The Power of Giving Away Power: How the Best Leaders Learn to Let Go (Random House Large Print)

“This book is a breakthrough. It’s beautifully written, perfectly timed and heralds a new way forward. I’m buying a dozen copies to share with friends and colleagues.” -Seth Godin, Founder of altMBA and author of The Practice If you let go of hierarchy, chaos will reign...or so many leaders believe. But when leaders find the courage to distribute rather than hoard power, creativity multiplies, trust deepens, and inclusivity expands... and a new kind of order emerges. A few rare leaders have learned to embrace a new organizational shape and mindset: Constellations. Organizations designed as constellations are dynamic and flexible networks of distinct yet interwoven individuals. Each member of the team feels like a singular star and is also connected to others to form something greater. That is how Visa reimagined how we pay for things, how Wikipedia beat the richest company in the world and how Barack Obama and his grassroots team revolutionized political campaigning. These leaders did what most leaders dread – they gave away power. Barzun brilliantly layers lessons across history and industries with his own experiences as an internet entrepreneur, political organizer, and US ambassador to the United Kingdom and Sweden. The Power of Giving Away Power shows how the Constellation mindset shines in some of the most impactful organizations and innovations the world has ever known. And it encourages us all to recognize, as Barzun writes, "the power we can create by seeing the power in others" — and making the leap to lead. Together. "How do great leaders thrive in uncertain times? By changing their mindsets about power. Why do some organizations grow and thrive with complexity, while others collapse under their own weight? The answer is simple, but transformative: When power is hoarded and lorded over others, it is finite. But when leaders allow power to flow among groups, it can grow indefinitely. While many have realized the limits of top-down hierarchy, "bottom-up" leadership is just as bad. It's the same shape in reverse. And who wants to be at the bottom? Barzun describes leaders whose organizations take a new shape. They are self-perpetuating and self-energizing; they function as Constellations-- dynamic, flexible, and renewable networks of distinct yet interwoven nodes. Barzun shows us how we can distribute power throughout an organization by using friction in decision-making, seeing more clearly when growth is being stifled, and fostering creativity and innovation in every part of the organization. In The Power of Giving Away Power, Barzun brilliantly layers lessons from American history and business with insights from his career in tech, politics, and diplomacy to show how we can lead meaningful change in our companies, communities, and even our nations by adopting this mindset. Through profiles of leaders as varied as Jane Jacobs, Dee Hock of Visa, and President Obama, Barzun shows how we can all create Constellations. As Barzun writes, change starts with recognizing "the power we can create by seeing the power in others"--and making the leap to lead, together"-- Provided by publisher ****“This book is a breakthrough. It’s beautifully written, perfectly timed and heralds a new way forward. I’m buying a dozen copies to share with friends and colleagues.”** **-Seth Godin, Founder of altMBA and author of __The Practice__** **If you let go of hierarchy, chaos will reign...or so many leaders believe.** **But when leaders find the courage to distribute rather than hoard power, creativity multiplies, trust deepens, and inclusivity expands... and a new kind of order emerges.****__The Power of Giving Away Power__