By Tom McClimon
September 27, 2004

Succeeding Through Partnerships, the subtitle of a new book by Jonathan Tisch, is a phrase many successful mayors believe in and know works. In this new management book, Tisch, CEO of Loews Hotels and Chair of the Travel Business Roundtable, who has spoken at a number of Conference of Mayors meetings on the importance of travel and tourism, sets out to show that partnerships work not only between organizations, businesses and governments, but can also work in managing one's employees and staff.

Tisch focuses on six kinds of partnerships that a business executive should develop between: employees, customers, communities, other businesses, government, and between owners. Mayors and city staff will be particularly interested in the section on ways businesses can, and should work with their local communities. Numerous examples are given of how Loews Hotels, through its Good Neighborhood Policy, encourages its employees to work in their communities on such problems as AIDS, physically challenged children, and hunger and homelessness. Such endeavors are win-win for all parties, and especially for those employees involved.

To learn how to better communicate and work with his fellow employees in the hotel business, Tisch periodically spends part of a day making the rounds with the housekeeping and janitorial staffs, kitchen and room service personnel, and front desk and bell captains. He has found these experiences to be so beneficial in learning how to be a better leader and executive, that he now requires it of all of his senior executives. Mayors, and other local government leaders, who haven't all ready instituted such practices, may want to take a look at this example.

Tisch cites several experiences with the Conference of Mayors and its leadership in giving examples of partnerships that work. In describing how organizations and businesses came together to help New York City following 9-11, he talks about how the Conference of Mayors for the first time held part of its 2002 Winter Meeting in New York City as a way for the nation's mayors to boost New York City. He also profiles former New Orleans Mayor Marc Morial, a former Conference President, as one of ten government and business leaders who have proven to be successful in developing partnerships.

After finishing this book, the reader is left with the idea that successful partnerships not only should be developed between businesses, organizations, and governments, but between elected officials and their constituents, and managers and their employees. This book serves as a blueprint as to how to go about forming those successful partnerships. Everyone will have something to learn from this book, especially those local government practitioners who are looking for new and innovative ways to get projects accomplished. In this day and age where often the focus is on "me," its uplifting to find once again a respected business and civic leader putting back the emphasis on "we" in advocating and practicing a successful leadership style.