The 7 Secrets of Responsive Leadership

October 14, 2019
This familiar guide to leading with heart comes from Jenkins-Scott, a business leadership adviser and the former president of Wheelock College. According to her, most leaders focus on “systematic leadership,” based on following strict methodologies and rules, rather than her preferred model of “responsive leadership,” which is flexible and focused on the people the organization employs or serves. The seven “secrets” she offers for becoming an effective responsive leader are hardly that, including common advice like “take advantage of opportunity” and “stay on point.” These tips are liberally illustrated with case studies of the famous and not-so-famous, from Howard Schulz’s quick response, as founder and then executive chairman of Starbucks, to a racial profiling incident in one of the chain’s shops, to longtime Yankee Candle CEO Harlan Kent’s “seemingly impossible” feat of cutting expenses while investing in growth. In addition to some practical points, like getting one’s message heard and addressing opposition, Jenkins-Scott also issues some advice that comes across as more cornball than encouraging: “resilience requires self-love,” she reminds her audience. Earnest to a fault, Jenkins-Scott’s choppy primer has little new to offer leaders, responsive or otherwise.