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Confidence is an excellent guide on how to be a “winning” organization and how to keep a winning streak going. Kanter also discusses how winning streaks come to an end, how losing streaks start and offers guidance by example on how to reverse a losing trend.

The author provides an expansive description of the four kinds of confidence that are prevalent in winning organizations: self-confidence, confidence in each other (team), confidence in the institution, and external confidence (of the investors or community supporters) in the organization. Central to each type of confidence is a core of three elements: accountability, collaboration, and initiative. Following a detailed discussion of these elements in part II of the book, Kanter returns to these themes repeatedly and uses real-life examples of successes and failures in organizations as diverse as Continental Airlines, Washington Hospital’s Emergency Department, the Philadelphia Eagles, the Republic of South Africa, the UConn women’s basketball team, Gillette Company, and others. The names are NOT changed to protect the innocent.

The concepts developed in the book and the supporting examples stem from several years of research using interviews, surveys and observations by Kanter and her team. Her credentials and the data gathering process are discussed early in the book, and there is an extensive list of references at the end.

In reading this book, I was given pause a number of times to reflect on Kanter’s ideas and how many of them applied to my own career and the choices I have made over time. The book is an easy read, rather inspiring, almost giving a sense of cheerleading. The bottom line is that everyone in the organization has something valuable to contribute to the overall success, and they need to know that. For this, I give the book a 5-star rating, and recommend it to managers at all levels.

Book Review

Reviewed by Richard J. Flaksman, MD, CPE