Review
From the Inside Flap
"Be Open, Be Transparent, Be Authentic" are the current leadership mantras—but companies often push back. Traditionally, business is premised on the concept of control and yet the new world order demands openness.
In Open Leadership Charlene Li (the coauthor of the blockbusting bestseller Groundswell) offers the next step resource that shows leaders how to tap into the power of the social technology revolution and use social media to be "open" while maintaining control. This important book explains how Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Yammer, Jive, and other popular social media sites can improve efficiency, communication, and decision making for leaders and their organizations.
As Li explains, openness requires more—not less—rigor and effort than being in control. Open Leadership reveals step-by-step, with illustrative case studies and examples from a wide range of industries and countries, how to bring the precision of this new openness both inside and outside the organization. The author includes suggestions that will help an organization determine an open strategy, weigh the benefits against the risk, and have a clear understanding of the implications of being open. The book also contains guidelines, policies, and procedures that successful companies have implemented to manage openness and ensure that business objectives are at the center of their openness strategy.
By embracing social media, leaders can transform their organizations to become more effective, decisive, and ultimately more profitable in this new era of openness in the marketplace.
From the Back Cover
People Are Talking About Open Leadership
"Open Leadership is a bold book with an even bolder agenda, dealing directly with the tensions between openness and order. Charlene Li skillfully describes the strategies and tactics that will enable leaders to thrive in this new culture. The book is a masterwork and it belongs on every manager's desktop and in every business school classroom. You need to know how to thrive in a world where openness is the new normal, and this is the book that will tell you how."—Jim Kouzes, coauthor, The Leadership Challenge and The Leader's Legacy
"If you work for a major brand or even a minor one, you're probably scared to death. After all, if you're a top-down organization, the Internet is not your friend. Here's a tip: Buy two copies of Charlene's new book, one for your boss and one for you."—Seth Godin, author, Linchpin
"Are you befriended by Facebook or do you tremble at Twitter? Love it or fear it, you need new leadership strategies to master today's socially networked world. Charlene Li's knowledgeable, practical, and engaging book shows how to cope and conquer while letting go of command and control. Open Leadership is the right idea at the right time, full of important role models and guideposts for the future."—Rosabeth Moss Kanter, professor, Harvard Business School; director of the Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative; and author, Confidence and SuperCorp
"Charlene makes it clear: Open up or die. No matter where you are on the open curve, Charlene's book will transform your thinking and ignite change."—Guy Kawasaki, Co-founder, Alltop
About the Author
Charlene Li is founder of the Altimeter Group and the coauthor (with Josh Bernoff) of the critically acclaimed, bestselling book Groundswell. She is one of the foremost experts on social media and technologies, and is a consultant and independent thought leader on leadership, strategy, social technologies, interactive media, and marketing. Formerly, Li was vice president and principal analyst at Forrester Research and a consultant with Monitor Group. She was named one of The 12 Most Creative Minds of 2008 by Fast Company, and one of the Most Influential Women in Technology 2009. To follow Charlene and to get a number of free resources to help you start transforming the way you lead, visit open-leadership.com.
