Fifteen Eighty Four

Some leaders empower people and their bottom-up initiatives. From a Complexity Theory perspective, these leaders harness seemingly chaotic interactions and create an enabling environment to channel them into a higher-level order. They make a big impact through small investments, giving the appearance that they’re creating “something out of nothing.”

This book examines leadership that enables and empowers others to co-participate, co-create and experience the joy of creativity. It reviews concepts of leadership in general and, specifically, the notion of Empowering Leadership. And it analyzes the ways in which complexity, social influence and creativity facilitate leadership.

The novelty of this book is the journey it takes the reader to the nuts and bolts of what actually creativity is and how it can be boosted. Some insights from the neuroscience, psycho-social and networks theories are paving the way to present innovative DIY techniques. 

The book delineates theories of leadership and presents diverse case studies from business and social arenas, as well as from family life. It also establishes practical guidelines for leadership development. Firmly grounded in the present this book also casts an eye toward the future, concluding with a discussion of ways to analyze future scenarios in a complex, and thus unpredictable, environment.

Merging theory with practice, Empowering Leadership of Tomorrow offers a structured blend of literature analysis, academic studies and practical experience. It draws on conclusions from the book Social Entrepreneurship: Theory and Practice and other books and articles authored and co-authored by Ryszard Praszkier. In addition, much of the material comes from the author’s over 20 years practical experience with Ashoka, Innovators for the Public (www.ashoka.org). As a second-opinion reviewer for the organization, he had in-depth conversations with more than 100 innovators from around the world, who were candidates for Ashoka Fellowship. Moreover, he interviewed several business executives to better understand the bottom-up leadership model in use at their companies. It even moves beyond the workplace with practical guidance on how to be an Empowerer in one’s personal life.

This book is suited for both academic and practical use. It examines the conceptual backbone and underlying mechanisms of Empowering Leadership for academicians and students and also addresses basic “how-to” questions for practitioners. Intended to be accessible to a general audience, it may also appeal to those simply looking to stay up to date on the latest trends in business and leadership.

Here are two opinions on the book from the academic, business and social perspectives:

“Leaders of all sectors, whether entrepreneurs or intrapreneurs, must read Dr. Praszkier’s book – Empowering Leadership of Tomorrow – to learn how to create, cultivate and curate the most compelling culture to empower teams and communities to solve our most pressing problems and build a better world.” R. Paul Herman, CEO and founder, HIP (Human Impact + Profit) Investor.

“Leadership must change in order to fulfil contemporary requirements. Ryszard Praszkier explains this well in a remarkable book open to praxis and filled with insights. This book is a must read for those interested in understanding how human systems are moving towards new heights of complexity and integration. A researcher with in depth experiences of social entrepreneurship, Praszkier is offering the vista of what empowering leadership could be.”  Andrea Bartoli, Dean, School of Diplomacy and International Relations, Seton Hall University, New Jersey.

“As we can see from daily reports in the media, there has never been a more critical time in recent history to address issues related to leadership. This book exploits to the fullest, the literature on leadership, but does not stop there. It provides important insights with the cutting-edge application of complexity theory to new social actors and the dynamics of social change. Important chapters deal with leadership and social influence, the authentic leadership of social entreprenuers, creativity, complexity and social networks. Theoretical concepts are supported by real-life examples taken from different contexts around the world which strengthen and greatly enrich the volume. The volume also provides practical knowledge for cultivating and nurturing leadership that is inclusive, enabling and empowering. As an educator, I cannot wait to use Ryszard Praszkier’s Empowering Leadership of Tomorrow in my courses for international university students!” Jody Jensen, Jean Monnet Professor, University of Pannonia and Senior Research Fellow, Institute of Advanced Studies, Kőszeg.

 Find out more about Empowering Leadership of Tomorrow