Sidle

The forces that drive economic prosperity also can take a toll on the human spirit. What's needed to balance excessive self-interest, greed and corruption is a principled, enlightened form of leadership within organizations that cares about the greater good, says Cornell author Clint Sidle.

"The challenge … is to change the world from where we are, one step at a time," writes Sidle in his new book, "The Leadership Wheel: Five Steps for Achieving Individual and Organizational Greatness" (Palgrave Macmillan, 2005), in which he shows how organizations can help people become principled leaders.

Sidle, B.S. '74, MBA' 77, is director of the Roy H. Park Leadership Fellows Program at Cornell University's Johnson Graduate School of Management and a consultant on leadership development to other MBA programs and to major corporations. The Park program, which trains students to become principled leaders, holds that a commitment to the greater good -- serving the mission of an organization and the development of its stakeholders -- is one of the essential traits of good leadership.

To develop the five-step framework for leadership transformation, personal and organizational change described in his book, Sidle researched "archetypal truths" of ancient traditions as well as contemporary psychological and managerial thinking. His "Leadership Wheel" system, which includes a framework of five intelligences -- intellectual, emotional, intuitive, action-based and spiritual -- along with a series of transformative exercises, has already been introduced at such companies as Generali, an Italian insurance conglomerate, Outward Bound International, Corning Inc., Kellogg's and the American Red Cross among others.

"'The Leadership Wheel' clearly demonstrates that financial success and socially responsible business are not mutually exclusive," wrote managerial guru Kenneth Blanchard, A.B. '61, Ph.D. '67. "Best of all, chapter exercises guide the reader on how to make it happen at the individual, team and organizational levels," added Blanchard, who is co-author of best sellers "The One Minute Manager" and "The Servant Leader."

"Sidle has managed to combine fresh and important insights with practical advice for developing resonant, emotionally intelligent leaders, great teams and vibrant, successful organizations," commented Annie McKee, co-chair of the Teleos Leadership Institute.

"[The book] provides a vision of enlightened leadership by pulling together the three spokes of authentic leadership -- the leader, the organization and society -- into one integrated process," noted Kevin Cashman, CEO of LeaderSource and author of "Leadership From the Inside Out."

The book may be purchased locally and via online bookstores such as Amazon.com.