The one-sentence summary

Smart leaders set a course, assume it will change, and try to get lots of people to show leadership qualities.

WHAT THE BOOK SAYS

• The authors have three main influences; psychologists and other leadership writers, writers with unusual insights, and philosophers who have pondered the human condition
• They describe the point of leadership as being “to initiate change and make it feel like progress”
• Leaders need to adopt a cause but should not plan the future
• Leadership is not always necessary – the need for it varies over time
• Leadership is a culture, not a person
• Managers achieve objectives. Leaders work to a purpose
• Mangers defer decisions. Leaders take them
• Don’t be too consensual about consensus

WHAT’S GOOD ABOUT IT

• It is full of good advice and inspiring quotes such as:

~ “Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. But if you must be without one, be without the strategy.”

~ “Now that I am CEO, what am I supposed to do?”

~ “The only real training for leadership is leadership.”

~ “Leadership has a harder job than just choose sides. It must bring sides together.”

• The Triangle of Tensions summarises the struggle of leaders well. It includes:

~ The Individual Identity – who the leader really is

~ The Canned Role – the formal expectations

~ The Emergent Process – the messy reality

• Personal mastery of this is only achieved via Learner Leadership, a never-ending circle of self-awareness, learning, judging, acting and mobilising

WHAT YOU HAVE TO WATCH

• The orientation of the book leans towards money making as the desired outcome of successful leadership –this is clearly not its only value
• The authors claim that it is impossible to have too much leadership in an organisation – not all would agree
• There is a rather strange chapter on the value of using story-telling to encourage people to follow your chosen direction, which needs to be treated with caution

The one-sentence summary

Successful leaders will take on risk, change and ambiguity.

WHAT THE BOOK SAYS

• There is no particular philosophical stance taken – it simply guides you through all the important aspects of leadership, such as what it takes to be one, and how to enact it
• You become a leader by acting like a leader
• One of the most desirable traits of a potential leader is “stick-to-itiveness” – patience, repetition and learning “Err and err and err again, but less and less and less.”
• Imagination helps turn randomness into a vision – all leaders need it
• Leadership is stewardship, which means you are assuming a set of responsibilities, not getting your title carved in stone
• The final test of a leader is that they leave behind in other people the will and conviction to carry on

WHAT’S GOOD ABOUT IT

• There is an interesting debate around the axioms of leadership. The German word for management is Fuehrungskunst, which means “the art of leadership”. In most countries management and leadership are viewed as being different
• “Each one teach one” refers to the ability to spread leadership qualities around teams, although no book has ever completely resolved the issue of whether absolutely anyone can show leadership qualities or not
• It outlines ten qualities of a true leader: eagerness, cheerfulness, honesty, resourcefulness, persuasiveness, cooperation, altruism, courage, supportiveness, and assertiveness
• And ten ways to master leadership skills: preparing, volunteering, keeping an open mind, giving speeches, developing discipline, meeting deadlines, staying in touch, listening, cooperating, and doing things for others

WHAT YOU HAVE TO WATCH

• Towards the end it veers off into a discussion about leadership in life generally. In a business context, how to lead when coaching a kids’ sports team will of course be peripheral to the main point
• It is very American in orientation, so most of the examples are US-based

The one-sentence summary

To be a good leader you have to earn respect.

WHAT THE BOOK SAYS

• Copying how other leaders behave will not necessarily make you a good leader
• Great leaders essentially act as “authentic chameleons”, consistently displaying their true selves through different contexts that require them to play a variety of roles.
• Leadership is situational, non-hierarchical, and relational
• Leadership can come from within an organisation just as easily as the very top

WHAT’S GOOD ABOUT IT

• The question in the title is the strongest point, and you should ask it of yourself if you aspire to be a leader
• This orientation adds a dose of humility to the often macho area of leadership
• It is easy enough to follow the steps they recommend (assuming you have the desire);
  • Be yourself – more – with skill
  • Know and show yourself – enough
  • Take personal risks
  • Read – and rewrite – the context
  • Remain authentic – but conform enough
  • Manage social distance (tough love, and getting close but not too close)
  • Communicate – with care
• Followers are also discussed (you can’t have leaders without them)
• Followers want authenticity, to feel significant, a sense of excitement, and to feel part of a community
• Leadership has a price as well as a prize – there are no easy answers, you can be easily undone, and when things go wrong it’s your fault – so be careful what you pursue for the sake of it

WHAT YOU HAVE TO WATCH

• Not much. The book is well-written and based on 25 years of research

The one-sentence summary

People will always tell you it can’t be done, but if you have faith in yourself, it almost always can.

WHAT THE BOOK SAYS

• Simple truths in life, and the right attitude, can inspire and enable you to do practically anything
• People will always try to talk you out of ideas and say, “It can’t be done”, but if you have faith in yourself, it almost always can

WHAT’S GOOD ABOUT IT

• You can read it in a couple of hours
• The author has made plenty of mistakes and taken a lot of risks, so this is not just a “plain sailing” manual
• The main principles of just do it, have fun, be bold, challenge yourself, and live the moment are all solid, inspirational stuff
• There are also much softer elements such as value family and friends, have respect for people, and do some good for others
• You can dip in anywhere and grab a motivational thought in ten seconds.
• Choose from:

  ~ Believe it can be done

  ~ Never give up

  ~ Have faith in yourself

  ~ When it’s not fun, move on

  ~ Have no regrets

  ~ Keep your word

  ~ Aim high

  ~ Try new things

  ~ Love life and live it to the full

  ~ Chase your dreams but live in the real world

  ~ Face problems head on

  ~ Money is for making the right things happen

  ~ Make a difference and help others

WHAT YOU HAVE TO WATCH

• The book is not particularly well-written (the author struggled with mild dyslexia at school), so this is more a stream of consciousness, or a selection of sound bites
• It always seems easier for someone who has “done it” to reflect back on the hard times – but it is harder to apply that philosophy when you are actually struggling