Book Briefs: Lost and Found

Lost and Found: The Story of How One Man Discovered the Secrets of Leadership . . . Where He Wasn't Even Looking

By Lyle Sussman, Sam Deep and Alex Stiber

Crown Business, February 2004

160 pages, $19.95

This latest example of a management book disguised as parable is better than most. The characters are more than stick figures, the subplots are interesting and, perhaps most important, the message—from professors Sussman of the University of Louisville and Deep of Carnegie Mellon University, and writer Stiber—is clear. They contend that leadership can be reduced to a three-step process: First, have a clear vision of the future you are trying to create and make sure everyone shares your view; second, expand the capabilities of your staff to make it easier to turn that vision into reality; and third, do everything you can to make people feel like partners in the process.