Harvard Business Review Press
Flying Without a Net: Turn Fear of Change Into Fuel for Success
Key Metrics
- Thomas J DeLong
- Harvard Business Review Press
- Hardcover
- 9781422162293
- 9.2 X 6.1 X 1.1 inches
- 1.1 pounds
- Business & Economics > Leadership
- English
Secure TransactionBook Description
Confronted by omnipresent threats of job loss and change, even the brightest among us are anxious. In response, we're hunkering down, blocking ourselves from new challenges. This response hurts us and our organizations, but we fear making ourselves even more vulnerable by committing mistakes while learning something new.
In Flying Without a Net, Thomas DeLong explains how to draw strength from vulnerability. First, understand the forces that escalate anxiety in high achievers and the unproductive behaviors you turn to for relief. Then adopt practices that give you the courage to do the right things poorly before doing the right things well.
Drawing on his extensive research and consulting work, DeLong lays out:
- Roots of high achievers' anxiety: fear of being wrong and lack of a sense of purpose, and a craving for human connection
- Destructive behaviors we adopt to relieve our anxiety: busyness, comparing ourselves to others, and blaming others for our frustrations
- Behaviors we must adopt to gain strength from vulnerability: putting the past behind us and seeking honest feedback
Packed with practical advice and inspiring stories, Flying Without a Net is an invaluable resource for all leaders seeking to thrive in this Age of Anxiety.
Author Bio
Thomas J. DeLong is a Baker Foundation Professor of Management Practice and the former Philip J. Stomberg Professor of Management Practice in the Organizational Behavior Department at the Harvard Business School. He is an expert in leader development, organizational and career transformation.
His most recent book, “Flying Without a Net”, was recognized by the editors of Amazon Publishing as one of the top ten books written on leadership this century. A number of his cases have been taught around the world in universities and organizations. His most notable cases are: Rob Parson at Morgan Stanley, Erik Peterson at Biometra, C&S Wholesale Grocers and the 1977 Alumni Profiles.
Before joining the Harvard Business School Faculty, DeLong was Chief Development Officer and Managing Director of Morgan Stanley Group, Inc, where he was responsible for the firm’s human capital and focused on issues of organizational strategy and organizational change. At Harvard, Professor DeLong teaches MBA and executive courses focused on leadership, organizational behavior, managing human capital, and career management. DeLong has served as course head for the required course on Leadership and Organizational Behavior. He has designed MBA courses focusing on managing human capital in high performance organizations and leading professional service firms. DeLong is currently advising on the development of a course on interpersonal effectiveness for the first year MBAs.
DeLong co-authored two books focused on leadership and professional service firms, When Professionals Have to Lead: A New Model for High Performance (Harvard Business School Press, 2007) and Professional Services: Cases and Texts (McGraw-Hill/Irwin, 2003). DeLong has coauthored two Harvard Business Review articles, “Let’s Hear It for B Players” and “Why Mentoring Matters in a Hypercompetitive World.” His forthcoming book, “Teaching By Heart”, focuses on the relationship between leadership and teaching as well as highlights his insights into teaching as craft and art after 45 years in the classroom.
Professor DeLong received his undergraduate and master’s degrees from Brigham Young University and his Ph.D. from Purdue University in Industrial Supervision. He received a post-doctoral fellowship from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Research Interests
I'm currently studying how global organizations organize talent management systems in order to maintain and enhance the performance of professionals. I'm also interested in the socialization process of organizations based on size and focus of the organization. I am focusing on the individual, transformational process.
Source: Harvard Business School
Videos
Community reviews
Write a ReviewNo Community reviews