James R. (Jim) Lucas, P.E., is a recognized authority on leadership and organization development. He is a groundbreaking author, thought leader, and provocative speaker on these crucial topics. Jim has served in multiple key positions in a number of organizations:
EMCI, a high-tech design and manufacturing firm working primarily in aerospace components and orthopedic medical devices, where he served as President & CEO
Veatch Consulting Engineers, where he served as Manager of Planning for the Power & Industrial Division and as Project Planner on four major power plant projects
Hallmark Cards, where he served as Director of Construction and supervised the completion of projects worth over a quarter of a billion dollars
VF Corporation, where he was responsible for production and inventory control on the largest product line
Jim is the author of fourteen books, including five recent books on leadership and organizational development:
- Broaden the Vision and Narrow the Focus: Managing in a World of Paradox – World-class leadership means leading with a balance of apparent contradictions. For example, should you spread optimism or spread the ugly truth? In this provocative book, you’ll learn that the answer to this and many other similar questions is “yes.”
- The Passionate Organization: Igniting the Fire of Employee Commitment – This groundbreaking book, now in its fourth printing, has had a dramatic effect on hundreds of organizations. Its principles are being practiced in such diverse places as Procter & Gamble, Kerr-McGee, Cintas, Ernst & Young, Fifth Third Bank, Logitech, IBA Belgium, New York State, and the US Army.
- Balance of Power: Fueling Employee Power without Relinquishing Your Own – Introducing powersharing, a high-concept replacement for “empowerment” and fresh insights into such important issues as decision-making and succession planning, this book was a Newbridge Executive Program Book Club “Main Selection.” It has been translated into Chinese and Japanese and was distributed to all members by the Canadian Management Association.
- Fatal Illusions: Shredding a Dozen Unrealities That Can Keep Your Organization from Success – Long before Collins’ Good to Great and Bossidy and Charan’s Confronting Reality, this book established the critical need for leaders and organizations to face, define, and align with or change reality. It was a Newbridge Executive Book Club “Main Selection,” and was selected as “Book of the Year” by the American Management Association and distributed to over 60,000 of their members.
- High-Performance Ethics – This newly released book is co-authored with the retired CEO of Harris Corporation/Lanier Business Systems. It discusses the connection between ethics and performance, a previously under-explored subject. Mr. Steve Forbes has written the powerful foreword, and Mr. Zig Ziglar has written the inspiring afterword. Dr. Stephen Covey has given this book a thoughtful endorsement.
- The Passionate Lives & Leaders Series – You and every member of your organization will be inspired by this 8-book series in which real-world leaders share their experiences in building passionate teams and organizations.
Jim has written numerous curricula for business and leadership seminars, as well as many essays and articles. Recent essays include “How to Avoid Enronism,” the cover story for the launch issue of MWorld Journal (and now a featured essay on Amazon.com), “Managing Through Meltdown: 12 Things You Must Do to Exploit Tough Times,” “A Legacy in the Making,” “Anatomy of a Vision Statement,” and “Illusion and the Death of Quality.” Jim is an award-winning senior faculty member of the American Management Association, where he teaches its premier course, The Course for Presidents. Jim has an extensive speaking schedule in which he addresses topics from his books and research and has been interviewed frequently on radio and television. He has also served as a professor in the School of Professional Studies at Rockhurst University in Kansas City. Jim received his education in leadership, business, economics, and engineering at the University of Missouri (Columbia and Rolla), including a B.S. and Jim was awarded a professional degree in Engineering Management from UMR. He is a member of the American Society for Training & Development, a senior member of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, and a registered professional engineer in Missouri and Kansas. He was the first graduate of UMR’s Engineering Management Program to receive a professional engineering license in both Missouri and Kansas. While at Rolla he was a member of the Student Union Board and Delta Sigma Phi fraternity. Jim has been honored with continuous listings in Who’s Who in America (1999-2006), Who’s Who in the World (1989-2006), and Who’s Who in Finance & Industry (1989-2005).
Jim grew up in the St. Louis area and now lives in the Kansas City area with his family, which includes four children.
