Behind The Hedge

By Stanley Cummings

Book Overview

BEHIND THE HEDGE A Corruption o Time, Talent & Treasure Tom Whitman, behind the wheel on Route 66 heading east with Allison at his side and their cat Caesar curled up on the backseat, would soon find himself immersed in a maelstrom of unimagined dimension. Newly appointed headmaster of Florence Bruce Seminary, Tom was heading toward an unexpected clash of styles and of cultural expectations. His ingrained instincts for sound management were about to challenge the charismatic but lackadaisical leadership style let behind by the former headmaster. In some respects, the differences would be as great as the clash between Indian and white had been three hundred and fifty years earlier. Violence perpetrated on the school and the community by both bystander and combatant would be traumatic. Rules, laws, agreements, accepted tenets of human behavior, simple decency, contracts-written and unwritten-among people of accepted good standing and integrity would be thrown away with abandon or gleefully ignored. In their place, frontier justice-any means to achieve the ends-would be sufficient justification or actions of intense cruelty. The most basic assumptions regarding safety, fair play, due process and continuity would be destroyed; and those who believed that the operating assumptions at Florence Bruce Seminary were based on decency, dignity and respect would be horrified at the level to which these values were betrayed.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1436331196
• ISBN13: 9781436331197
• Release Date: August 2008
• Publisher: Xlibris Us
• Length: 378 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

A helpful tool for board members

I've had the pleasure of serving on non-profit boards whose members are dedicated to the mission of the organization. I've also seen and been dismayed by the actions of board members with personal agendas who can bring about undesirable consequences for institutions and their leaders. It doesn't matter if it's a private school, a battered women's shelter, or a cancer society - no organization is immune from the ability of a board member, with self interests, to derail the process of moving it toward its desired goal. Dr. Cummings has provided a valuable tool for anyone who wants to be a good board member, or an effective leader - and to help recognize the ones who aren't. And since it's written as a novel it's a lot more interesting than the "How To Be A Good Board Member" drivel that's handed out and most of us don't read anyway!

An interesting and educational read...

I have had the privilege of working with a non-profit organization in the past and I am considering pursuing future work with other non-profits. This book, while clearly a very personal account of one leader's experience in education, is a valuable resource to anyone who is involved in an organization that is governed by the dynamic and challenging efforts of an executive committee. When a common goal is that of education, helping the environment, or building a strong community, the thoughtful ideas and dedication of a group of individuals must be translated in the most efficient and productive manner possible. This is a story by which one can learn priceless lessons in any aspect of the organization so that the ultimate goals can be attained. I recommend this book to anyone who desires insight into how an organization can actually hurt itself when individual interests are not kept in check and how, perhaps, to learn from the mistakes of the past.

Fascinating!

As a retired school teacher, this book was a real page turner for me. Having taught in both private and public schools, I have seen enough of the truly rewarding aspect of teaching, as well as the politics and personality conflicts that can be involved, to really appreciate the traumatizing situation explored here. Every school teacher and, especially, every school administrator would gain from reading this book.

Good read!

This is a fascinating story of institutional dysfunction. The tale of good-intentioned people whose missteps lead inexorably toward the tragic ending keeps you turning the pages. Any administrator or board member of an educational establishment - private or public - or of any non-profit organization should read this book to avoid the pitfalls that can so easily entrap . . . easy to see only in hindsight! As a practicing attorney and professor of school and employment law, I have presented this book to several of my clients!

Behind the Hedge

This is a fictionalized account of what surely must have been a real-life experience for the author while acting as headmaster of a private, nonprofit, girls school. Even if you're not particularly interested in education, the book offers excellent insight into the inner workings of nonprofit organizations, their boards, executive committees, budgets, leadership styles -- the good and the bad. A thoughtful read for anyone currently serving on, working for, or contemplating volunteering for a nonprofit.