Leadership Foundation

Engaging Leaders

This book, Engaging Leaders by Paul Gentle and Dawn Forman, is an excellent addition to texts available for aspiring leaders, existing leaders and those involved in institutional culture change where leadership is required, writes Craig Mahoney. Throughout the book there is a strong conceptual underpinning and constant reference to relevant, contemporary and useful citations.

The flow of the book gains valuable input from regular excerpts of a broad range of universities through case studies. These guide the reader through leadership challenges and how they were overcome, which stimulates thinking and develops learning. Descriptions of how leaders develop, how culture change challenges can de-rail leaders and how to inspire others and build commitment are ever constant themes.

There are some very strong lessons for leaders throughout the book, and due to the manner in which probing questions challenge thinking and behaviour this book is bound to become a widely used resource vertically through universities eager to develop leaders and leadership. A further constant rhetoric revolves around the concept of universities as learning organisations and how partnership, collaboration and an understanding of the impact that understanding emotional intelligence can have in leadership challenges is very helpfully developed.

The book makes use of some excellent learning tasks where the reader or groups of staff can engage in leadership learning experiences to develop their university. The breadth of exercises offered is extensive and adds a significantly different approach to many of the existing texts on leadership in existence. Many of these will challenge the participants, but will establish good learning behaviours, enhance understanding and enable leadership thinking to develop.

I commend this book to all those involved in university leadership and congratulate Paul Gentle and Dawn Forman for an excellent addition to leadership.

Throughout my life and career I’ve been inspired by many leaders, not just one. These have included people who are visionary enabling others to want to follow; who communicate with passion and clarity; have a pragmatism that facilitates outcomes. For me these have included Arianna Huffington, Martin Luther King, JFK and Nelson Mandela.

Craig Mahoney, vice-chancellor, University of the West of Scotland
Dr Paul Gentle, recently appointed honorary professor at London Metropolitan University, is director of Programmes at the Leadership Foundation