The 100-Mile Walk: A Father and Son on a Quest to Find the Essence of Leadership

by Sander A. FLAUM, Jonathon A. FLAUM, Mechele FLAUM, John GLENN

Overview

Each generation leads in its own way. But to progress together, they must find ways to bridge the divide between their perspectives. Recognizing that truth, a 65-year-old traditional CEO and his 35-year-old Zen entrepreneur son embark on a six-month-long, 100-mile walk. As they stroll the streets of New York and New Orleans, trek through the Blue Ridge Mountains, and hike along the Long Island coast, they talk about their experiences, their outlook on life and work, the achievements of leaders they have known, and how each views the nature and purpose of leadership. Ultimately, the two men agree on nine key traits and practices essential to all leaders -- from principles and passion to performance and even paranoia -- and on how leaders and aspiring leaders can follow them consistently. Father and son also discover a lot about each other, their relationship, and the way two generations set apart by so many differences can respect and learn from each other.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780814436516
Publisher:	AMACOM
Publication date:	01/10/2006
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Sander A. Flaum (New York, NY), an expert in healthcare marketing, was named Man of the Year for the industry in 2002. Now CEO of Flaum Partners, he is former chairman of the advertising agency network Euro RSCG Life and founder of the Leadership Forum at Fordham Graduate School of Business. He has appeared on MSNBC, CNN, Bloomberg, and other TV networks. Jonathon A. Flaum (Asheville, NC) is a speechwriter and coach for leaders and founder/CEO of WriteMind Communications.

Table of Contents

Foreword: The Leadership Enigma, by John Glenn
Acknowledgments
Prologue: Walking the Rocky Road
Chapter 1  People: When Ideas Lead, People Follow
Chapter 2  Purpose: Before You Set Sail, Know Your Direction
Chapter 3  Passion: A Fire That Warms
Chapter 4  Performance: Results Don’t Lie
Chapter 5  Persistence: "No" Is Only for Today
Chapter 6  Perspective: The Seeing Is in the Doing
Chapter 7  Paranoia: Never Take Your Eye off the Ball
Chapter 8  Principles: A Leader’s Cornerstone
Chapter 9  Practice: It Never Stops
Chapter 10  Coda: The Tenth P--Providence
Epilogue:  What We Know Now That We Didn't Know Then
Appendix A:  Resources
Appendix B:  About the Leaders Discussed in this Book
About the Authors
Index

What People are Saying About This

Judith Kolva

"Sander and Jonathon don't pretend to have all the answers: they offer a means for us to struggle with our own question."
—associate professor of Interdisciplinary Studies, International College

Editorial Reviews

A unique and sometimes provocative analysis that is enlightening and entertaining. I recommend this book to those who have more than a passing curiosity about leadership.

Asheville Citizen-Times

"[The book] is both thoughtful and charming as they deconstruct what a leader must know about people, purpose, passion, performance and other leadership practices...As business adapts its paradigm to accommodate a changing workforce, books like this will help managers find their way."

BizEd magazine

Two Generations Of Leadership
Co-author Sander Flaum acknowledges early in The 100-Mile Walk that there are 250 books on leadership written every year. So why is this one different?

It is different because its purpose is to compare and contrast very different perspectives: that of a 65-year-old CEO (Sander) with that of a 36-year-old CEO (Jonathon) who happen to be father and son. The two embark on a walk of 100 miles within six months to discover, discuss and debate what each believes about leadership.

The Nine Ps of Leadership
Sander Flaum developed a list of nine key leadership practices using wisdom from participants at the Fordham Leadership Forum, his experience as a CEO and college instructor and insights from his son. These "Nine Ps of Leadership" form the basis for the book: People, Purpose, Passion, Performance, Persistence, Perspective, Paranoia, Principles and Practice.

Each chapter of the book covers one leadership practice in detail. Sander illustrates the various aspects of leadership by telling stories about his own experiences and those of other leaders he knows. Jonathon, a Zen Buddhist, often uses Zen-based philosophical tales to make his points. The contrasting styles make for engaging reading.

People, Purpose and Passion
As the authors begin their walk in New Orleans, they discuss People-related leadership skills. Sander stresses the concept of hiring people you would follow. Jonathon says to spot a leader, he looks for actions, not titles. They agree that leaders must be willing to teach people all the time, work to motivate them and trust their gut instincts.

A walk through Central Park is the backdrop for a discussion of Purpose. Sander remarks that many times it's more important to know the right questions than the right answers. Jon's Zen-based approach is that you do not pick your purpose as much as it picks you.

At Ohio State University, Sander's alma mater, the authors witness the Passion of a football game. They recognize together that passion is "a leader's lifeblood." Doing what you love, they say, is an important part of achieving personal satisfaction and success.

Walking Through Leadership
Continuing their journey, hundreds of yards of stone walls in the mountains of North Carolina aptly symbolize Persistence. Jon observes that the shapes of the stones themselves determined their best place to fit in the landscape. In the end, he says, we do not build projects; projects build us. Moving north to Bear Mountain, New York, Perspective is the topic. Here, the two authors diverge. Sander holds the view that the younger generation's insistence on work-life balance could lead to a leadership crisis. Jon feels an either/or model is unreasonable.

Back in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Sander and Jon find that basic Principles include credibility, integrity, vulnerability, accountability and steadfastness. They agree that principles must be actively practiced and constantly considered. Their walk concludes with a consideration of Practice. This, father and son agree, is the core of leadership. Practice means living and working as though there were no beginning, middle or end to a goal.

The 100-Mile Walk includes an addendum: "The tenth P – Providence." Despite plans and actions, sometimes things happen. The mark of a great leader is the ability to accept providence and adapt.

Why We Like This Book
The 100-Mile Walk weaves together pertinent stories about leaders the authors know with leadership philosophy in a unique framework. The "walk" allows both authors to consider the nine practices that anchor the book; they share their individual perspectives with us in two distinct voices. The result is a spiritual book on leadership that is authoritative yet personal, and educational yet inspiring. Copyright © 2006 Soundview Executive Book Summaries

Soundview Executive Book Summaries

I recommend this book to those who have more than a passing curiosity about leadership.

-Asheville Citizen Times

From the Publisher