"Leadership books often fall into one of two extremes: books targeted to practitioners introduce leadership concepts illustrated with anecdotes from successful leaders; books targeted toward students often emphasize abstract models and memorization of key terms. The collection of readings in "Choose to Lead" attempts to achieve a balance between these two approaches by exposing students to essential ideas while emphasizing practical skills and leadership practice. "Choose to Lead" is designed to help students distinguish between popular theory and the long-term impact of truly influential thinking.
Readings in five sections address topics such as the discrepancies between leadership theory and practice, managing conflict, developing a vision, and understanding the role of emotional intelligence, and values on leader effectiveness.
The book facilitates individual reflection on the ideas of prominent thinkers in the field. As the readings expose students to major ideas, the commentary at the beginning and end of each chapter aids them in making important connections between these ideas and their personal approaches to leading others.
"Choose to Lead" helps students develop essential leadership skills. It can be used as a stand-alone text for leadership courses or as a supplemental reader for classes in organizational behavior and management.
Dr. Vanessa Hill earned her Ph.D. at Carnegie Mellon University. She is an associate professor of management in the B.I. Moody III College of Business Administration at the University of Louisiana, Lafayette. Currently, she holds the J.J. Burdin, M.D. & Helen B. Burdin Professorship of Professional Ethics and teaches courses in the areas of business ethics, human resource management, and leadership. Her research focuses on ethical leadership, and her work has been published in various journals.