[.ca] Side by Side Leadership: Achieving Outstanding Results ... (ISBN 1885167512)

weLEAD Book Review by the Editor of leadingtoday.org:
Dennis Romig has done an excellent job of integrating real world experience with a wealth of research to create a very readable book. Often leadership books are criticized for being "too theoretical" or "too soft" for the real world. This book is different. The principles and best practices presented are backed up with "hard" data obtained from the review of 3,000 studies. The ideas presented in this book can really make a difference to the bottom line. Applying these innovative ideas will yield productivity gains, improvement in employee morale, and increased profits. This leadership model departs from both the "top down" and "bottom up" models of leadership. It presents a third model which Dennis Romig calls "Side by Side" leadership. The Side by Side model recognizes that leadership is about building and sustaining effective relationships. "Leadership is facilitating Side by Side relationships in pursuit of shared goals." Romig points out that often the most effective way for leaders to influence others is to "change their own behavior." This is right in line with Stephen Covey's "inside out" approach to leadership and Bowen's Natural Systems Theory. The Side by Side model recognizes that leadership involves facilitating and coordinating a two-way influence process. Such leadership is mutual, interactive, and shared. In the top-down, authoritarian model of leadership influence is one-way. Top-down leaders usually listen only to a few others-mostly those in authority above them in the hierarchy. On the opposite side of the leadership spectrum are the bottom-up leaders who have allowed participative management practices and "democracy" in the work place to get completely out of hand. Dennis Romig presents a "third way" that is a higher way than either the top-down or bottom-up approach. The Side by Side leadership model appears to be the closest of the three models to Robert Greenleaf's vision of Servant-Leadership. "Executives who spent their entire careers practicing autocratic leadership read Robert Greenleaf's Servant Leadership and did a complete turnaround. But they mistake Greenleaf and others like him. They went too far. The proponents of participative management never meant to advocate a one-way, bottom-up model...Neither top-down nor bottom-up has worked very well for us." Dr. Romig presents five spheres of influence in Side by Side Leadership. These five spheres are: 1. Personal 2. Interpersonal 3. Team 4. Organizational 5. Knowledge Most of us are strong in one or two of these spheres, but naturally weaker in other spheres. For instance, you may excel at personal and knowledge leadership, but be weaker in interpersonal, organizational, and team leadership. This is an important concept. An organization needs leadership in all five spheres. It is unlikely that a single individual will excel in all five spheres of influence. Dennis Romig identifies seven principles that are critical in all five spheres of influence. These principles include focused creativity and structured participation. Each of the five spheres of influence can be thought of as an assemblage of these seven principles. Finally, the author shows that it is important for a Side by Side leader to master twenty critical skills, such as two-way listening and living organizational values. With five spheres of influence, seven principles, and twenty skills to master, this leadership model may seem overly complex. That is just the point. Too many authors have taken a simplistic approach to leadership. Leadership is not simple! It is a complex system with many interrelated parts. However, Dr. Romig has done a superb job of integrating all these elements and relationships into his book, keeping references to research findings brief and to the point. He shows that there are many "entry points" into the Side by Side leadership model, and there are many different ways to be a successful leader. This is not a "one size fits all" kind of book! I want to thank Ray Bard at Bard Press for suggesting I review this book. I rarely get this excited over a book. Buy it! Read it. Get excited too! Review By Dr. J. Howard Baker

Sis By Side Leadership:
... I believe that the leadership points the direction of where to go and when to get there and the frontline people figure out the "how" part. When I picked up Side-By-Side Leadership, I was immediately struck by the wealth of research to support the basic premise of the book. I was also impressed with the careful, almost scientific approach Dennis took in proving the case for frontline people driving performance improvement by working side-by-side with organizational leadership. I knew we were kindred spirits when I read a few lines on page 44 " The effective Side-by-Side leader is aware of all of these influences on the team and organization and knows that frontline people -- the employees who are in daily contact with customers and suppliers -- are often the first to discover new opportunities and threats to the organization. By maintaining a two-way dialog, Side-by-Side leaders and their contributors can respond quickly to changes without losing sight of their goals." If you want true, sustainable and significant performance improvement in your organization, regardless of your industry, read the book and bring the concepts into your heart. Let your actions speak louder than your words to the people in your organization.

Great leadership book that works!:
I like his 5 spheres of side-by-side leadership. He then added certain skills to each sphere. 20 skills in total spread out among 5 spheres. I found his chapter on "Interaction Fields" to be the most useful part of the book. I read other books on leadership. And this one has a lot of good information. Great book to read for a beginner in leadership. Just like many other leadership books, he tries to look at great leaders. In general he doesn't present anything new. He just found new ways to say what is now being said repeatedly in other leadership books. Is it worth reading this book? Yes... as I said earlier, especially if you're new to true leadership. If you have been having problems with your leadership position, defiantly read this book. In conclusion, it is a good leadership book filled with practical tips. Not only defines what leadership is, but tells you how to lead as well, explaining his ideas based on what works.

Experience speaks:
Dennis Romig's consulting experience gives real and personal flavor to this research-based guide for leaders. His examples are interesting and the book is especially readable because he keeps his references to research findings brief and compelling. I was especially interested in his references to Bowen's work on patterns to be watched for in teams and organizations. Romig has written a great "how to" text of best practices.

Excellent work--especially in these trying times:
This is a fine volume of work which all leaders should read--especially in light of today turmoil. The techniques, principles and suggestions outlined here absoulutely make a difference and yield increases in productivity, employee morale and financial gain. Too much emphasis has been placed on the "hard" elements of business--Romig's work reminds us to stand side by side with our people to accomplish significant results.