Review from: Carole MacNeil, Ph.D., California State 4-H Youth Development Program Director.

Hesselbein, F., Goldsmith, M. and Beckhard, R. (Eds.) (1996). The Leader of the Future. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.

The Drucker Foundation has pulled together a collection of writings and reflections from a wide range of leaders from business, nonprofit, and academic institutions. Many of the contributors are familiar names, authors of their own books on leadership and/or organizations. The contributors include: Stephen Covey, Frances Hesselbein, James Kouzes and Barry Posner, Peter Senge, Edgar Schein, Ken Blanchard, and others. The book focuses on trying to define and articulate the qualities, skills, and actions of the "leader of the future." What is it that organizations and communities will need from their leaders in the years to come?

The book highlights some important trends in leadership theory and practice, including new forms of organizational structure; diversity in the work place; the importance of creating learning organizations; and the role of personal values. Several of the contributors in the collection are "thought leaders" in their own right; the book presents their thinking in a shorter, more concise version, which makes the book helpful for the busy leader who is looking for some new ideas to inform her/his practice. For the leadership scholar, the writings don't provide much of a theoretical base, but would serve to point the reader to larger, more detailed works.

One advantage of the book is its flexibility. One need not read it cover to cover, nor does any one article depend on any other. Because of this, the reader can pick it up and read as little or as much as desired, finding the topic or topics that are applicable to that moment in time. It is a useful tool for the practicing leader, and provides insight on the kinds of issues facing the contemporary (and future) organization and its members.