Discussion Questions
Use our LitLovers Book Club Resources; they can help with discussions for any book:
• How to Discuss a Book (helpful discussion tips)
• Generic Discussion Questions—Fiction and Nonfiction
• Read-Think-Talk (a guided reading chart)
Also consider these LitLovers talking points to help get a discussion started for Leadership Is an Art:
1. Is De Pree's book different than other business manuels you have read on leadership? If so, how is it different? Overall, can you sum up, concisely, De Pree's approach to leadership? Hint: what does it mean, for instance, to liberate people?
2. What does De Pree mean by a "relational community"? On what is it based...and how does one establish such a culture in a business (or any) environment? Does your organization meet the description of a relational community?
3. De Pree talks about the importance of diversity. How does he define the word in the context of leadership?
4. Discuss the statement, "Trust enables the future." What does De Pree mean?
5. How does De Pree see the role of storytelling in an institution? Comment on the following passage from the book:
Every family, every college, every corporation, every institution needs tribal storytellers. The penalty for failing to listen is to lose' one's history, one's historical context, one's binding values.
6. What is the significance of the book's title? In what way is leadership an art? Are there instances when the analogy of an "art form" makes little sense? What is the difference between leadership and management? Do the two require different skill sets? Is one more critical to an organization than the other?
7. How does the work environment—physical surroundings— affect an organization's culture and productivity? De Pree owns a renowned furniture retail operation; ovbiously surroundings are uppermost in his mind. When he purports that a corporate (or any institutional) facility reflects the values and vision of its organization, is his observation applicable to other types of businesses than his own? In other words, is his observation legitmate?
8. What is your vision of an optimal work environment? How would you rate your own organization?
9. How does De Pree define entropy, and why is it important to an organization that desires growth?
10. Discuss De Pree's vision of the Scanlon Plan. Is it realistic or practical...under some, all or no situations? Would such a plan be effective in your organization? Are your employees sufficiently motivated to undertake a project of that nature? Is management sufficiently receptive? What benefits might accrue to your organization?
11. Have you gone through De Pree's extensive review process, list of workers' rights, and signs of disintegration? Talk about the list...or your own findings as they apply to your organization.
12. What does De Pree see as signs of an organization's impending failure?
13. One of De Pree's insights is that "much of a leader's performance cannot be reviewed until after the fact." How does that observation conflict with today's demand for short-term measurements of performance?
14. This book has sometimes been described as "fluff," "touchy-feely," "abstract," even "repetitive." Others describe it as a "classic," or "a must-read." Where do you stand? Is Leadership Is an Art helpful, or not? Does it offer concrete information on which to build a solid leadership style?
(Questions by LitLovers. Please feel free to use them, online or off, with attribution. Thanks.)
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