The Monroe Doctrine: An ABC Guide To What Great Bosses Do

by Lorraine Monroe

Leadership is the key to excellence. And leadership can be learned. Thank goodness, because many people who fall into managerial positions haven't the foggiest notion how to lead. They don't feel driven to attain the competencies of a boss -- much less a great boss. Lorraine Monroe is a born leader. She caught the bug early, as secretary of the student council in the fourth grade at P.S. 157 in Central Harlem. She went on to found the Frederick Douglass Academy in Harlem, a remarkably successful and innovative public school, and became one of the most respected education reformers in America. Now Monroe translates her extensive experience in New York City public schools into the "Monroe Doctrine" to show other education and business leaders how to create and maintain high-achieving organizations.

The Monroe Doctrine offers readers concrete lessons in the craft of leadership. Its brief, catchy lessons and anecdotes will help potential leaders tap into their natural gifts and harness those gifts to lead seemingly by instinct. Monroe's personal story of conquering the most overwhelming challenges will inspire leaders of all types to try new ideas to enrich their lives and the lives of their organizations. With The Monroe Doctrine by their side, readers will be able to lead any organization -- whether a hospital, a house of worship, a sorority, a family, a school, or a business -- with renewed passion and results.

224 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2003

Reviews

[Gary · Rating 3 out of 5]

But there is a lot in her book which makes sense. She organizes her thoughts A through Z, 88 thoughts. Topics such as Ask, Escape, Joke and Wait. So it is a good book to go through a day at a time.

There are some specific things she talks about—Be prepared, to be growing and learning today, you are getting prepared for tomorrow; or reflect—Does your staff have time built into their schedules to reflect on their work?

But there are a lot of times which she talks about things which do not resonate with me. Such as breaking the rules-if you are not breaking the rules once a day, you are not doing your job. This just does not make sense to me. Sounds like an undisciplined approach to management.

I think if you read the book like a devotional, picking and choosing what hits you to change about yourself, it is a good book. But it is not a 1-2-3 book to being a better manager.

For more on this book, please see my blog.