We are all looking for leadership right now. Our expectations have been raised to Himalayan levels with the election of our new president. We seem to have run out of words to describe the severity of the global economic crisis and can’t seem to grasp the next steps necessary to start us on the long road to recovery. And all of those problems we were worried about prior to September’s stock market collapse have not gone away.
Leadership is the most evergreen of business book categories. Every year, several hundred titles are added to the sub-genre. And that leads to the obvious question: “Why aren’t things better?” We can’t answer that, but we have the evergreen belief that books can change you if you let them. Finding the right book at the right time is a magical experience.
Here are three recent leadership books that each provide pieces to the puzzle (and hopefully the one you are looking for):
The Leadership Code by David Ulrich, Norm Smallwood, and Kate Sweetman (Harvard Business School Press): This book is a meta-study into the practice of leadership. The authors went to all the greats, including Gary Hamel, Jim Kouzes, and Marshall Goldsmith, and asked what makes a great leader. They attempt the impossible and synthesize their findings down to five ideas. Leaders shape the future and they make things happen. Leaders engage with today’s talent and build the next generation. They also invest in themselves. These findings are familiar, but the reminder here is well-written and worthy of your time.
Strengths-Based Leadership by Tom Rath and Barry Conchie (Gallup Press): The Gallup Organization has taken their 40 years of strengths research on individuals and expanded its application to teams. This is a huge step forward and their findings show that teams benefit from have a balance of different strengths. Their research also looked at what followers wanted in a leader versus the typical model of asking a leader what they are good at. The book comes with a code for the Strengthfinder 2.0 test (which I can’t recommend enough) and new descriptions for how each of the 34 strengths apply to leadership.
Notes on Directing by Frank Hauser and Russell Reich (Walker & Company paperback): This is the one that many will consider a stretch, but think about it for a minute. The book is about getting a group of people all on the same page and accomplishing something, whether it’s staging a play, launching a product, or holding a bake sale. Consider point 61: “Sincerely praise actors early and often … Rather than correcting your actors all the time, get into the habit of frequently telling them what they are doing right.” The Arts have been doing innovation and project management for several centuries longer than us business types. Notes on Directing is another example that shows there is a lot to learn from other disciplines.
Jack Covert and Todd Sattersten are the authors of The 100 Best Business Books of All Time: What They Say, Why They Matter, and How They Can Help You.
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