Manuel London - Principled Leadership and Business Diplomacy: Values-Based Strategies for Management Development

Cover

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Values-Based Strategies for Management Development

Manuel London

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

London, Manuel.
Principled leadership and business diplomacy : values-based
strategies for management development / Manuel London.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 1567203477 (alk. paper)
1. Business ethics. 2. Leadership. 3. Conflict management.
I. Title.
HF5387.L66 1999
658.4'092dc21 9927821

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data is available.

Copyright 1999 by Manuel London

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, by any process or technique, without the express written consent of the publisher.

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 9927821
ISBN: 1567203477

First published in 1999

Quorum Books, 88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881
An imprint of Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc.
www.quorumbooks.com

Printed in the United States of America

The paper used in this book complies with the Permanent Paper Standard issued by the National Information Standards Organization (Z39.481984).

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For Marilyn

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This book is about applying the art of principled leadership and diplomacy to business. Principled leadership is the application of ethical business values, including mutual respect, trust, honesty, fairness, kindness, and doing good. Principled leaders are executives and managers who apply these values in their daily business lives. Principled leaders do not ignore the tough realities of business. They deal with market forces, make difficult decisions, resolve conflicts, and negotiate deals using business diplomacy.

Business diplomacy is a way of working with people to get things done effectively. Rather than work over, around, or through other people, the idea of business diplomacy is to help people understand each others perspective and reach common ground without hostility. Principled leadership and business diplomacy are values-based management strategies. The underlying premise is that being ethical, tactful, and showing concern for others are positive, effective business strategies.

Principled leadership and business diplomacy provide directions for management and leadership development. This book provides a model for human-resource managers, management development specialists, and organizational development consultants (change agents and group facilitators) to follow in designing management and leadership development programs, selecting and training managers and executives, and changing corporate culture. Also, these professionals can be role models of principled leadership and business diplomacy and change agents in their organizations to encourage cooperation and get people to work together effectively.

I began thinking about the concepts of principled leadership and business diplomacy when I reflected on my own work experience as a corporate human-resource manager for twelve years and as a college professor and administrator

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for thirteen years. I had seen too many examples of how organizational politics, unfairness, self-centeredness, and mean-spiritedness hurt people. These did not seem to be effective ways of doing business, and they certainly werent enjoyable. Of course, I encountered many examples of encouragement, support, and integrity. I wondered what would be needed to create an organization where these would be the guiding values in both espoused philosophy and reality; where these values guided actions and decisions that occur behind the scenes as well as those that are visible. I wondered how this would be possible when conflicts in goals, cultural values, personalities, and behavioral styles are inherent in the situation. I observed that the people who were most successful in resolving disputes and maintaining the peace while moving the organization forward seemed to be business diplomats. Hence, business diplomacy appeared to be a way to make principled leadership possible.

I would like to thank my colleague, Dr. Robert Boice, for valuable and sensitive comments on an earlier draft of this book.

Principled leadership and diplomacy are positive values and actions for successful business relationships. Marriage requires an even deeper relationship and stronger values and actions. This book is dedicated to my wife, Marilyn, who showed me the value of kindness, understanding, honesty, and communication.