A whole new understanding, and a way to take action on it as a leader.
587271
Pete Hamill blew my mind with this book.  This is, by far, the most comprehensive and deep-diving book on leadership I've encountered in all my reading.

As a person who has been in leadership roles for over 2 decades, and as a student of leadership approaches all that time, I thought I had a complete understanding of the practices and mindsets and strategies for cultivating a powerful leadership presence that builds trust and team engagement toward a common vision.

Pete takes these ideas to an entirely new level, and demonstrates with neuroscientific backing that we are wired to succeed when we follow his advice, and our team members are wired to become cohesive, self-generating, and trusting when we show up as fully embodied leaders.

If you're a leader or you want to be one, get this book.
1884301
If you are a leader, you will face difficulties. Chand offers insights on leadership he has gathered over the years.

He highlights eight topics. New People (identifying characteristics and dealing with them), New Pains (change creates it so get used to it and embrace it), New Places (where you want to go and how you'll get there), New Perspectives (new ways to see and finding mentors), New Priorities (defining steps to reach your goal), New Passions (rediscovering excitement as life changes), New Preparations (daily habits and skills), New Possibilities (embrace the risks and opportunities).

Chand says the biggest challenge for leaders is within them  their perceptions and attitudes. He provides insights on how to overcome roadblocks and find new ways to respond to people and situations. He includes good suggestions. He also gives great examples where leaders capitalized on ideas like he presents as well as others who totally missed it.

There is nothing in this book that will shake the leadership culture. Chand give sensible and inspiring suggestions. This would be a good book for any leader to read either as encouragement or a review of current leadership practices. Chand includes Teaching Points at the end of each chapter, as well as visuals, so this book could be used in leading a seminar or other group session.

Note: This is a reprint under a new title of LadderShifts, published about a decade ago.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through The Book Club Network. My comments are an independent and honest review.
4371192
Having read countless books on leadership it is difficult not to be immune to the academic recounts and blurb that are often found to be lacking! In contrast I found Inspiring Leadership to be totally refreshing and an absolute must read for all leaders. From the first few moving pages, the author opens the doors to many personal stories and experiences. Presenting an intelligent examination of various acts of leadership he exposes the great and the inadequate, providing us with real depth and sharp insights to encourage learning. The author presents the '8 Leadership components' framework with useful exercises to stimulate thinking in order to challenge our ingrained beliefs about ourselves and our behaviours to define purpose and take action for greater success. In an age where inspiration, service and ethics are fundamental to 21st Century leadership this powerful and pragmatic framework provides the catalyst for personal, team and organisational shifts. Exceptional!
1608114
I've read many books on personal and professional growth, mentoring and coaching and leadership and yet this one spoke to me in a way others haven't.  It' a back to the basic approach complete with stories that give you the sense you are there as things are being told and easily you find yourself relating to exactly what the authors are saying.  In some ways it reinforced my thoughts about some areas in my personal and professional life but many other times I had those aha moments that made me dig deeper for under the surface concerns that had plagued me.  I recently purchased more books to share with directors that work for me and have since decided to expand that total to all department heads that work under my direction.  I continue to reread this book and each time gain a new perspective personally and professionally.  I have no doubt this book will do the same for those under my leadership and as a team we will "grow" together.
4318348
If you are a leader, you have to love a book that offers the opportunity to be "ridiculously in charge." Turns out that Boundaries for Leaders not only offers a great opportunity, but a great read with practical principles for enhancing one's leadership.

The mantra for the book is: "You get what you create and what you accept." That was a wake up call for me. I recognized the power of what one creates, I had underestimated the impact of what you accept. A leader is either building or allowing the culture he has.

The temptation for task oriented leaders is to pursue the plan. Henry provides a good balance with the reminder it's also about the people. Results and relationships are more interrelated than most leaders would like to admit.

Boundaries for Leaders provides wise guidance for navigating and leveraging results and relationships, and all the while inviting leaders to be ridiculously in charge.

Throughout the book Henry deals with 7 boundaries that leaders need to do well to fulfill the vision and to be a place where people thrive. These 7 boundaries are:

1. Help people's brains work better.

2. Build the emotional climate that fuels performance.

3. Facilitate connections that boost people's functioning.

4. Facilitate thinking patterns that drive results.

5. Focus on what behaviors shape results.

6. Build high performance teams that achieve desired results.

7. Help you lead yourself in a manner that drives and protects the vision.

I had heard of the fight or flight response, but Henry showed there is a third option that people follow in overwhelming stress -- they simply freeze. They do nothing. In some ways, the brain shuts down in taking any action, what he calls a "lizard brain".

Boundaries for Leaders gave me some tools for dealing with leadership issues like developing language, building trust, and setting boundaries that not only achieve results but build relationships.

I give Boundaries for Leaders 5 out of 5 stars. I appreciated the insights Henry provided, even more as I read I realized I need to know this (and so do others). My thanks to Booksneeze for a free copy to review. I wasn't required to give a positive review, I simply found the book to provide some needed tools in my leadership tool box.
3883209
Integrative Leadership encourages us to expect the best of ourselves and from ourselves, to become all that we can be. The authors challenge, poke and prod us from multiple perspectives to clearly know and feel the vast potential that often is hidden within each of us. Through well documented research and creative insight, they have succeeded in combining the wisdom of the ages with the knowledge of modern science to create a powerful tool for improving ourselves and our world.  Read it - you'll be impressed and moved.  Prediction: this book is going to change the way people understand leadership and improve organizations around the world.
2276737
This book is not a step by step manual on how to become a leader. Leadership is intangible, and in truth it varies from person to person and scenario to scenario. Godin doesn't attempt to create a formula for the reader to follow; instead he LEADS us toward leadership. How? Through examining what has made other leaders effective and by inciting us to do the same.

Leadership is not as simple as having followers; it is a complex and multi-faceted thing. It is also organic; that is, a leader determines in a situation or with a certain people to lead in a way that is best for that time, that place, and those people. Great leaders understand that they need to personalize their leadership because a true leader is, after all, about those he is leading. Godin embodies this mindset and explains it well.

Tribes are indeed something mankind has sought out since the earth became populated enough to have them. Today we are more advanced technologically, but at our core we still long for connection. Tribes give us that. And it is up to us whether we want to blindly belong to one, or powerfully engage in one and participate in leading it.
66278
Fun and eye-opening read!  Not your typical leadership/organizational improvement book.  McChrystal and team provide a unique perspective in connecting military learning's with the challenges of todays business world, and tomorrows.  Very real and very applicable, I will be applying his/their principles to my business.
406490
I love Lencioni's method of delivery. Having the content presented as a fictional story engages the reader and helps him or her to see the concepts in action. It's a great book for self-awareness and team awareness. If you're in leadership in any way, I highly recommend this book. It might not be that you're looking to fire or remove people from your team, but you might help to reassign them to a role where their style fits, especially if you're working with volunteers.

One person can change the dynamic of a whole team and this book helps to demonstrate how that can work. Leadership isn't easy, but this might be the tool to give a leader the courage to do what should be done for the sake of strengthening a team. Having your team members read it can help with their own self-awareness and adjust their own actions.
2944116
As a middle school assistant principal, I can attest that this book is not just for those in the business world.  One Piece of Paper will challenge you to think about how and why you lead.  It will help you construct a set of principles that will be your guide for decision-making in almost any situation.  This is a must-read for any leader.
3198966
"Spark" is a great book that, through clear and direct writing, provides guidance on how one can foster and grow leadership, in themselves and others, regardless of what the rest of the world has in store for us!  "Spark" directs us inward, encouraging us to look at ourselves and our choices, to better understand what some of the simple truths of being a real leader entail.  In sum, being a leader is based on how we choose to engage and interact in the world, not what the world and those in it choose for us or treat us.  It is a very empowering message that allows all persons, at every stage of professional and personal development, to be a "Spark."  Equally important, though, the authors make clear, that it takes time and hard work to grow as a leader and to help others to do the same; no shortcuts will get you there.  But if you put in the effort, you can find success in the leadership development of yourself and others, in even the most inhospitable environments.  I am recommending it to all sorts of family (soon to be college grads), friends (lawyers looking at next steps and small business owners), and colleagues (more senior and less senior than me)!
1896124
In her new book Herminia Ibarra addresses an important fallacy in literature on leadership that looks at self-selected groups of leaders and then tries to deduce how they got there. Rather, she encourages us to look for guidance for our personal leadership journeys, making  this book an audacious invitation to act first and introspect after. To support her argument, she reveals recent research that encourages exploration, trying and testing different leadership styles. Her insights on the outsight - capacity to spot new opportunities outside our usual environment - are particularly refreshing and action-provoking. Finally, Ibarra shows that becoming a leader is not an event but a process with its kinks and curves - and this book is an extraordinary companion throughout it.
4562724
Most of us won't be position to really implement a lot of what this wonderful book tries to teach, but I found it very valuable in knowing what a great leader should be doing for his or her followers. I am a manager and leader of my branch but I also realize that there are some cultural issues that only leaders can try to direct. As a manager, I can be aware of what it takes to make a cultural change stick and this book is amazing in describing that process. I won't go over all the steps as there are many great reviews for this book but I did want to give my different perspective... Be aware of how your organization's leaders need to present cultural changes in order to be successful.. Great book!
452843
I have read more books about leadership than I can count so I head into each new one a bit jaded. Having read this author's first book, Stop Workplace Drama, I figured this one would be different than all the others and I was not disappointed. The author's perspective, having been created from working the factory floor to becoming a top consultant to the corporate boardroom, provided an opening to see leadership from all angles and evaluate its impact within all levels of a company.

This book is not for the leader who is faint of heart. Nor is it for leaders who are unwilling to look at themselves first. Rather it is a book for the leader or want to be leader who has begun to recognize that the internal and the external need to align otherwise there will always be drama inside their business and their life.  But wait, there is more.

The author then goes on to lay out a new way of thinking and being and doing that can help create major and minor shifts that will have ripples that continue far beyond the individual who started the ripple.

I highly recommend this book be required reading for every business leader, at all levels of business, and also be taught in colleges where the future leaders are groomed. When you get your copy, have pen and paper handy to do the work and to log your insights so that you can go out and begin making new, lasting ripples.
3461548
Idea may appear simple from a distance. But having read this book and zoomed into fine details of how the idea is put into action in real life, I now understand the concept so much better. This book is full of insights, ideas and methods of moving to a leader-leader model. In the process of learning these methods, applied to a team of people running a nuclear submarine, the true meaning of leader-leader and how one might be able to achieve it has emerged for me. A must read for any leader or even a follower.
1606108
Prepare to possibly have some of your beliefs and understanding about leadership to be shattered. This book throws a research-powered bomb into the leadership world, seeking to explode a lot of myth, misunderstanding and mumbo-jumbo that surrounds it. The world and their dog seems to want a bit of it, with tens of thousands of books all seeking to persuade you that their leadership solution is the best.

This book can be different. It aims to show that fact-based leadership is the most-effective, calling on its armoury of current research, case studies, theory and interviews. It doesnt have its own mantra to sell. Far from it. It may be heretic. You may disagree with it. Yet it does not hurt even the most sceptical to look at this as, after all, surely they will be able to demolish its arguments or do they fear being corrected and converted?

When reading this, maybe you should make a list of the various fads, myths, fantasies and plain barmy leadership musts that you recognise and possibly have implemented. It can be a very bitter, hard-tasting medicine for some. Very few people, if they are honest, may have a blank sheet of paper. Anyway, what is a leader? You can be a leader by title, of course, but is that necessarily justified through people willingly following your lead rather than going through the mandatory motions?

This was an enjoyable, thought-provoking and considered book, leading (sic) by example rather than a dry, jargon-filled lecture. The books price is a steal for what you get. The author has calculated that over 50 different core leadership ideas and styles have been examined. There is no magic secret at the end of the day, perhaps other than the obvious manner of discovering leadership and insight. You need to trust yourself, your co-workers and your corporate environment to go forward.

The chapters are nice and short, with oodles of references as necessary, so the reader has no excuse about a shortage of time for not progressing. Neither can they complain that they do not understand something or claim that a little bit more information is required. It was a good approach to a big problem. It might not be the only leadership book you will need, but you may need this one in any case to help contextualise and strategize.

Miss it at your peril. If you do miss it, don't be offended if one of your co-workers orders a copy anonymously and has it delivered to you. Dare you read it though?
511563
David Marquet masterfully lays out the risk and the immense reward that comes from training, inspiring, and challenging subordinates to be their best. David begins with the performance limitations that come from passive, top down leadership structures and guides readers how to implement Leader-Leader engagements that improve performance, create lasting results, and, most importantly, train subordinates to be the best leaders they can be. David's writing is honest fresh, engaging, and informative as he discusses the potentially career ending consequences of moving towards a Leader-Leader framework and away from what he was taught for years in the US Navy. Finally, David's organized style of writing provides the reader with questions to consider as well as summarizes the Leader-Leader tools. In today's business world of Big Data, Analytics, and Analysis, we need MORE leadership that results in initiative, creativity, ethical behavior, and enduing results. Turn The Ship Around! Is the book you need today to be a better leader!