by Marvin Weisbrod and Sandra Janoff, Berrett-Koehler, San Francisco, Calif., 2007, 194 pp., $19.95 softcover
When I started reading this book, I wondered whether it was going to begin a new category for book stores — the “Don’t Do It Yourself” genre. However, the more I read the more I realized that just as a new classroom teacher has to learn to give students wait time so they can think before responding, the person who wants to lead meetings has to resist the temptation to control the meeting to a point where effectiveness is lost.
Although the concept of “Do less so that others will do more” seems like it might be easy to do, the authors make it clear the person who tries to lead an effective meeting using the techniques outlined in this book may have an even more demanding role than if he or she were simply running the meeting autocratically.
Don’t Just Do Something, Stand There! is based on differentiation/integration theory and the challenge of trying to help people “differentiate their stakes without excluding anybody and integrate their goals without forcing unity,” as the co-authors put it. They break down their recommendations into 10 principles with six key techniques to carry out those principles.
A strength of the book is that some principles seem counterintuitive and force the reader to spend more time analyzing himself or herself as a leader and less time trying to read the minds or guess the motives of those being lead.
The book is a straightforward read that gives practical examples to illustrate recommendations and concrete activities for stepping out of your comfort zone and creating meetings that matter.
Reviewed by Bob Schultz, retired superintendent, Eureka Union School District, Granite Bay, Calif.