Read this book: From Manager to Visionary

Kent J. Kille’s new work From Manager to Visionary: The Secretary-General of the United Nations is an insightful look at character and leadership among the seven past Secretaries-General of the United Nations. His study fills a critical gap in the existing literature by addressing the impact of each office holder’s leadership style apart from the international politics of their day.

In introducing the goal behind his study, Kille suggests a division that marks previous works on the Secretaries General. Many scholars overlook the specific character of the individual office holders, the vast majority suggesting the political conditions overwhelmed any significant differences. Others suffer from what Kille describes as the “super Secretary-General syndrome,” praising all seven past Secretaries-General equally. Though calls for a study of leadership styles appear in the literature, none offer the type of analysis which Kille provides. Kille’s quantitative analysis offers a predictive framework within which an office holder is likely to respond to the constraints placed on them by the Charter, member states or events. At the same time, he offers his assessment without making the subject overly academic or inaccessible to the layman.

Drawing on leadership metrics developed by Margaret Hermann, Kille codes for six personal characteristics (responsivity, belief in personal influence, need for relationships, need for recognition, supranationalism and problem-solving emphasis) revealed by Secretaries-General in their remarks at unscripted press conferences. He weighs these against three proposed leadership styles – managerial, strategic and visionary. In Kille’s view, managers will be “constraint respecters,” strategists will be “constraint accommodators,” and visionary Secretaries-General will tend to be “constraint challengers.”

The UN Secretary-General operates through numerous avenues to manage or influence the work of the organization. Broadly speaking, these include shaping the organization’s agenda through his strategic political position and by making political statements, involvement in the peaceful settlement of disputes, and in the administration of UN peacekeeping missions. For comparative study, Kille reviews in detailed case studies the ways in which the higher scoring Secretaries-General within each leadership style used these opportunities for influence. In Kille’s assessment, Kurt Waldheim represents the more managerial Secretary-General, Dag Hammarskjöld the more visionary, and Kofi Annan the more “strategic” in their respective approaches.

The case studies show a significant if not perfect match between Kille’s predictive framework and Hammarskjöld, Waldheim and Annan’s actual behavior while in office. The slight deviations suggest some necessary refinements to the leadership metrics and styles which Kille initially proposed. Nonetheless, even when the observed behavior occurred did not match entirely with the Kille’s predicted behavior, the officeholders never shifted far from their predicted preferred style. Given that Kille only provides for three leadership styles and given the human nature of the seven office holders, this would not be unexpected. But Kille’s proposed continuum, from manager to visionary, holds true very well. Managerial Waldheim may have occasionally acted, according to Kille, as a strategist, but never as a visionary. Likewise, Hammarskjöld never acted as a manager in facing contraints to his leadership. Though he does not provide case studies for them, Kille suggests that Trygve Lie, Javier Perez de Cuellar and Boutros Boutros-Ghali would likewise never deviate far from their respective predicted styles. (U Thant is an exception that Kille acknowledges and describes in further detail.)

No one leadership style, Kille concludes, should be preferred for the post of Secretary Generalship. A rotation of managers, strategists and visionaries would maintain member states’ confidence in the United Nations as an organization and in turn allow it to evolve in the governance of international relations.

Further research could refine the leadership styles Kille has proposed and more accurately explain the approach each Secretary-General took to the office in relation to the events of his day. At a minimal, Kille and others should attempt to refine the metrics in ways that describe Secretaries-General’s style so as to address Thant’s “outlier” characteristics, perhaps by proposing additional leadership styles that allow for more refined predictions. More revealing would be studies that successfully relate the styles of individual Secretaries-General within the political environments in which they find themselves. Such might employ counterhistoricals to the extent possible, if only as an intellectual indulgence. How might the managerial Thant have addressed the U.S. action in Iraq? How would Annan have responded to Khruschev’s shoe-banging? Would Boutros-Ghali have been as visionary during the 1973 oil embargo?

From Manager to Visionary is a new seminal work in the literature and clearly earns Kille a place in the company of Erskine Childers, Sir Brian Urquhart and Edward Luck as an authority on the Secretaries-General. His contribution will influence how other scholars describe the impact of past Secretaries-General and, for many of us today, will undoubtedly be a key resource that we turn to in assessing the words and actions of Secretary Ban Ki-moon over the next decade.

2 Responses to “Read this book: From Manager to Visionary

  1. Click Here says:

    Click Here

    […]that will be the end of this post. Here you’ll locate some web-sites that we think you’ll appreciate, just click the links over[…]

  2. Click Here says:

    Click Here

    […]that is the end of this post. Here you will locate some web-sites that we consider you will enjoy, just click the links over[…]

  3. Click Here says:

    Click Here

    […]usually posts some pretty intriguing stuff like this. If you’re new to this site[…]

  4. Click Here says:

    Click Here

    […]Here is an excellent Blog You might Find Exciting that we Encourage You[…]

  5. Click Here says:

    Click Here

    […]here are some links to internet sites that we link to mainly because we feel they are worth visiting[…]

  6. How do you get parasite infection azithromycin acne

    Can antibiotics raise heart rate azithromycin for dogs

  7. Click Here says:

    Click Here

    […]Every as soon as in a while we pick out blogs that we study. Listed below would be the latest web pages that we opt for […]

  8. Click Here says:

    Click Here

    […]Here is a great Weblog You might Uncover Exciting that we Encourage You[…]

  9. Click Here says:

    Click Here

    […]Every as soon as inside a although we opt for blogs that we study. Listed beneath would be the most up-to-date web-sites that we pick out […]

  10. What tea is good for high blood pressure zithromax azithromycin

    Can antibiotics damage your liver zithromax generic name

  11. sibluevi

    sibluevi.com prescription drugs

  12. Does stress increase blood pressure hydroxychloroquine & azithromycin

    Why does pain increase at end of life plaquenil lupus

  13. 실제 현금 카지노

    […]Here are a few of the websites we suggest for our visitors[…]

  14. premium-domain-name

    […]Sites of interest we’ve a link to[…]

  15. domains says:

    domains

    […]that could be the finish of this write-up. Right here you will come across some web pages that we think you will appreciate, just click the links over[…]

  16. Is honey and lemon an antibiotic

    Can you take antibiotics before bed

  17. What is the strongest antibiotic for infection

    What happens when you start taking turmeric

  18. What are the 3 types of asthma

    What cough medicine has guaifenesin

  19. Is there a pill to cure depression

    What is the most important vitamin for nerves

  20. How many times can you use a defibrillator on a person Zestril

    Is peanut butter heart healthy Zestril

  21. best cardano nft projects

    […]check beneath, are some completely unrelated web sites to ours, on the other hand, they’re most trustworthy sources that we use[…]

  22. Stromectol dosage | Does lemon water detox your liver

    order Stromectol 3mg: Can you eat pizza while on antibiotics

  23. Buy Online | How do you love a silent man is there a Generic Cialis available in the us

    ScwCMD | What causes weak legs and loss of balance Cialis order

  24. canadian pharmacycanadian pharmacy https://jemi.so/generic-viagra-online-pharmacy

    Superb forum posts. Cheers.

  25. vidalista de 60 mg y edegra 100 mg y tetosterona sildenafil oral

    vidalista 10 mg for sale sildenafil 50mg brand

  26. Which fruit is best for liver – Zithromax generic name

    Azithromycin antibiotics – Does sepsis cause a painful death

  27. clomiphene citrate

    levitra goodrx

  28. Pourquoi une fille aime son pere pharmacie en ligne sans ordonnance

    Quelles valeurs transmet la famille pharmacie sans ordonnance paris

  29. Pourquoi s’eloigner de sa famille pharmacie en ligne sans ordonnance

    Quelle est la chose la plus importante dans une famille acheter medicaments sans ordonnance sur internet

  30. Porno star Australia

    […]Here are some of the websites we recommend for our visitors[…]

  31. What is the most romantic word in English

    Why do I crave physical touch so much?

  32. What are the things to makes a man strong in bed

    Can a married woman be madly in love with another man?

  33. ivermectin for fleas Is cheese good for liver?

    What happens if you drink olive oil everyday medicament stromectol 3 mg

  34. How much sperm is produced in 24 hours

    What do men find attractive?

  35. reputation defenders

    […]Sites of interest we’ve a link to[…]

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.