Apples Are Square: Thinking Differently About Leadership

by Thomas D. Kuczmarski, Susan Kuczmarski

Your 7-step prescription for creating a compassionately competitive work culture.For centuries, leaders have been operating within a “control and compete” mindset. But times are changing. More and more, at the helm of successful companies, you’ll find a different sort of leader. Collaborators, not controllers, they are “square apples,” bold men and women who dare to create success by reshaping the workplace in unexpected ways.In Apples Are Square, innovation consultants and celebrated authors Dr. Susan Smith Kuczmarski and Thomas D. Kuczmarski share with you the secrets of how to become a square apple in your organization. To develop their groundbreaking strategy for success, the authors interviewed dozens of leadership pioneers, including Craig Newmark, founder of craigslist; Mary Ellen Weber, former NASA astronaut; and NFL star Chris Zorich, whose personal story inspired the title of this book. With the tools in Apples Are Square, you’ll be able to take any bruised environment and reshape it into a positive force.

Genres: Business, Leadership

256 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 9, 2009

Reviews

[Sneha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Apples are Square bills itself as providing the new paradigm for what a manager could/should be. People associate a certain type of person as being leaders (essentially, assholes), evidence supports the idea that one can be a successful leader without being rude, condescending, etc. In fact, the book is littered with examples of people who exemplify at least one the attributes they consider essential in today's world.

Overall, decent leadership read.

[Andrea Darby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Leadership books offer thoughts and strategies to consider. Apples Are Squares was a strong remember of the values to lead with - humility, compassion, transparency, inclusiveness, collaboration, and values-based decisiveness.