The Humanitarian Leader in Each of Us
7 Choices That Shape a Socially Responsible Life
1st Edition
Published on 3. November 2011
Book
Paperback/Softback
208 pages
978-1-4129-9922-9 (ISBN)
Description
From the authors of the best-selling books 'TeamWork' and 'When Teams Work Best'.
Frank LaFasto, Susie Scott Krabacher and other contributors to the book in conversation at the World of Children awards, hosted by UNICEF, November 1st, 2011 in New York.
"This short book gives me hope that giants continue to walk the earth, lending a hand to those in need of extraordinary help."-Dr. Matthew Goldstein, Chancellor, City University of New York
"So many of us want to help, but don't know where to begin. The deeply moving stories of the remarkable people profiled in this book help point the way." -United States Senator Mark Udall
"A powerful, moving, and substantive book that puts leadership in the hands of everyday people."-Peter G. Northouse, Western Michigan University, author of Leadership: Theory and Practice
Susie Scott Krabacher, a former Playboy centerfold, devotes her life to helping women and children in the desperate slums of Haiti. Ryan Hreljac, at age 6, launches an organization to build wells in countries where water is scarce. Larry Bradley, a U.S. army major in Iraq, mobilizes an international effort to save the life of one local boy. Victor Dukay, himself orphaned at a young age, builds a center in Tanzania for children who have lost parents to AIDS. Inderjit Khurana, a teacher in India, creates a network of train "platform schools" to educate impoverished street children.
How do seemingly ordinary people come to take such extraordinary action? Best-selling authors Frank LaFasto and Carl Larson embarked on a 5-year quest to find out. In this book, they offer a fascinating look into the origins of humanitarian leadership in the lives of 31 individuals.
Based on their groundbreaking research, LaFasto and Larson trace a path of 7 pivotal choices. The path begins with connecting deeply and personally with the needs of others and culminates in leading the way for more people to get involved. The first 7 chapters of this book tell the stories of this remarkable group of leaders and describe their choices. The final 3 chapters explore the impact of 31 people on the world's problems, the relationship between helping and personal happiness, and practical advice for getting started in a helping effort.
In this inspiring book, LaFasto and Larson show how each of us can translate our own good intentions into good deeds--and enrich our own lives along the way.
Frank LaFasto, Susie Scott Krabacher and other contributors to the book in conversation at the World of Children awards, hosted by UNICEF, November 1st, 2011 in New York.
"This short book gives me hope that giants continue to walk the earth, lending a hand to those in need of extraordinary help."-Dr. Matthew Goldstein, Chancellor, City University of New York
"So many of us want to help, but don't know where to begin. The deeply moving stories of the remarkable people profiled in this book help point the way." -United States Senator Mark Udall
"A powerful, moving, and substantive book that puts leadership in the hands of everyday people."-Peter G. Northouse, Western Michigan University, author of Leadership: Theory and Practice
Susie Scott Krabacher, a former Playboy centerfold, devotes her life to helping women and children in the desperate slums of Haiti. Ryan Hreljac, at age 6, launches an organization to build wells in countries where water is scarce. Larry Bradley, a U.S. army major in Iraq, mobilizes an international effort to save the life of one local boy. Victor Dukay, himself orphaned at a young age, builds a center in Tanzania for children who have lost parents to AIDS. Inderjit Khurana, a teacher in India, creates a network of train "platform schools" to educate impoverished street children.
How do seemingly ordinary people come to take such extraordinary action? Best-selling authors Frank LaFasto and Carl Larson embarked on a 5-year quest to find out. In this book, they offer a fascinating look into the origins of humanitarian leadership in the lives of 31 individuals.
Based on their groundbreaking research, LaFasto and Larson trace a path of 7 pivotal choices. The path begins with connecting deeply and personally with the needs of others and culminates in leading the way for more people to get involved. The first 7 chapters of this book tell the stories of this remarkable group of leaders and describe their choices. The final 3 chapters explore the impact of 31 people on the world's problems, the relationship between helping and personal happiness, and practical advice for getting started in a helping effort.
In this inspiring book, LaFasto and Larson show how each of us can translate our own good intentions into good deeds--and enrich our own lives along the way.
Reviews / Votes
A powerful, moving, and substantive book that puts leadership in the hands of everyday people. LaFasto and Larson's work is grounded in theory yet crystal clear in describing the core dimensions of humanitarian leadership. This book expands the domain of leadership and encourages all of us to make life better in some way for others. -- Peter G. Northouse As someone who comes from a long line of public servants, I found the message of service to others in this insightful and original book inspiring and hopeful. The problems we face in our global community are complex and often seemingly intractable, but LaFasto and Larson make a convincing case that individual citizens, of any age and from any walk of life, can have a positive and often lasting impact. So many of us want to help, but don't know where to begin. The deeply moving stories of the remarkable people profiled in this book help point the way. -- United States Senator Mark Udall "This short book gives me hope that giants continue to walk the earth, lending a hand to those in need of extraordinary help." -- Dr. Matthew Goldstein, Chancellor, City University of New York "It is gratifying to see so many of the leaders in this book engaged in the vital work of improving the health of men, women, and children around the globe. The commitment and compassion of these humanitarians make me believe in a future in which people everywhere enjoy long, productive lives." -- Dr. Brian Williams, former Epidemiologist, World Health Organization; Fellow of the South African Centre for Epidemiology and Analysis This book should be required reading for every student in every University in the country. President John F. Kennedy told us "There are risks and costs to action. But they are far less than the long range risks of comfortable inaction." Now La Fasto and Larson have made sense of this position and made it easy for each of us to understand the power we have within us to make a real difference in the real world. -- Harry LeibowitzMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Thousand Oaks
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Weight
369 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4129-9922-9 (9781412999229)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Frank LaFasto, Ph.D., recently retired as Senior Vice President of Organization Effectiveness after 30 years with Cardinal Health, Inc., a multinational health care company. An internationally recognized author and lecturer on management issues, Frank has more than 35 years' experience helping organizations build and sustain successful teams. Frank has written two best-sellers on the subject: Teamwork and How Teams Work Best, co-authored by Carl Larson. He currently consults with private and public sector organizations to help them build effective teams, lead critical change initiatives, and develop executive talent. Frank resides in Lake Forest, Illinois. Carl Larson, Ph.D., is professor emeritus of Human Communication and past dean of Social Sciences at the University of Denver. His most recent work includes When Teams Work Best (Sage 2001), Successful Communication and Negotiation, and Collaborative Leadership: How Citizens and Civic Leaders Can Make a Difference. Larson consults in both the public and private sector. He received the Driscoll Master Educator Award given by the students at the University of Denver to the university's outstanding professor.
Content
Introduction - The Moment: The Same Look I Saw in the Mirror
PART ONE: MAKING A CONNECTION
Chapter I Leveraging Life's Experiences: A Generation of Orphans
Chapter II A Sense of Fairness: Bags of Magic
PART TWO: MAKING A COMMITMENT
Chapter III Believe We Can Matter: It's a Gift That I Have, and I Use It
Chapter IV Open to an Opportunity: Busy in Baghdad
PART THREE: MAKING A DIFFERENCE
Chapter V Taking the First Small Step: A Seventh Grade Speech
Chapter VI Perseverance: These Are the Cards That Were Dealt Me
Chapter VII Leading the Way: Shame Hung Over the Sanctuary
Chapter VIII A Positive Force: The Accumulation of Good
Chapter IX A Larger Life: No Gravestone Has a Job Title or Salary on It
Chapter X Getting Started: A Spectrum of Involvement
Epilogue Beyond Our Research
PART ONE: MAKING A CONNECTION
Chapter I Leveraging Life's Experiences: A Generation of Orphans
Chapter II A Sense of Fairness: Bags of Magic
PART TWO: MAKING A COMMITMENT
Chapter III Believe We Can Matter: It's a Gift That I Have, and I Use It
Chapter IV Open to an Opportunity: Busy in Baghdad
PART THREE: MAKING A DIFFERENCE
Chapter V Taking the First Small Step: A Seventh Grade Speech
Chapter VI Perseverance: These Are the Cards That Were Dealt Me
Chapter VII Leading the Way: Shame Hung Over the Sanctuary
Chapter VIII A Positive Force: The Accumulation of Good
Chapter IX A Larger Life: No Gravestone Has a Job Title or Salary on It
Chapter X Getting Started: A Spectrum of Involvement
Epilogue Beyond Our Research