Windward Leadership: Taking Your Organization into the Prevailing Winds and Political Seas by Mary E. Matthias

A field manual for leading durable change in today’s political, neurotic, time-starved, and resource-poor, organizations.

With clear and sometimes provocative language, Windward Leadership weaves together helpful analogies, metaphors, and good sense. Moving quickly from theory to pragmatic issues, Ruprecht shares key lessons, and provides concrete tools and methods for turning principle-centered leadership and team-oriented management into operational action.

Ruprecht’s pragmatic approach remains unconstrained by today’s conventional thought. A manifesto for change from the middle out, Ruprecht’s message is designed to open leaders’ minds and steer them away from the dysfunctional habits, assumptions, and tendencies that are prevalent in today’s typical organizations.

Whatever the prevailing winds and political seas in which you sail, whatever kind of organization yours may be, no matter where your organization may be in the hierarchy, no matter how big the organization you lead may be, Windward Leadership will help you make that corner of the planet, which you have the good fortune to lead, a better place.

About the Author

Although Jim’s degree is in Quantitative Methods/Operations Research, his career has been one of leading increasingly challenging transformations--building new organizations, renovating under-performing ones, and revitalizing neglected ones. Most of Jim’s career has been spent leading technology organizations at an eclectic variety of large and small, centralized and decentralized, and public and private firms, during economic conditions ranging from times of dramatic growth to times of dramatic cost and competitive pressure.

From his beginning creating the IS Audit function in 3M’s Internal Auditing Department, to creating the IT function in Medtronic’s Neurological business during their start-up, to renovating the Information Systems organization at the Star Tribune newspaper, to creating the Factory Systems organization in Seagate Technology’s Recording Heads Operations business, to building two management consulting firms, to revitalizing the IT function in Medtronic’s Cardiac Rhythm Disease Management (CRDM) business, to leading the development of the next generation programming strategy, product line and project plan in Medtronic CRDM’s Product Development organization, Jim has come to be regarded as a pragmatic leader, not constrained by conventional thinking, with a track record of building high-performing organizations that use technology to add value.

Jim has led through his ability to formulate and align strategy, process, technology, and organizational design, to move quickly from concept and theory to pragmatic issues, to explain complex topics in everyday language, and to build relationships with, build consensus among, and communicate naturally with people regardless of their level or background.

Jim has been seasoned by leading through the spectrum of business conditions—ranging from the dramatic growth of new startups, to the downsizing that accompanies cost and competitive pressures and economic downturns. Further, he’s gained experience managing in a variety of corporate cultures—large and small, centralized and decentralized, hierarchical and matrix, public and private.

Jim’s career also includes a unique blend of corporate and consulting experience, leading teams throughout the U.S., Northern Ireland, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand.

Jim was fortunate to be honored with Medtronic’s highest award for leadership, the Win Wallin Leadership Award. He shares his experience by serving on the boards of several small organizations, through articles and speaking engagements, consulting engagements, as a mentor in the various organizations at which he worked, and in the Mentiuum Minnesota 100 mentoring program.

Jim is the father of two daughters, and his therapist is Dr. Harley Davidson.

Title: Windward Leadership: Taking Your Organization into the Prevailing Winds and Political Seas

by James W. Ruprecht

Itasca Books

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About the Author