Seeking to understand the faith we place in leadership, Metaphors We Lead By draws on a number of in-depth studies of managers trying to "do" leadership. It offers six metaphors for the leader which provide unexpected insights into how leadership does and does not work

A story or picture is worth a thousand words. A story, picture or metaphor can help us crystallise what we need to do next. A phrase such as ‘the seed has to die’ or ‘the light at the end of the tunnel’ or ‘the risk of not seeing the wood for the trees’ can sum up in a poignant way truths that we as leaders need to recognise. As we explore a metaphor, the next steps can become clearer. A metaphor can stimulate our imagination and allow us to think afresh about an issue. Reflecting on a problem using a metaphor can help us unblock our thinking and open up the possibility of new solutions. It can enable us to ‘cut to the heart of an issue’, clarify situations, provide insights or show us where we are stuck. They enable us to face the reality that we need to abandon a project, make a fresh start or change direction. Metaphors can be used in coaching conversations and lead to creative and stimulating dialogue. The metaphors featured are drawn from myriad sources. Often in the midst of a coaching conversation, a phrase comes to mind that encapsulates an idea or way forward. The memorable metaphor allows an idea to stick in the memory and be a constant reminder that there is a way forward which may be different to what we had previously anticipated. The content in this book is organised into 8 thematic sections for ease of use.

Führung und Organisation sind komplexe Phänomene, die oftmals durch Metaphern beschrieben werden. Zunehmend interessieren sich Theorie und Praxis für ihre Verwendung. Wie sehen sich Führungskräfte selbst und wie werden sie von anderen metaphorisch beschrieben? Gängige Sprachbilder reichen vom Gärtner und Coach bis hin zum Macher oder Priester. Alle diese Bilder sollen helfen, die zugrunde liegende Sichtweise auf Führung und Organisation zu beschreiben und geben einen Einblick, wie Führung von unseren metaphorischen Weltbildern beeinflusst wird. Wenig Aufmerksamkeit erfuhren bisher kulturelle Unterschiede bei der Verwendung von Metaphern im Bereich Führung und Organisation. Wie können wir die verborgenen Metaphern, die unser Denken unterbewusst prägen, an die Oberfläche bringen? Wie können wir alte Metaphern der Führung in einer modernen und globalisierten Welt nutzen? Der vorliegende Band dokumentiert die zentralen Ergebnisse einer interdisziplinären Konferenz zu Metaphern und Führung, an der Wissenschaftler und Wissenschaftlerinnen aus Afrika, Asien, Europa und Nordamerika teilgenommen haben. Metaphors are used increasingly in leadership theory and leadership development. How do leaders view themselves and how are they seen by others in terms of metaphors? One can find a wide range described in publications and on coaching websites. They range from gardener and coach, to manager or priest. They all help describe the underlying view on leadership and give insight into how leadership is influenced by our metaphorical view of the world. However, little work has been done on describing the influence of cultural perspectives in metaphors used in the area of leadership and organisations. How can we bring to the surface the hidden metaphors that shape our thinking subconsciously? How can we utilise old metaphors of leadership in a new and globalised world? This volume documents the central results of an interdisciplinary conference on metaphors and leadership in which scientists from Africa, Asia, Europe and North America took part.

The Leadership Metaphor Explorer Facilitator's Guide provides a facilitator with helpful instruction to use the Leadership Metaphor Explorer Tool - a compact tool for enabling creative, insightful conversations within and among groups of people.

Since its first publication over twenty years ago, Images of Organization has become a classic in the canon of management literature. The book is based on a very simple premise—that all theories of organization and management are based on implicit images or metaphors that stretch our imagination in a way that can create powerful insights, but at the risk of distortion. Gareth Morgan provides a rich and comprehensive resource for exploring the complexity of modern organizations internationally, translating leading-edge theory into leading-edge practice.

Gareth Morgan’s monumental book, Images of Organization, revolutionized the field of organization theory. In honor of Morgan’s classic text, this edited volume, Exploring Morgan’s Metaphors: Theory, Research, and Practice in Organizational Studies (by Anders Örtenblad, Kiran Trehan, and Linda L. Putnam), illustrates how Morgan’s eight metaphors inform research, practice, and organizational intervention in a variety of contexts. Including contributions from well-known experts in their fields, specifically, Joep Cornelisen, Cliff Oswick, David Grant, and Gareth Morgan, this new text offers fresh perspectives and sets forth new metaphors for conceptualizing organizations in today’s workforce. Readers will gain insights and guidelines into the different ways that Morgan’s metaphors and metaphorical thinking can be used to better understand organizational life, as well as how to study and develop organizations.

This book explores contemporary metaphors of leadership from a biblical or church historical perspective. It seeks to understand the cultural, social, and organizational metaphors from the Bible and the implications for contemporary organizations. Addressing issues such as communication, mentorship, administration, motivation, change management, education, and coaching, the authors explore concepts related to both for-profit and not-for-profit organizations. This book will be a valuable addition to the leadership literature in showing how biblical leadership principles can be used in contemporary organizations.