A Treasure
The late professor Will McWhinney was my doctoral advisor in 1971. I was a candidate for the doctorate degree in Socio-Technical-Systems at UCLA in the Graduate School of Management. Dr. McWhinney was my advisor for two years. I worked with him several times a week. This book contains many ideas that he and I discussed but at the time were not in print. I consider this book a special treasure for anyone with a passion for understanding the ways that leaders are inspired or how they inspire those who follow them.
This book is not an easy read. Will McWhinney writes like he thought, way ahead of most people. However, the hard work will be repaid with wisdom. Will makes the effort worthwhile with new ways of thinking about what is right in front of you. I am happy to study this book to continue the studies I began nearly forty years ago. This book is an important legacy piece from this giant in Organizational Development. The insights still seem fresh though he and I discussed some of these topics in the early 1970's. I see that many leadership writers have not caught up to the thinking of Will McWhinney though they have had plenty of time to learn from him.
I am grateful to add this book to my library. The stories he tells about mythmakers inspire me to continue my own studies of the importance of mythmaking to leaders in today's business, government, and nonprofit enterprises. A powerful and influential leader will create myths that guide those he or she leads.
