The Executive's Guide to Understanding People - by A Zaleznik (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Zaleznik takes managers into Freud's world of psychoanalysis and shows managers what they need to know about themselves and their employees to better motivate and lead. He discusses a variety of things relevant to today's top leaders including Freud's origin of psychoanalysis, the unconscious, neuroses, organizations and change.

Review Quotes

"In this clear and insightful book, Abraham Zaleznik shows executives how to think like a psychiatrist in motivating and managing people." - Peter Cappelli, George W. Taylor Professor Management or Director of the Center for Human Resources

"In the conversational tone for which he is famous, Abe Zaleznik connects the dots between psychoanalysis and leadership to help answer questions every executive is asking: why do people do what they do? Why do I do what I do? How can I make better decisions? This is simply a must-read book." - Sydney Finkelstein, Professor at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth the author of Think Again: Why Good Leaders Make Bad Decisions and Why Smart Executives Fail

"In the current crisis, which is at its core not merely financial but a crisis of leadership, it behooves executives to deepen their own self-knowledge and their understanding of their people's blind-spots. Abraham Zaleznik provides a thorough, systematic, and accessible yet not simplistic introduction to the field of psychoanalysis for busy managers. A valiant effort to bridge psychodynamics and leadership." - Dr. Thomas D. Zweifel, CEO, Swiss Consulting Group, and author of The Rabbi and the CEO: The Ten Commandments for 21st-Century Leaders

"Zaleznik's revised edition deftly applies psychoanalytic theory to the modern business world. His subtle observations and creative insights are incisive and thought-provoking. Readers will learn a great deal fromthis book." - George R. Goethals - E. Claiborne Robins Distinguished Chair and Professor of Leadership Studies at the Jepson School of Leadership Studies, University of Richmond

About the Author

ABRAHAM ZALEZNIK is the Konosuke Matsushita Professor of Leadership, Emeritus at the Harvard Business School, USA.