On an irregular basis, I wander from my professional reading in Leadership Development and Human Performance to something either entertaining or enlightening…and occasionally I come across something profound.
My daughter Anna, a senior in college, gave me “Night” by Elie Wiesel and encouraged me to read it soon. Short, engrossing, depressing, maddening, yet inspirational…
I wept when I saw the film Schindler’s List, again when I visited “Yad Vashem” in the Holy Land (1994 and 2008), and now it is again with “Night”. How could I ever become a great counselor of leaders without being grounded through insights to the worst of humankind and the best of hope in us too?
I am not Jewish and yet my heart bleeds. I am not a Holocaust survivor, yet I am hopeful and hold resolve…never, ever again…not on my watch or the watch of my children.
If part of your journey in life is to know, to share, to give, to protect, to grow…then this book is and must be for you and your children. No matter if it comes from you to them, or as in my case, from them to you.
Fun to read, moving and intriguing…comments by CEOs who have read Hunter’s book and left not sure if they had an epiphany that was inspirartional, spiritual, or both. To be sure, leadership is a tricky thing, full of behavioral anomolies and traps, but servant leadership seems to bring out the best in leaders, their teams and their organizations…and if an epiphany is what it takes…go for it. You’ll like this book aas have many of the executives I have coached.
Kent Keith builds admirably on Robert Greenleaf’s servant leadership tenets. While some executives come to servant leadership quickly and instinctively, most of us require time and insights to get there. Because the effectiveness of servant leadership is strongly supported in statistical and anecdotal research, this books simplifies the understanding one needs to make the transition or sustain an existing commitment to servant leadership. A good read for all current and aspiring executives
A classic on putting the TEAM in team leadership, Lencioni’s book has become a first-line offensive strategy in executive and general team alignment and development. Having the user manual is a must as is using the TEAM assessment found on pp. 191-194.
Robert Quinn and William Bridges are two of the gurus on change for both the leader and the organization. Some books are meant to be an iconic representation of thought leadership and this one by Quinn on the subject of change is one of those books.
Unarguably the best leadership development book written, this book serves the senior leader well. In both my organizational consulting on leadership development, and for the senior executives who I coach, “Pipeline” is a required read. Charan offers insights and models taht make sense, and his leadership 9-box typology resonates well in organizations of all sizes.
Having coached numerous CFOs over two decades, I found this book offers insights that are helpful to many. I encourage CFOs to read this following a read of Why CEOs Fail.
Want to know why the right hand doesn’t know what the left hand is doing? It’s because the right and left sides of the brain are so different. Whether trying to understand “why” communication is such a challenge in business, or just trying to survive at home, this book will provide interesting and useful insights. A fun read!
A great follow on read for any leaders responsible for strategic planning and implementation. Bossidy addresses the compenents and barriers that influence strategy optimization, including culture.
If you wish to grow your organization, then this bood is a “must read” along with What Really Works by Wm Joyce. Whenever I lead an executive team through strategic planning, I require that the team, and if applicable, their Board of Directors read this book.