Testimonials

On the model

“… a timely and highly significant contribution towards our thinking about the interactions between an organisation and leadership.”
Professor W Warner Burke, Columbia University, New York

“Bill’s bold model shows how a systemic approach sheds light in some dark corners that are badly in need of illumination and improvement.”
Julian Birkinshaw, Professor of Strategic Management, London Business School

“Bill’s insights into systems leadership enable developers to move beyond short-term operational needs and pressures.”
Karen McKenzie-Irvine, Vice President Learning & Development, Metronet Rail

“In a congested area, William Tate has found space for a different way of understanding leadership.”
Keith Cameron, HR Director, Marks & Spencer (2004-2008)

On the book ‘The Search for Leadership: An organisational perspective’

“This is a refreshing, insightful and above all, useful book on leadership in organisational contexts. It is a pleasure to read and it offers a practical road map for understanding and improving organisations and the way they are led.”
John Storey, Professor of Management, The Open University Business School

“Organisations spend a fortune developing leaders, most focusing on the individual rather than the organisation. Without addressing leadership as a fundamental part of the organisation the organisation will never progress. Bill Tate proposes that the organisation must address leadership as a corporate responsibility. Organisations that value leadership flourish, but to achieve this all the various levels of management must embrace leadership, with systems and processes that support the ethos.”
Dr Richard Cullen former Director of Training and Development, Metropolitan Police Service.

“Seeing leadership from the organisational rather than the individual dimension makes obvious sense – you can train individual swimmers to perfection but put them in a swamp and the dynamic changes completely. In this book, Bill Tate rightly re-focuses the lens onto the organisation itself, in a series of simple, clear and relevant examples. As someone who has used the Organisational Leadership Diagnostic Instrument (then the Audit), I believe this offers insights that simply cannot be achieved in other ways; you might have gut feelings, but do you have the evidence? The first step is, however, for the leadership to look at itself and realise what its organisation needs. This book is that first step.”
Jon Lamonte, Air Vice-Marshal, Royal Air Force

“Bill’s insights into systems leadership enables developers to move beyond short-term operational needs and pressures. The book provides the language and rational argument that will enable the kind of strategic conversations with your executive to transform the way that leadership is developed in organisations. Let’s stop polishing the fish and tackle the dirty tank instead!”
Karen McKenzie-Irvine, Vice-President Learning & Development, Metronet Rail.

“Our work in the Management Lab at London Business School calls for nothing less than wholesale reinvention of how to run companies. Bill’s latest book makes a valuable, timely and highly practical contribution to that debate. The travails in the financial sector show how urgent and deep the need is. His forthright, informed and practical style shows organisations how to assess their system’s leadership needs and how to go about getting them met using a systemic perspective. The financial crisis in Britain’s and western economy brings into sharp relief how badly broken are our models of management and leadership. Bill’s bold model shows how a systemic approach sheds light in some dark corners that are badly in need of illumination and improvement.”
Julian Birkinshaw, Professor of Strategic and International Management, London Business School

“Bill Tate has produced a book to challenge both orthodox thinking on leadership, and shift the focus to the organisation. He cleverly mixes generic concepts with case studies and real experience, in a blend of the commercial and public sectors. There is also a neat diagnostic tool to ensure engagement with the approach articulated. This book is a valuable addition to the corpus of leadership doctrine.”
Robin Field-Smith, Her Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary

“Much has been written about personal leadership, but until now very little about leadership’s organisational purpose. William Tate offers a journey of discovery, looking through the other end of the telescope and focusing on what leadership should really be about – engaging directly with the organisation’s needs. Tate’s book de-mystifies the complexity and theory of leadership in a practical and systematic way, enabling the reader to appreciate the strong inter-dependency between the leadership process and organisations looking for wholesale improvement. This ground-breaking work should be read by all who are interested in improving the way their organisation works and how it is led.”
Richard Crouch, Head of Human Resources and Organisational Development, Somerset County Council

Senior managers working with the model said:

“It enhanced my view that the department was not preparing well for new challenges.”

“Not only is it relevant, it is vital for any organisation to approach leadership in this way.”

“I think it has crystallised what I’ve always intuitively known into a usual, practical tool.”

“Enormous value on so many levels; e.g. challenging without fear, rewarding performance, and dealing with incompetence.”