A couple of months ago, I conducted some research via my LinkedIn groups into which books people would recommend about leadership and the entrepreneurial spirit. I created a fictitious bookshelf, and asked them to tell me which books should go in it, and why. Within a couple of weeks, I’d received over 60 recommendations, from over 20 people, in ten countries.
The books ranged from classic tomes by authors like Stephen Covey, to more unusual finds. One of the most recommended was Victor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning, a story of one man’s fight for survival in Auschwitz. There was Ernest Shacketon’s South, about his final expedition to the Antarctic and Anita Roddick's The Body Shop Book. We had Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist and Ricardo Semler's Maverick, about how he rebuilt his father's businesses in Brazil to a point where the workforce 'ran' themselves.
My ‘new bookshelf’ is now groaning with the weight of all those books, and although I haven’t had the time to read them all, I have spent an inspirational weekend investigating the top five and can now offer some insights into what the authors believe are the magical ingredients that ignite leadership and the entrepreneurial spirit. Here goes...
The books ranged from classic tomes by authors like Stephen Covey, to more unusual finds. One of the most recommended was Victor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning, a story of one man’s fight for survival in Auschwitz. There was Ernest Shacketon’s South, about his final expedition to the Antarctic and Anita Roddick's The Body Shop Book. We had Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist and Ricardo Semler's Maverick, about how he rebuilt his father's businesses in Brazil to a point where the workforce 'ran' themselves.
My ‘new bookshelf’ is now groaning with the weight of all those books, and although I haven’t had the time to read them all, I have spent an inspirational weekend investigating the top five and can now offer some insights into what the authors believe are the magical ingredients that ignite leadership and the entrepreneurial spirit. Here goes...
1. The Power of Choice, even during the most challenging times: "Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms – to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way" (Victor Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning)
2. The Power of Emotional Intelligence: “The fundamental task of leaders... is to prime good feelings in those they lead. That occurs when a leader creates resonance – a reservoir of positivity that frees the best in people” (Daniel Goleman, The New Leaders)
3. The Power of People: “Leaders of companies that go from good to great start not with ‘where’ but with ‘who’. They start by getting the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus, and the right people in the right seats” (Jim Collins, Good to Great)
4. The Power of ‘You’: “Those aspiring to leadership need to discover what it is about themselves that they can mobilize in a leadership context. They need to identify and deploy their own personal leadership assets” (Goffee and Jones, Why Should Anyone Be Led by YOU?)
5. The Power of Presence: “To live life to its full potential, you really need to allow yourself to return to the positive presence you were born with. This presence will make you safer, more compassionate and less bored or negative. It will make you more successful, more joyful and loving. It will change how you engage with others; how you look, listen, feel and learn” (Patsy Rodenburg, Presence)
Leadership is a subjective concept and what works for one individual will not necessarily work for another. I have had the privilege of working with some great leaders during my career in communications and in my work as trainer and coach. They have all displayed some of the characteristic described above, as well as a myriad of other inspirational qualities. I have noticed one characteristic that unites them all: The Power of Curiosity – the relentless ability to seek out new ideas and opinions, keep an open mind, remain open to learning.
There is a wealth of books out there about leadership for you to choose from. Which ones will you choose as you build your leadership style for 2011?
Thank you to all those who contributed their recommendations - happy reading!
Thank you to all those who contributed their recommendations - happy reading!
The Top Five
Title
|
Author
|
Man’s Search for Meaning
|
Frankl, Victor
|
The New Leaders
|
Goleman, Daniel
|
Good to Great
|
Collins, Jim
|
Why Should Anyone be Led by YOU?
|
Goffee & Jones
|
Presence
|
Patsy Rodenburg
|
At Zomi Communications, we design and deliver leadership programmes that inspire people to locate and release their inner excellence. We work with individuals to uncover their own leadership style and apply it to motivate and inspire others. For further information about our training and coaching solutions, go to www.zomicommunications.co.uk
For a complete list of all the recommended books, to share your own recommendations or simply to share your thoughts, please comment on the blog, or email me at antoinette@zomicommunications.co.uk. I look forward to hearing from you!
