This book introduces two mindsets, the traditional hierarchical top-down pyramid mindset which narrows up to a single individual at the top and the constellation mindset, which encourages collaboration, creativity, and innovation where power is distributed. By giving away power, leaders can empower their team members and create a more agile and adaptive organisation, Barzan appeals to us to distribute power rather than clinging on to it. This encourages trust and a sense of ownership and belonging which is how motivated and high performing teams are built.
True stories and characters come together to explain how we are taught only one way to lead - stay in power - but this book describes how innovators have succeeded in creating change by including others. The author is American so the examples and stories are very American but I would still recommend this to everyone not just leaders.

I found this a very interesting and informative read. The author knows their stuff. It's not my usual read and am pleased to have taken time to try a new kind of book.

The book gave me some food for thought and I did enjoy the thinking. When I was working I needed to control everything now that I am consulting recognising the benefit of empowering other people.

I was given a free copy by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own.

The blurb for this book starts with a question and an answer: How do great leaders thrive in uncertain times? By changing their mindsets about power.

Well, that's one way. The trouble with these short promotional extracts is that they can be one-dimensional; they oversell some point seized on by the blurb-writer and miss so much more, narrowing the appeal of the book to a niche and hiding more than is revealed.

This book is not just about leaders, and despite the range of examples the author draws on to illustrate the central point, nor even business. It is, as he says about "The power we can create by seeing the power in others". So it is about possibilities, and the opportunity offered by non-hierarchical, uncoerced collaboration.

Describing the traditional hierarchical structure of organisations as a top-down pyramid, Barzan appeals to us to be brave enough to let go, to distribute power rather than clinging on to it. When that happens, he says, trust deepens, creativity expands, and a sense of ownership and belonging can emerge.

How we relate to those around us has a critical impact on how we experience life and the degree of progress (or not) we have in the various projects we undertake. I think that this extends to our professional successes and failures too.

Over 30 years as a consultant in workplace relations taught me that. My approach was always collaborative rather than hierarchical; relationships of trust were always my starting point. Needless to say, this could be a challenge. People are naturally suspicious when a 'consultant' enters the frame, so trust is not the first thing on their minds. Surprisingly, I found, that giving away power only works when those offered the gift are prepared to accept and run with it. This is often the one hurdle which cannot easily be leapt over.

Still, this approach served me well and I never had reason to abandon it, without resorting to authority to get things done. Collaboration and equality of voice won every time.

Barzan vindicates this view, adding serious heft to his points with illustrations drawn from his life and experience which spans the business/political divide. It takes boldness and bravery to apply the ideas in this book; herd members will probably abstain. Those with the curiosity and courage to step away from that club will do well to read it and take up the challenge. I just hope there are enough of them.

A fascinating and inspiring look at leadership encouraging us to change the way we have all viewed the power structure in organisations, and society.

For decades, leaders have created a hierarchical structure in their businesses, with authority flowing from the top down, from the few to the many, like a pyramid structure. Then that was turned on its head, with a bottom up approach. And that didn't work either. The pyramid whichever way you look at it, is wrong, says Matthew Barzun.

When leaders find the courage to distribute rather than hold on to power, he says, "creativity multiplies, trust deepens and inclusivity expands, and a new kind of order emerges".

Himself an entrepreneur, political organiser and US ambassador to the UK and Sweden, he brings considerable insight and experience which he shares in a light, concise and very readable way.

Taking familiar American symbols, and the dollar bill in particular as a visual prompt, he urges the reader to look at effective leadership to be in the form of a constellation of stars. Each individual is distinct, special and significant and when they are recognised as such, they can contribute powerfully for the good of the whole organisation.

Barzun gives examples throughout history and industry, quotes from other significant business theories, and highlights great leaders who are not afraid to listen to others, and to give power away. It's truly fascinating, inspirational and energising. Brilliant!

Barzun examination of how we organise ourselves is an incisive assessment of why hierarchal structures in business, politics and society waste energy, time, talent, and enthusiasm.

His vision is informed by his work on Obama's first presidential campaign. Using this experience, he looks for other examples of giving decision-making power away actually allows progress to be made and for people to feel energised and successful. One of the most potent examples he uses is the story of how VISA was set up. Barzun argues open-minded conversations enable people with different opinions and priorities to start the process of integration. Not to compromise but to create something new that serves everyone's needs.

He points out what most of us already know. Working in top-down pyramid structures can be dehumanising, leaving us feeling like cogs in a machine. He thinks that there is a better but far more complex yet flexible way of organising ourselves.

Barzun writes eloquently. He is at times self-effacing. He is unflinching in his describing his failures. A particular moment of note is him falling ill while working as an ambassador. Barzun is arguing and for the most part successfully that if we want the world to change for the better then we have to radically re-think the way we organise ourselves. A thought-provoking book that will linger with you especially in the light of the challenges with face in a post-covid world threatened by climate change.

Yes, we can

Extended review of The Power of giving Power away (Barzun, 2021)

Can you remember the hope? Can you remember the chanting? Can you remember the belief that a small group of people, working together, could change things? That was Obama’s message. Obama’s slogan was ‘yes we can’. It was not ‘yes I can’ or ‘yes you can’. It was ‘yes we can’.

This slogan influenced the ways that Obama ran his campaign. He staffed his campaign with teams of highly motivated, highly organised young people. While some staff members were paid, many were volunteers, living and working for a cause that they believed in

The campaign team was a community of individuals working together and supporting each other. This was not a group of people, headed by an autocratic ruler, looking out for themselves. The team was a group of dedicated individuals who supported each other, a tight ship with very few leaks.
Obama and his team were willing to allow others into their space. To encourage volunteers to play an active role within the campaign, giving up some of the security of employing a purely expert-driving strategy.

(Barzun, 2021) looks at this theme, exploring the times when leaders have given up Power, encouraged collaboration, groups have taken up the baton and produced terrific outcomes.

This book gives a broad swathe of examples from the emergence of Wikipedia, through new ways of organising community action, before providing an analysis of Obamas’ campaign. I found this historical analysis fascinating, and I encountered interesting historical figures.

In addition, this book explores the management theories that argue for collaborative management practices. I must admit these sections dragged.

This book is an interesting exploration of an important issue. It is well written and informative. However, as I said earlier, some sections did drag, and I found myself skipping these sections, But, overall, an interesting reading experience.




Bibliography
Axelrod, D. (2015). Beliiever; my forty years in politics . USA : penguin.
Barzun, M. (2021). Power Of Giving away Power. USA: HarperCollins .
Pfeiifer, D. (2018). Yes we still can. USA: Biteback.

Are you ready to give away power? It’s the theme of Matthew Barzun’s book with an introduction by optimism guru Simon Sinek Inc. who established the imprint Optimism Press under Penguin Random House | 企鹅兰登 .

For a leadership book it’s kinda calling “time” on leadership! It’s asking us to admit that, most of the time, we don’t know what we’re doing, that bottom-up and top-down command doesn’t work …and so we pretend.

Barzun is a former US ambassador to Sweden and UK and worked on the Obama presidential campaign. He witnessed the power of giving away power to create more and to see things in a different way and in the book, he goes back through history to show how this approach has worked successfully before.

When considering the lessons conveyed by graduates in commencement speeches, Barzun identifies them as lone agent messages. We are not single units but need others to ‘light our bulbs’ and he asks us to change our message from the single to the many. From;

1. Change the world 👉 Change your mindset
2. Listen to your inner voice 👉Share your inner voice
3. Work hard 👉 Work through hard things together
4. Don’t give up 👉 Give up power
5. Embrace failure 👉 Embrace uncertainty

As Barack Obama considered how he “might sing” at the eulogy in Charleston, Matthew Barzun closes on a reflection of the importance and power of “I might” to become “we might”.

I found this book to be incredibly refreshing and whilst the premise is not necessarily new, i.e. the benefits of truly working together and allowing people the shine, however, this was presented so well in the 'Constellation theory' where every person in an organisation is essentially a star in their own right that links and works with others to create energy, ideas and synergy.

Matthew Barzun's varied career and experiences are incredibly impressive and what I thought that made this book relatable was the 'constellation theory' the way it was explained and becomes accessible for all.

A fantastic way to highlight the power of 'us' rather than 'me' in professional and personal life. A book that I will come back to myself as a reminder and as a guide on facilitating views and perspectives to be successful at work and at home.

I'm not a leader, well not yet and not that I know of, but I enjoyed this book and don't believe it's just for leaders. We can and should all share power and encourage others to share it. This book helps us spot a pyramid systems and how to engage in a leap to a constellation.
Sure it's very American, but that's where the author is from. It doesn't limit the message or the reach and scope of this book. Every reader can sub in their own pyramid examples for their country or place.
The book did hop around and felt a little disjointed, but not unreadable. Kinda felt like an energetic thought pattern.
Grab this book for a weekend read and see what you can take into your next meeting.

It's difficult to know what to say about this book. It was based around the idea of sharing knowledge and power rather than defaulting to the traditional model of a pyramid structure with the power at the top.

Although I can understand the motivations behind the book, I'm not sure I believed it. The book felt like an attempt to retrofit a set of principles to explain previous events (the Obama electoral success, life as a diplomat etc) and extolling the virtues of a great, but forgotten, business mind - Mary Parker Follett - despite the author never having heard of her until very recently and hardly mentioning her in the book. It was also very US-centric, discussing the design of the dollar bill, and a bit to flag-waving for my liking.

The book did give some food for thought, but I didn't find it entirely credible in its delivery.

"If you are here to help, please leave. If you are here because your liberation is bound up with ours, please stay".

Matthew delivers insights into his perception of the power of interdependence, the true power that comes in sharing responsibilities and a very in-depth history of how he believes the USA developed and thrived since creation.

I wanted to love the book, but I wonder if perhaps I'm not the target audience. The book is extremely patriotic and tends to leave out any of the unsavoury history of the US. It often cited all American success as an inevitable result of the personality and spirit of the people and grouped a very divided and diverse country into one. He talks about a country that emphasises freedom of people from the beginning of creation... the book was very well written but unfortunately not delivered by an impartial historian.

Simply put, the authors background heavily reflects his lived experience and understanding of his country. I'm not sure everyone would agree on his version of the American history. I've never read a book on management, leadership and self-help that focuses so heavily on history. Had I been aware, I wouldn't have selected it.

Snide comments cropped up around the media misunderstanding the 'special relationship' between the US and the UK as well as unpleasant references to various countries that 'don't like Western freedom'. This was uncomfortable to read and better placed in an article by the Daily Mail than a management book. Additionally, there was little evidence included for these comments in the scope of the writing.

Had I picked the book up as a political read, I'm sure I would have found it an interesting opportunity to read such a unique opinion. Unfortunately as a managerial help book though, it did not hit the mark. I believe if the book were relabelled accurately - as an ode to American values and the 1930 American dream - it could do well.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.