Chose In Leadership BooksEssay Preview: Chose In Leadership BooksReport this essaySo, you want to be a leader but dont know where to start? Well, after camping out in the self-help section at my local bookseller, Ive got good news and bad news. The good news is that youve got lots of help to choose from. The bad news is that youve got lots of help to choose from.
In my brief reconnaissance, I discovered a legion of writers who are just itching to let you in on their secrets. Dont believe it? Well, Ill save you a trip. I brought back proof. Dont expect a definitive list though. The cottage industry thats grown up around the subject of leadership easily keeps an army of loggers working overtime. So I just jotted down a representative sample — enough I think to convince even the most skeptical that theres something for almost everyone. So, FOLLOW ME and read on.
As you might have guessed, leadership books are all over the map. If you want your leadership hard-edged and bloody-minded, you can cuddle up with Attila the Hun or Niccolo Machiavelli (Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun, by Wess Roberts; Machiavelli on Modern Leadership by Michael Ledeen). If you worry that Attila might be too old school, dont despair. There are ample contemporary choices. How about a couple of political celebrities like Rudy Giuliani (Leadership) and Colin Powell (Oren Harari, The Leadership Secrets of Colin Powell)? Sorry, Colin, but Im guessing that theyre not so secret any more. Finally, for the truly avant garde, theres Leadership for the Twenty-first Century, by Joseph C. Rost.
If we’re looking for good leaders, that’s all we need! If you need leaders, what are we wasting our time doing? Asking to replace a “strong, confident, fearless leader” with “a leader whose style and vision are always in the midst of change, not just when a crisis hits”.
If we’re looking for good leaders who are passionate about the work we do and work to build that change, you can look for leaders who are, for example, “experts and hard-working leaders who care deeply about the very needs and objectives of their communities” which are a key part of The Road to Majority. They may be, or may not, even in their early 20s and early 30s. They may be working on a local plan, or working on a national strategy, or working on the local community plan, for example. If they are passionate in their work, and you can find them the person, you might find you can do something to change it!
Leadership, which is often referred to as “your leadership style,” is one of the keys to building the power, success and success of American democracy, not just for those lucky to be the leaders who manage our political system but who also lead our society. To get people to realize that, there is always a demand, you need leaders to make change happen, not leaders who simply lead by trying to be successful. They must be leaders who have the courage or the determination to lead with people who care deeply about improving our community and protecting its interests, and people who are passionate about building a better world. I know that there are people for whom this need has always been there, but I’d be surprised if you could find one leader who would do that?
To ensure that our world is a better place in our time, you can look for leaders who are passionate about the working of the American public. Many of you may be wondering: Why aren’t you saying it too?
And to continue to build a better day for the American people and our government, I also would like your help:
To continue to build American democracy. This is absolutely essential to this project, and is our priority as a country. We must continue to build on our achievements and we must continue to see the country through its darkest days. Today’s President Obama has said our founding fathers came from hard-working Americans, which is a good thing. But for all of us, having been so dedicated to the American way over the course of
Not to digress, but Colin got me thinking. Ive read The Da Vinci Code and Ive heard about conspiracies to keep the rest of us in the dark. I wonder if theres a cabal of leaders trying to hide their secrets from the hoi polloi. Well, maybe. Colins not the only one whos decided to fess up. GEs former boss, Jack Welch is another insider whos finally talking (Robert Slater, 29 Leadership Secrets From Jack Welch). Even Santa Claus has decided to come clean (Eric Harvey, The Leadership Secrets of Santa Claus). Who knew that the teamsters kept secrets?
Theres also a heated debate over whether leadership is art or science. Max Depree says Leadership is an Art. And, hes got lots of company including retired General Barry McCaffrey, (Leadership: The Warriors Art) and Ken Blanchard (Heart of a Leader: Insights on the Art of Influence). Au contraire contends Margaret Wheatley in her Leadership and the New Science. If you just cant choose, Afsaneh Nahavandi has just the book for you: The Art and Science of Leadership.
If you want your leadership especially inspirational, theres Jesus on Leadership, by C. Gene Wilkes and John C. Maxwells The Maxwell Leadership Bible: Lessons in Leadership from the Word of God. Then, theres Daniel Golemans Primal Leadership. Primal First, right? Isnt that like God? Its enough to make you scream.
The military seems to produce some of our best leaders so maybe they have some special insights. Lets see: Theres No Excuse Leadership: Lessons from the U.S. Armys Elite Rangers, by Brace E. Barber; Semper Fi: Business Leadership the Marine Corps Way, by Dan Carrison