SYNOPSIS

Leadership and the Art of Change, gives an insightful look at how to lead change within an organization and most importantly do so with success. The author, Lee Roy Beach begins with a look at Wayne a young executive filled with desire to lead an organization on his own after several years of working closely with CEO’s. Wayne’s struggles are detailed by Beach as examples of how not to lead change in a struggling organization. In the end Wayne leaves the company for other opportunities knowing he had failed but not understanding how to correct his mistakes. This leads the reading into what Beach describes as leaders prime responsibilities in championing change. There are six prime responsibilities. Assessment, leaders …show more content…

Wayne began this job feeling he was the right person for the job and he clearly could have been if he had used his experience wisely. Wayne, knowing little about the company failed to make any assessments, spending the first two weeks isolated in his office planning the changes he felt needed to be made. He began by comparing his new company to those of the past and thinking of ways to make the current company like the others. Wayne then rolled out his plan at a department managers meeting to little fanfare and opposition. What should have been an awakening turned into a display of his ego as he turned the light on him and his leadership abilities. Three days after the meeting Wayne released his plan with a directive that all managers would submit a proposal back to him by the end of the week, no exceptions. Two months later all of the proposals had finally been returned. This should have been another awakening as the staff had begun to revolt. It was still not to late to turn this debacle around but Wayne failed to see the additional warning signs as staff began to leave the company and the local newspaper ran a story on the failing leadership at the company. Progress was moving at a very slow pace when Wayne decided to dazzle everyone with what he called opportunism and he offered two customers sales deals that offered very little profit for the company. Wayne expected his boldness to open some eyes to his