Flight of the Buffalo: Soaring to Excellence, Learning to Let Employees Lead

by James A. Belasco

A hardcover bestseller now in paperback presents a management program that encourages employee leadership--which today's companies must have more of if they are to survive the coming decades.

Genres: Business, Nonfiction, Leadership, Management

368 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

Reviews

[Darren Chuah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ironically the book was published back in 1992. It’s 2018 now and it’s appalling that there are so many organisation that are still practicing the “head of buffalo” method when it comes to managing their people. The key message of empowering employees, removing obstacles, develop ownership is essential for any business as we head towards the next phase after intellectual capitalism. Wake up and stop micromanaging.

[Urtencija · Rating 3 out of 5]

Temos (mano nuomone) vis dar aktualios, bet pateikime labai daug pasikartojimų (galėjo smarkiai sutrumpinti tekstą), daug ne iki galo papasakotų pavyzdžių, o vertimas - tragiškas (ir dar be jokio redagavimo, nes tiek klaidų knygoje dar neteko matyti).

[Ray Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Flight of the Buffalo is one of the best books I have read on organizational culture. It is particularly useful if you want to learn more about empowering your employees through self-managed teams. Written by James Belasco and Ralph Stayer, the book demonstrates that modern leaders need to learn to relinquish more control, and trust their coworkers to share in the responsibilities of the organization. I was fortunate to have been able to work directly with James Belasco in 1995 for the implementation of a new cross business unit customer focused team for my large account team selling to Wal-Mart. He helped create a major cultural transformation which had incredible results. His common-sense leadership lessons involved a significant culture shift, but it became one of the most important lessons I learned to become a better leader. As a result I became a raging fan. In the book he presents an entirely new way to look at people, and teaches the reader how to transform their organization into a more dynamic, accountable, enjoyable and profitable one. To do this they use a lot of diverse and entertaining anecdotes, summaries and checklists to explain why and how to make the evolution from hierarchical to team-based management. As the title of the book suggests they use an interesting metaphor for how leaders should transform their companies from herds of milling buffalo to flocks of geese, in which each bird takes a turn at the head of the V. The analogy is simple. If the lead buffalo is killed, the herd will become easy targets because the rest of the herd are not programmed to act independently without the guidance of the lead Buffalo. The classic manager is, metaphorically, the lead buffalo: the individual who directs all day-to-day operations of the company and expects subordinates to defer all important decisions to the top. In contrast, geese rotate leadership regularly and frequently, enabling each member to be responsible for the appropriate course and direction of the team, and allowing each other to rest and recuperate from the additional work of leading the flight. The authors apply this metaphor to management suggesting that within a management team, members of great teams alternately lead and support, as situations dictate. They help us understand that the leader who changes from the lead buffalo to the lead goose will increase the flexibility, commitment and effectiveness of the management team and the organization. These geese leaders are able to transfer ownership, responsibility and accountability to their team and foster an environment where the team can flourish. Most of the book reads like a novel on leadership and they are reflections of personal experiences by the authors as they relate to their own experiences. However, it is very easy to read and understand and as a result I recommend this book to anybody new to management or for more experienced executives looking for ideas on organizational culture around improving employee empowerment.

[Troy Swinehart · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reading this as part of a leader mentoring program through my current company.



Back in college we would yell "Buffalo!" when we would catch one of our drinking buddies not following the made up steps of our ritual drinking game. They would then be forced to chug the balance of their beer right on the spot while we made jokes at their expense.



Wouldn't it be great if we could do the same thing when we caught one of our co-workers "waiting for the lead buffalo" to make a decision or light the way. "Buffalo!" Every time you don't think that you have the power of choice. Now you have to choke down the balance of the remaining work because you sat on your duff waiting to be told to do your job.



How did we get here? Has the US society really come down to needing books to tell us to get off our butts and get moving? Victims! To irony of being told to think and act for your self by a book. Huh?



OK so thats not the main point of the book but it certainly makes you think that we are all nothing but a bunch of followers. And that we will follow the directions handed down from on high. That we are robotic in nature and simply awaiting instruction. Making the guy at the top force feed us our step by step routine. Does not sound like my circle of friends but....



Really the point is that the guys at the top really don't know as much as they have touted all these years. That maybe they should shut up and just listen for awhile. Wouldn't it be great if we actually worked in a world where you could say that to your boss (or at least the politically correct way)? Wonderful!



My suggestion read this as a boss and not as an employee. If you don't understand why....just tell your boss to shut up and listen about something important to the company....you will figure it out as you are collecting your unemployment check.

[Adrian Camacho · Rating 5 out of 5]

Character: I rate the characters a four. the characters were described pretty good. The story didn't describe the actual characteristics of them, but focused on their success. I really enjoyed the characters because they gave off a personal connection due to their interest in business. the characters are very believable because they are very knowledgeable about what they are talking about. This gives off a very believable act because they know what they are talking about. He also shows his own success for example "The results? Johnsonville beat their own projections."(Belasco&Stayer pg33) this helps show that they are believable.
Language: I rate the language a five. the writer used a first person view for example "I coach the president of a $6-billion company."(Belasco&Stayer pg43) This gives it a personal tone, almost like he is talking to you. this was my first book I've ever read in first person and it really caught my attention and I enjoyed it.
Information: I rate the informational part a five. The topic of this informational text is to inform you and help you learn how to be successful in a business aspect. The information is very helpful and it definitely described very detailed step by step. This couldn't have been written as a story with a plot line because it is one hundred percent informational, with no real plot behind it.
Theme: I rate the theme a five. The authors main message is that everyone in any situation can be successful. The story is really about how to succeed even when you don't think you can, it helps walking you through hard times. Yes the tittle does relate to the theme, it does by when they cover the leader ship aspect of it. The Buffalos on the cover are famous for leading the herd everywhere they go.
Personal response: I loved this book, it definitely taught me good life lessons. I would recommend this book to a friend that is interested in the business aspect of America and wants to learn how to succeed.

[Bernard · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best business books I've ever read. Explains why self-organization is so vital for companies who want to succeed in the information age.

The book uses anecdotes from companies in several industries including IT to explain why the command-and-control model is outdated and not the most effective way of running an organization. The key to success is allowing each company member to be a leader in the organization rather than have employees who just follow orders.

In essence, rather than a buffalo herd mentality where all the buffalo follow one leader, the better organization is where the members organize themselves like a flock of geese where all members are leaders and rotate in and out of the lead position.

[Troy Patti · Rating 4 out of 5]

I realized right away when reading this book that as a manager I've been working harder not smarter. This book walks you through years of leadership/management experience where the author illustrates how to "teach men to fish" by empowering employees and transferring ownership for success. Using the Metaphor of how a Buffalo (managerial capitalism) lead by Command, Control, Hierarchy, One Leader, One Voice, VERSUS the teamwork metaphor of GEESE (intellectual capitalism) in flight Transferring ownership, Create a responsible environment, Everyone a leader, Empowerment, Person working owns work, Fast learning, Customer is boss.

This book challenges today’s leaders to change their management styles from “managing” to full team participation.

[Dustin McQuay · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this a while ago and I don't remember a lot. What that says to me is that it didn't focus on key points enough. However, I do remember some good insight on letting go as a manager/leader so that people can be great on their own. If people are told what to do they don't practice thinking for themselves. So then, instead of having tons of people in a company sharing and pooling their expertise and applying it themselves, close to the problem, avoiding the clunkiness of typical corporate processes, you end up with a top-down approach where the knowledge only originates from upper management.

[KitCat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Favorite takeaways:

Leadership is making it possible for others to follow by thinking strategically and focusing on the right direction, removing the obstacles, developing ownership and taking self-directed actions.

The person who does the job must own responsibility for doing it correctly.

People perform what they measure.

An organization is a reflection of what is accepted.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of the different books I have read about how businesses operate, this is one of the best I have read. I tend to believe that CEO's are overvalued in the US perception of a companies success and that businesses are only as good as their employees. As a consequence, this is a good book for a guy like me to read.

[Debie Orrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book on management. Learn to look at yourself as being the problem, then look to your team for the solutions. They will usually come up with more extensive goals than you can. Remember the customer knows what he needs, all you need to do is ask and you will have the answers.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a wild concept. Treat your employees like they have brains in their heads. Let them work together to solve problems. Wow. Some managers understand this, and when they do, a lot more work gets done.

[Karna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Business ficton. I frequently go back to this book for basic reminders about change and coaching and the importance of leading through questions. before the Toyota Lean model became popular so it lacks all the vocabulary, retains the primary essence of what lean is about.

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book on organizational structures. Good business reading.

[Brandon W. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book that started me on my journey of leadership and ultimately becoming an author myself. Outstanding read that has influenced me for the past 20 years.

[jope · Rating 5 out of 5]

a superb book about leadership and selling

[Mindaugas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Classic