The Ideal Executive

Dr. Adizes' premise, developed in this book, is that the ideal leader, manager, or executive-ideal in the sense that he can fulfill by himself all the roles necessary for the long-and short-term effectiveness and efficiency of an organization-does not and cannot exist. And that is the problem with contemporary management literature: it presents what the executive should do, (because that is what the organization needs) even though no one can do it.

All the books and textbooks that try to teach us to be perfect managers, leaders, or executives are based on the erroneous assumption that such a goal is possible. This book explains why it is not. We are all barking up the wrong tree, spending millions of dollars to train and develop executives based on faulty logic.

This book is the first in a series of three. In this volume, Dr. Adizes presents a paradigm shift in management thinking: If no one can be the ideal executive that organizations need, what should be done to avoid mismanagement? How do we compose a complementary team? How do we structure the company correctly? How do we harness conflict that necessarily will emerge within a team composed of diverse styles?

This book is a must for all managers and leaders of industry or not-for-profit organizations. It is based on 30 years of successful application of principles presented in this book in 48 countries, in companies from start-ups to the largest on the earth.