Change Leader: Learning to Do What Matters Most Hardcover – August 16, 2011

Michael Fullan is the leader in change leadership. If you are looking to instill a change leadership mindset in your organization, you need to look no further than Fullan.

This is a book not built on theory but doing and experiencing. It’s a book that is “out of the box” in its scope. It also has Key Insights that are pertinent to education. Here are some examples: “Statistics are a wonderful servant and an appalling master.” “Change leaders are more confident than the situation warrants but more humble than they look.” “Realized effectiveness is what motivates people to do more.” This book is an ‘easy read’ and I would suggest buying your own copy so that you can underline key points so that you can return to them later. There are some amazing anecdotal stories that support the insights in each chapter. All in all, this book has brought a new perspective to my idea of leadership and I am glad.

OK

I got this book for a class but I like it because it is very easy to read. The words are very conversational like and the author doesn't get all caught up in fancy jargon. I recommend it.

purchased for a college class, actually a really great book on how to be a change leader in an organization, via gov, public or private. Easy read but with a lot of take away for the reader.

Thought provoking guide to lead in any situation with applicable suggestions to implement immediately.

good

Great book for any leader, but especially powerful for educational leaders. Advice that will never be outdated. Fullan (2011) wrote, "The most attractive and the best organizations are those that have a reputation for developing people". Very valuable for any organization.

Straight to the point, and quite comical when it says 'don't bother reading leadership books' Id say this is a good book for existing leaders who are wanting to learn more and advance their practice rather than new or aspiring leaders

Bought as a recommended read on my uni list.

It's a great read. Was recommended by my Master's supervisor as an optional reading and it is very insightful. I've had a lot of the thoughts and ideas that are presented in the book, but the book goes on to elaborate and expand on them, which is exactly what it should do.

There is real potential in this topic, it is really unusual to find a book about change leadership rather than change management and there are some really incitful observations to be had here. There is also a lot of poorly discussed opinion dressed up a fact with very thin evidence. I am currently studying for a PhD in social psychology and work in an industry that is shuddering its way through significant change so am pretty familiar with the subject matter. The book is written from an educational transformation perspective so don't be too surprised by this. The book is also very thinly evidenced by academic standards containing a smattering of recent references (mostly 2009 ish) - it is not a academic piece, it is a slim management book. The attempt to justify assertions is weak at best and the book would have been better off (and significantly shorter) without them.I found the anti abstract theory rant at the beginning frankly irritating and the underlying heroic assumption that just doing, adapting other's practice and learning would be good enough is not particularly strongly supported. Having said all that, the book does have some nuggets of practice that should provoke some reflection in the reader - these are mostly articulating common sense but sometimes you need that pointing out e.g. respect the implementation dip!All in all: topic has potential, execution somewhat weak but if you need something to skim read on the train then go ahead.

As a change consultant I have read more books on change leadership than I've had hot dinners. The introduction to this one promised that it would be different and in some respects it is. I warmed to the author's theme on change being something you do and learn from rather than relying on academic theory to show the way. The practical and pragmatic approach, the modelling of desirable behaviours, the need for empathy, are all fundamental to my own approach. However, the author could not resist slipping back into theoretical jargon much of the time and making numerous references to other books on change theory. I would have liked to see more practical and real examples of his approach in practice - some are included but they are limited, with one or two exceptions, to the education sector and unlikely to chime easily with leaders in industry, for example, even though they are relevant. I also noticed that all the jacket testimonials for the book are from people in the education sector and are, I would imagine, colleagues or acquaintances of the author in what is a fairly closed professional environment. If you are a collector of such books you will probably find something new here and I would recommend it to clients, but it is not really ground-breaking.