Praise for Humble Leadership
“Effective leadership is all about building trust and relationships. With Humble Leadership, Ed and Peter help us actually get there by understanding relationships on a much more granular and tangible level.”
—Severin Schwan, CEO, Roche Group
“In an era of national cynicism and dismay, this call for empathy, trust, and collaboration is a timely breath of fresh air with relevance for leaders at all levels.”
—Lucian Leape, Adjunct Professor of Health Policy (retired), Harvard School of Public Health
“In focusing on ‘levels of relationships,’ the book explains how emerging leaders can succeed by interacting with peers and those reporting to them in ways that are in stark contrast to the coercive and ‘bad behaviors’ we are currently hearing about. Ed and Peter Schein offer an alternative and far superior approach to leadership—one based on cooperative relationships with others that emphasize trust and respect and, in turn, lead to stronger and more effective organizations.”
—Robert A. Cooke, author of Human Synergistics’ Organizational Culture Inventory
“For those in the health-care world who face the challenge of leading organizations with layers of administrative and clinical complexity, this book offers a path to success. Humble leadership, as the authors remind us, though, is no mere philosophy. It is a result of disciplined attention to structure, culture, and relationships. The Scheins offer a persuasive road map to achieve this understanding and true effectiveness in institutional settings.”
—Paul F. Levy, former CEO, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and author of Goal Play!
“Humility may be the modern leader’s most important attribute. In a complex, dynamic world, humility is simply realism. This powerful and thoroughly engaging book delivers the wisdom of Edgar Schein’s half century of research and practice dedicated to helping organizations and those who manage them. Its authors—a pioneering organizational scholar and his son—embody humility as they describe its power in transforming organizations. Compelling case studies clarify the humble leadership approach and make it actionable.”
—Amy C. Edmondson, Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management, Harvard Business School
“Edgar and Peter Schein’s new book, Humble Leadership, builds on decades of study focused on organizational culture and leadership. The authors articulate the criticality of leadership in successful organizations and the strong correlation of relationships that go beyond the transactional with successful leaders and successful organizations. This is a must-read for reflective leaders at all levels seeking to enhance their effectiveness and execution in pursuit of their organizational mission and vision.”
—Gary S. Kaplan, MD, Chairman and CEO, Virginia Mason Health System, and Chairman Lucian Leape Institute
“Edgar and Peter Schein have built on a series of previous informative books such as Helping and Humble Inquiry with their new book, Humble Leadership. The insights into the importance of relationships and building an atmosphere of openness and trust are helpful to all leaders. I believe it is particularly informative for those in health care, dealing with the marked technical and operational complexities.”
—Lane F. Donnelly, MD, Chief Quality Officer, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford, and Professor, Stanford University School of Medicine
“Humble Leadership introduces a new model for leadership that supports effectiveness in a rapidly changing world where leaders and their followers are being driven by deeply entrenched cultural norms. The timeless insights about relationships, personizing, group process, and culture will help every leader.”
—Tim Kuppler, Director of Culture and Organization Development, Human Synergistics, and cofounder of CultureUniversity.com
“The book offers a deeply human approach to leadership that is attuned to the staggering complexity, rapid change, and uncertainty facing anyone aiming to make a difference in today’s world. Written as a joint project by Ed Schein and his son Peter, Humble Leadership is a way of being a leader that relies not on transactional power but on the relational power that comes from trust, openness, and collaboration. Illustrated with rich case examples from the Scheins’ extensive practices as organizational consultants and exercises to develop leadership capacities of one’s own, the book has the ring of authenticity that comes from the hearts of people who have walked the walk.”
—Maureen O’Hara, Founding Fellow, International Futures Forum; Professor, National University; and coauthor, with Graham Leicester, of Dancing at the Edge