CRA Inc

6 Apr 05 @ 8:04 am

Richard Farson

My Partner Randall recently passed out Management of the Absurd by Richard Farson to the consultants in the firm. Farson is a former CEO, professor, and psychologist who studied with the famous Carl Rogers for many years. His thesis: Life is absurd, human affairs usually work not rationally but paradoxically, and we can never quite master our relationships with others. As a result, leaders should appreciate paradox and focus on how to best play their part in it.

On the whole, his is shaping up to be an argument for authenticity. I’m just getting into the book, but one selling point is how Farson has structured the chapters as tenets of paradox. Examples of his chapter titles:

* The Opposite Of A Profound Truth Is Also True
* Once You Find A Management Technique That Works, Give It Up
* Planning Is An Ineffective Way To Bring About Change
* Big Changes Are Easier To Make Than Small Ones
* Morale Is Unrelated To Productivity
* Organizations That Need Help Most Will Benefit From It Least

And on they go. The foreword, by Michael Crichton, forecasts that Farson’s thinking will prompt you to feel “stimulated, intrigued, amused, and exasperated.” Given how some of the paradoxes run up against conventional wisdom, for many who have been reading much of the pop leadership literature out there today, that’s likely true.

That being said, a cursory review of the chapter titles also summarizes, sometimes nearly verbatim, much of the counsel we give clients, especially in our executive coaching practice. Examples (again, chapter titles from the book):

* Effective managers are not in control
* Technology creates the opposite of its intended purpose
* We think we invent technology, but technology also invents us
* The more we communicate, the less we communicate
* In communication, form is more important than content
* Listening is more difficult than talking
* Every act is a political act
* Every great strength is a great weakness
* Leaders cannot be trained, but they can be educated

And my personal favorite,

* There are no leaders, there is only leadership

I’d say we agree with all of these, and that’s part of the reason Randall found the book so compelling. I’m finding it compelling as well, and I’m certain I’ll have read it before returning home this Friday.

We’ve listed the book in the Books In Our Bags section in the right-hand column, along with the other books the folks in our firm are reading at the moment. We don’t list the dogs, so consider anything over there a recommendation.

posted in category(s): Who We're Reading