Joyce R. Clifford’s praise of the book “Leadership is an Art” is the most apt review I have read. She articulates, “In today’s financially driven business environment, Max De Pree helps readers to pause, take a deep breath, and examine their own personal ‘art of leadership.’ This is an extraordinary book that avoids quick management theory and brings the reader back to the reality that human values form the basis for extraordinary leadership” (De Pree, n.pag.). This is clear throughout the book as De Pree advocates for a servant leadership, similar to Colleen Barrett from Southwest Airlines who also advocates for such humanistic leadership. De Pree points out later in the book that owners are “liable for hard assets and also a legacy for their corporate heirs” (De Pree, p. 95). This is a powerful statement that I will discuss in greater detail.
De Pree’s major theme can best be summed up by dealing closely with the esteem needs of people and the philosophy of positive organizational behavior (McShane, p. 77). De Pree postulates that the most effective way of leading be “participative leadership,” which deals with meeting employee esteem needs for “belonging, for contributing, for meaningful work, for the opportunity to make a commitment, for the opportunity to grow and be at least reasonably in control of our own destinies (De Pree, p. 23).
Certain key ideas tie to the fact that “Leadership is an art, something to be learned over time … [leadership is] more a weaving of relationships than an amassing of information…” (De Pree, p. 3). Additionally, De Pree points to leadership as being owed to the employees of an organization by leaders, and the book is wholly dedicated to the hope that each person will read it and take away the fact that leaders need to “participate and own” their choices and decision making. In theory, these leaders need to understand and