NOTE: I have an extra copy of this book to give away. Simply respond to this post with your comments on why this book might be of interest to you and I’ll (admittedly arbitrarily) choose someone to receive a free copy.

Peter S. Cohan has written a book about Jim McNerney, the CEO of Boeing, with a focus on McNerney’s results using a collaborative style of leadership.

McNerney was a protege of Jack Welch’s – in fact, he wanted the top job at GE when Welch left. He went on to run 3M and then to a failing Boeing as CEO in 2005.

Why You MAY FIND This Book Interesting:

McNerney’s style is very different from Welch’s and both got results. Welch was famous as a hard-driver, top-down, shoot from the hip leader. He got results. McNerney is a kinder, gentler sort of leader – who believes in consensus and collaboration. He gets results. Both styles are compellingly interesting – and if you’ve followed Welch, it might be fun to see the other side of leadership by reading this book. There is (was) a time and a place for both leadership styles. I believe that McNerney is showing the way for the future of leadership, and proving that it works.

Certainly, new C-level employees will benefit from the insight in this book. I especially like the way the chapters are laid out in a way that they can be used as a “best leadership practices”, for example:

Chapter 3: Link Pay to Profit and Process, Not Stock Price

Chapter 4: Build Strategy on Customer Focus

Chapter 7: Tackle Challengin Situations Quickly and Effectively

Why YOU MAY NOT FIND This Book Interesting:

This book was written by an author who used third-person information to tell McNerney’s story. It would have been so much more compelling if he could have included McNerney’s side of the stories too.

I enjoy hearing stories that include the foibles of of good leaders – they seem to make them more human and reachable. This book read like a 202 page advertisement for McNerney. I found myself hungering to know what mistakes he made and lessons he learned.

I also don’t know if this author has ever worked in a large corporation (he is a management consultant and venture capitalist). There aren’t many new things to learn for those who have been leaders within that environment, at any organizational level.

The Bottom Line: Don’t shy away from the book. There is plenty of useful information here, if you are interested in leadership and how a CEO can show results while focusing on the people in the organization.

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