by Steven B. Sample
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Product Description
In this offbeat approach to leadership, college president Steven B. Sample-the man who turned the University of Southern California into one of the most respected and highly rated universities in the country-challenges many conventional teachings on the subject. Here, Sample outlines an iconoclastic style of leadership that flies in the face of current leadership thought, but a style that unquestionably works, nevertheless. Sample urges leaders and aspiring leaders to focus on some key counterintuitive truths. He offers his own down-to-earth, homespun, and often provocative advice on some complex and thoughtful issues. And he provides many practical, if controversial, tactics for successful leadership, suggesting, among other things, that leaders should sometimes compromise their principles, not read everything that comes across their desks, and always put off decisions.
Amazon.com Review
In The Contrarian's Guide to Leadership, University of Southern California President Steven Sample offers up a refreshing perspective on the characteristics of a successful leader. Some of Sample's prescriptions: try reading Machiavelli's The Prince instead of The New York Times, learn to work for those who work for you, and "Anything worth doing at all is worth doing poorly. It may be worth more if it's done well, but it's worth something if it's done poorly." This book is not just for CEO's: middle management and anyone interested in promoting good leadership will benefit as well. --Harry C. Edwards
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Average Customer Review:
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
 a definite must-read for leaders, business owners, 2008-10-31
The only book on leadership, or any book for that matter, that I have finished reading from cover to cover in a very long time.
Steven Sample made a lot of sense, especially to me as a business owner and aspiring technology entrepreneur. There are ideas and perspectives that I know I can put to work starting next Monday.
Sample's job description for a leader is definitely contrarian to whatever I have read about until now. Doing the work of a leader has definitely been hardwork for me, not that I ever complained (and even if I felt like it, who do I complain to?) but I was always wondered whether I was trying too hard. After reading Sample's book, for some strange reason, I feel somewhat relieved and invigorated at the same time.
This book is listed as one the six must-reads for leaders in a Harvard Business Management update. I am encouraged to go on and read the other five.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Excellent book, 2008-10-09
Excellent book on leadership. The author discusses the differences between a good leader and an effective leader. I highly recommend this book for any individual looking to become a better leader.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
You Are What You Read, 2008-03-24
You have two options for learning about USC President Steven Sample's "contrarian's guide to leadership." Option #1: Join 40 juniors and seniors at the University of Southern California for Sample's popular spring course, "The Art and Adventure of Leadership," co-taught by Warren Bennis, global leadership guru and author. You'll study 20 historical and contemporary leaders, read 1,000 pages on leadership, interact in class with a dozen guest leaders, write a dozen four-page papers, and participate in a group project.
Option #2: Order this book. Sample writes in Chapter 4 that "you are what you read." I agree. I'm a cheerleader for leaders who read. "The Book Bucket" is one of the 20 buckets in my book, Mastering The Management Buckets: 20 Critical Competencies for Leading Your Business or Non-profit.
Samples' contrarian approach to reading is unique. He reads 30 minutes a day along a "left to right" spectrum of newspapers, trade journals, new books and supertexts (The Bible, Plato's Republic, Machiavelli's The Prince, etc.). But...he rarely reads what others are reading. The short list of supertexts that have endured at least 400 years attract him the most. He engages his team in conversations about what they're reading. Before buying a book, he prefers a five-minute conversation with someone who has already read it.
Addicted to newspapers, he once went six months without reading one--but stayed current through the art of listening. Sample says that for the contrarian leader, most truly original ideas will often come from outside his or her established field. This chapter is worth the price of the book. It's contrarian and refreshing. It changed my thinking. How often does a book do that for you?
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
When "taking the road less traveled" gets you there, 2008-02-20
I must like this book or I would not have bought over a dozen to give to business friends. Sample takes a different path to the making of decisions. And it is one that my personal experience in international business and personal life has proven to work. It is the secret of "letting" the thing work out. Thinking "gray" takes time and gets better results. An very valuable approach that should be listened to in this fast paced segmented world.
Frederick R. Andresen, Author of "Walking on Ice, An American Businessman in Russia," over sixteen years in Russian business, six years in residence.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
 A Contrarian View, 2007-12-30
Dr Sample's views on leadership are refreshing, but honestly not so altogether contrarian. Don't get me wrong, I think the book is a useful and well written collection of leadership best practices and it is a welcomed addition to my personal library; but students of leadership shouldn't expect to find anything as contrary to conventional wisdom as found in say "First, Break All the Rules" by Coffman and Buckingham.
The book could be more correctly titled, "A Guide to Leadership that Flys in the Face of Your Bad Boss's Ideas on Leadership." Dr. Sample recommends that leaders "think gray" instead of in right and wrong, either/or, binary state conclusions (so does Plato). He also encourages us to beware of experts and filter their advice through our own opinions (so does Walt Whitman). Sample believes that leaders should be very careful of what they read and pay attention to (so does Ben Franklin), and he gives us very good advice about working for those who work for us ( much like Robert Greenleaf advised in "Servant Leadership" back in 1976).
To be clear, I completely agree with all of Dr. Samples conclusions (yeah, so?) and think "The Contrarian's Guide..." is a solid four out of five stars book. Just don't look for revelations; unless of course your one of those bad bosses who never quite knew how to lead -- you're going to learn tons.
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