Some chapters are better than others. It is a good book to share what a strong and healthy company can look like but doesn't give enough of a road map to get you there.

"Leadership is an Art" by Max De Pree, chairperson of Herman Miller is not just a mere book but a great scripture like a Bible for a Leader.
This Bible can make an ordinary man into a great Leader and on the other hand, can act as a reference guide for the existing Leaders to succeed at all levels.
What I liked in this book is that it gives you a brief that a Leader should not look at his growth but try to share the vision where the others see growth for themselves but that does not mean that the leader should abstain himself from the growth. If the leader is growing then he should ensure that the environment for others is also good, and a happy workplace where there is room for open communication. The employees at any level in the hierarchy or whoever working by the side of the leader should not feel like they are giving their time and that suffices the requirement of the Leader. Leaders should look into this because if employees think that they are giving Time but "not involvement" then it is a red flag indicator, that the bus is not going in the right direction because the environment is "not participative" for the employees and the relationship is contractual "not covenantal". Leaders are just not at the hierarchical levels, there are some other sorts of Leaders in spirits, you can call them the "Roving Leaders" if the environment created by the Business is participative for all employees and ensures ample space. Roving Leaders come from nowhere and lead the entire business, solve problems, plug holes, speak openly, don't even shy away from sharing ideas, and concerns, have a unique perspective, highly envision the future, and wade the sinking ship through the troubled waters but their life span into the business is not long.
I would recommend reading Chapters 2, 3, 4, and 5 as the light pole for aspiring leaders. The last three chapters are for the existing leaders. Though the Bible can be read completely as many times.

However, I am rating the book 4 out of 5 because there's one statement in one of the chapters that contradicts the entire textbook that the 'employee is indebted to the employer for his financial health and wealth' and it contradicts Max's version in the other chapter of the same book that employee is also a kind of owner of the organization as like the investor who invests cash into the business because the employee invests his life into the business to grow. So the employer and the employee are in some sort of give-and-take relationship in equity.
I found this one statement contradicting the entire meaning of this valuable book.
And also, the book does not throw light on how to sustain the Roving Leaders in the business. Hence, I am deducting 1 point out of 5.

man i just loved this book!!!!!!!!! i love reading 4th graders essays, the style of their writing is just INCREDIBLE!! like nothing is better. screw books written in styles like adults write, we need MORE authors who write like they still have to sit in a booster seat! not only was the elementary writing style like THE BEST, but the repetition of certain words made things really clear!!! i love reading a page that says “communication” nine times it just really makes me happy! i hate books that don’t have fun chapters titled things like “Pink Ice in the Urinal” like what’s the fun without them!! i feel truly like a high schooler reading things like that! i also adore quick stories that are meant as metaphors but then don’t actually line up with the lesson at all!! makes you appreciate and understand the lesson just that much more! overall a delightful book! i recommend it to anyone who likes falling asleep while reading (during the day, mind you) or likes reading for NOT fun! like, heck, why have fun while reading!!





(for those of you probably concerned with my mental stability at this point, yes i am ok, yes this review is pure sarcasm, and no, exclamation marks at the end of every sentence wasn’t necessary but i felt like it. 1/5 stars)

another lowkey boring read for this boring class. apologies for being a hater but come on. I got nothing out of this book it was so pointless (respectfully of course). I did appreciate that it was not at all dense. super easy to read but I got nothing out of reading it so riddle me that I guess

One of the best books on leadership out there (in the top five). The book actually discusses what leadership is. Depree shares explicitly the many sides of leadership, in addition he describes that every person in a organization is a leader in their own fashion. The term he uses for this type of leader is a, "roving leader," and these leaders, lead from their experience, education. And in this explanation he notes that good leaders take note of this, and listen. Depree explains the difference between management and leadership.

This book - Leadership Is an Art, should be the, "Bible," or at least in second place to the actual Bible for every company, organization, church, even governments.

Depree takes the essentials of Peter Druckers works and makes them practical.

I like the ideas, and concepts depree has on leadership, and running an organization, for instance giving people space to be their best, or being a leader is actually to be in servitude of the ones they lead, and that treating customers as an interruption on your time is something to weep for. While reading this book, I thought of some great leaders I have had in the workplace and their qualities, and depree definitely pinpoints good qualities to look for in a leader, or to use an example to lead. Even though I am not in a management position, I feel like I could still utilize the advice in this book to do better in my position, which makes this book a great read for anyone who wants to have satisfaction in their work, not just a paycheck.

This book came to me highly recommended and I really wanted to like it. A leadership book based on treating people like people? Sounds good.

Unfortunately, I found the meandering writing style frustrating and barely made it half way through. I would have preferred a clearer structure and more cleanly delineated concepts. Each chapter bled into another, circling around the same points. Really, it all does boil down to "be nice to other people" but really, who needs a book to tell you that?

when you have a new leadership role coming up and find this book at a used bookstore

One of the best books about leadership. Sometimes criticized for being too simplistic, this book is needed more than ever because people have little common sense. The vast majority of leaders fail to inspire, develop, nurture or maximize the potential of their “human resources,” the people themselves who we rely on to give their best work. That’s right. Human resources are not the people running the department with that name. They are the people running your company across the board via their daily efforts. The leader’s job is to realize and reap their full potential which only occurs with the kind of leadership Max describes.

I could go on for a long time and in fact I may one day write my own book about servant leadership, but I’ll just say this. If you don’t get what Max is trying to explain in this little manual, you aren’t a servant leader and you can’t fake it. It’s a philosophy, a calling that has to be at the core of your beliefs to be effective.

I was recently asked what I thought was the biggest challenge about being promoted to a supervisor position. My answer: If you’re a servant leader, your biggest challenge is removing obstacles to your peoples’ success. If you’re not a servant leader, your biggest challenge is your people. I can’t defend any other leadership style, because none works as well, and nobody presented it better than the late Max DePree.

An interesting read, and there certainly was a plethora of tips and good management info, but it was a little disjointed, with no clear path for the info to flow down. It was also seemed to have a slight religious undertone that turned me off a bit.

Great book on leadership.

Wow! Great Book. He was a visionary when it comes to leadership.
Hard to imagine how someone born in 1920s working in a manufacturing company recognizes some aspects of leadership that came more naturally in the digital era.
As someone who leads a software team and practices the agile mindset. I see a lot of similarities. You can almost take the book and the Agile Manifesto side by side and see how they match.
It's a very short book, some section might be repetitive, but it's good because it needs time to sink in. This is the kind of book that you need to pause and think at the end of each sentence.
Here are some quotes that really sticked with me:

The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say Thank You!. In between the two, the leader must become a servant and a debtor. That sums up the process of an Artful leader.

True leaders are sought after and cultivated. Leader don’t inflict pain, they bear pain. The measure of the leader is not the quality of the head, but tone of the body (shielding, absorbing, protecting).

Leadership is an Art. Something to be learn over time, not simply by reading books. It is more tribal then scientific. More a weaving of relationship then amassing of information.