The Longview. Roger Parrott. (Colorado Springs, CO: David C. Cook, 2009). 255 pp. $16.99 (hardcover).
Long standing president of Belhaven University in Jackson, Mississippi, Roger Parrott earns the right to explore and expound on the virtues of taking the longview. Counter-culture to contemporary leadership thinking some may argue that Parrott's views allow for too much drift to be decisive and directional. A careful reading uncovers an idea which has always been with us. It is found in John W. Gardner's On Leadership and it suggests that real power emerges from the constituency. Credibility emerges from trust. Genuine leaders are not bullies. They are selected by the group, committee, or masses as one in whom they trust with the organizational agenda or as one who embodies the attributes of the movement. With this as a driving force in the undercurrent, Parrott's take on leadership is able to make a prison break from contemporary leadership theory.
The Jung and the Restless
A significant theme is the need for organizational awareness. By this I mean that organizations have "id" just as people do.
HAL: I am putting myself to the fullest possible use, which is all I think that any conscious entity can ever hope to do.
HAL: It can only be attributable to human error. --from the Movie 2001 A Space Odyssey
This is the brilliant stroke that sets this leadership book apart from all others. In much the same way we speak of an individual being self aware, organizations bear this burden too. The longview leader spends time becoming organizationally aware. Just as a person may be tempted to do a self assessment based on vocation or today's "to do" list, an organization may find it is narrowly defining itself by its mission statement: this is what we do; this is what we must accomplish today to meet our quarterly goals. The longview leader is the pastoral counselor or therapist to the organization's heart. Empathic and intuitive, the longview leader assesses the organization's id. From this the leader is able to chart direction, evaluate priorities and take risks. When an organization is fully aware of what it is, this shapes values and motives as well as ambitions. A thorough understanding of the organization's strengths and weaknesses enable it to modify its expectations of itself and, importantly, its expectations of those individuals who slave paycheck to paycheck to enable it to realize its goals. One wonders, after reading this book, how many quality people have been terminated because the organization was incapable of achieving an unrealistic goal but allowed the blame to rest on a person's performance against an impossible task.
It Takes a (Sailing) Team
The longview also suggests a genuine need for personnel awareness. People are not widgets. They are not gears that can be placed in mass produced fittings and replaced when the warranty expires. People are driven by virtues and values. People come to work with a larger story than the paragraph presented in the workplace. The longview leader views people not as producers but in light of their potential. Those who are problematic under the contemporary leadership scheme may emerge as powerhouse players when leadership takes the time to assess both capability and those factors that inhibit personal and professional growth. The longview contends that the perfect employee does not exist. The longview is patient enough to believe that immediate results which result in personnel burnout or termination (adding additional burden to the organization from training and task sharing) is not trumped by a mentoring process that develops leader and worker.
Know thyself (but don't think too much of thyself)
Personal awareness is essential for the longview leader. The book addresses several tiger traps; those that are common and those that are deep. Longview leaders do not approach their present situation as a stepping stone to the next big thing. Leaders who sit with a house flipping mentality behind the executive desk have not acquired the servant-leadership quality of Christ. The longview leader understands she is there for the benefit of the organization served. Humility is explored at length over the first four chapters.
On the Shoulders of Dwarf Giants...
Other pitfalls explored are those factors which create drag. A lack of self care robs the leader of necessary renewal. Unrealistic and unhelpful evaluations are examined and critiqued with positive alternatives presented. Planning is panned. The author is not abandoning the need for preparation or goal setting. Rather the reader is doused with a championship-win-cooler-sized dose of realism. The future is unpredictable. Predicting winning results without knowing what unforeseeable factors will derail the present course is a sad game where we lie to ourselves about the outcome, lose, and then feel bad for losing. Longview leaders anticipate challenge and obstacles. The obstacles present opportunity and may actually give new and exciting shape to organizational direction-- provided the organization knows itself well enough to negotiate the changes. Flexibility isn't just for dancers.
This book is ideal for any organizational leader. The principles translate well into profit, non profit, academic, governmental and religious leadership. Dr. Parrott may have produced what will become known as the minority report on contemporary leadership. As with any minority report, one can presume it will be overlooked by the establishment to their own detriment.
David Curry's Book Review of the Longview
