The Deep Blue Sea: Rethinking the Source of Leadership.

Drath, W. H. (2001). San Francisco, CA; Jossey-Bass Inc.

Reviewed by Warren Crawford—University of Wyoming.

The beep blue sea is a metaphor for the endless possibilities for leadership and the potential for leadership with in an organization. Our reality is limited to what we can physically see and know to be true. So often we only see what is right in front of our eyes and miss out on an endless sea of potential. In The Deep Blue Sea, Bill Drath writes about looking beyond the President or CEO and looking deeper within the company to find where leadership can and should be happening. Throughout the book, Drath incorporates the story of a piano company going through serious changes as it passes the "leadership reins" from the father to the daughter.

The story of Zoffner Piano helps illustrate the point that as times change and people change, the system of leadership must also adapt and change to encompass more than personal dominance as an act of leadership. One question Drath possess is: How do we see and recognize leadership when it is occurring? The answer can be found in the framework in which our experiences and our understanding of how history has shaped our idea of what a leader is. All the great leaders where naturally superior or born leaders. Because of this God given right, they took on the leadership role and the rest took on the role of the follower. This way of leadership still does have a place in today's society but it has many limitations.

According to Drath, leadership in the twenty-first century will be based on relational leadership and gradually move away from the current framework which he calls personal leadership. Personal leadership is based on the principle of a leader's character and skill and is something leaders possess as an individual. Relational leadership looks at the entire system of relationships and builds leadership through teamwork, collaboration, communication, and social structures. As people work together toward achieving a common goal, the concept of a leader shifts from an individual person to a team, group, or organization. This is what Drath refers to as building or expanding the breadth and depth of leadership. Looking beyond the waves and white caps and seeing the beep blue sea.