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.