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Throttle Up: How to Accelerate the Impact of 21st Century Leadership
by John P. Dentico, Ed. D.
BookLocker.com, Inc.
What does it mean to build leadership in the 21st century? Can attributes that make for an effective leader be learned, or are they reserved for a small percentage of individuals already born with certain qualities? Dentico’s masterful exploration of leadership theory and practice answers these and other germane questions, while at the same time providing a leadership paradigm radically different from those of the past. Geared towards, in his words, the 80 percent of people who have an innate ability and desire to learn how to lead effectively (but mistakenly believe it to be others’ responsibility), the author aims to help individuals live “productive, profitable, and meaningful lives.”
Declaring leadership models of the past obsolete, Dentico explains why and how a leadership model for today embraces such significant tenants as mutual trust, collaboration, motivation, relationship networking, diversity, effective training, communication, and the power of meaning and storytelling. Creator of the LeadSimm Method, Dentico uses his many decades of study and practice in leadership to develop a comprehensive simulation system which seeks to build effective, modern leadership practices through “realistic complex scenarios that . . . reflect the actual issues and challenges” participants face every day. The author’s unique method—which has been utilized in such fields as counter-terrorism, airport security, emergency response, and more—uses customized simulation-based learning where, as Dentico posits, empathy and reality are the primary drivers of success.
In addition to providing in-depth analysis and explanation of his method, Dentico’s book, broadly speaking, is an exploration of leadership education generally. It becomes clear that the author is nothing short of an expert in this field, and the reader is left convinced that indeed leadership is something one does (and, as such, can be learned) rather than some abstract quality which only a privileged few inherently possess.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review