
eISBN: 978-1-63369-284-8
Th e paper used in this publication meets the requirements of the American
National Standard for Permanence of Paper for Publications and Documents in
Libraries and Archives Z39.48-1992.
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To David and Ariana (Anni), and Alison, Sam,
Max, Rich, Meredith, LeAnna, Guy, and Wit,
with faith that you will step out there
with heart and make a difference to people
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Contents
Preface ix
Acknowledgments xxiii
Introduction 1
P art One: The Challenge
1 The Heart of Danger 9
2 The Faces of Danger 31
P art Two: The Response
3 Get on the Balcony 51
4 Think Politically 75
5 Orchestrate the Confl ict 101
6 Give the Work Back 123
7 Hold Steady 141
P art Three: Body and Soul
8 Manage Your Hungers 163
9 Anchor Yourself 187
10 What’s on the Line? 207
11 Sacred Heart 225
Notes 237
Index 243
A bout the Authors 251
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Preface
Adaptability has been an essential ingredient for surviving and
thriving for every species of life, from life’s beginning on earth.
Th is has surely been true for human systems trying to meet dif-
fi cult challenges and fl ourish in the face of uncertainty and change,
for whatever forms that system takes: global networks, a nation, a
tribe, a town, a company, a family, or a person.
S o if your community, at whatever scale you defi ne it, needs to
focus on enhancing one skill set, one capacity, one competency to
help ensure going forward successfully, choose adaptability. And,
what holds for any human system we think holds for you as an
individual as well.
Now More Than Ever
W e wrote this book with three goals in mind: (1) to show that
productive change must be adaptive to be sustainable; (2) to off er
tools and frameworks that lower risk so people can see how to lead
and stay alive through the dangers of change; and (3) to encourage
people to seize opportunities to exercise leadership that are within
reach every day.
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