Lead

Lead

by Gary Burnison
Released July 2013
Publisher(s): Wiley
ISBN: 9781118750797

Read it now on the O’Reilly learning platform with a 10-day free trial.

O’Reilly members get unlimited access to books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.

Start your free trial

Book description

Lead is a different kind of book. Rather than being the "last word" on leading others, it is meant to be the "first word"—an invitation to the reader to reflect on what the leadership journey means to each and every individual.

At its core, Lead will benefit anyone who seeks to inspire, influence, or lead others, whether they are coaches, teachers, pastors, community organizers, politicians—or are in the C-suite.

Lead offers an exploration of the essential elements of leadership, which author Gary Burnison defines as: purpose, strategy, people, measure, empower, reward, anticipate, navigate, communicate, listen, and learn—all of which culminate in leading. Instead of taking the left-brain approach of "paradigm shifts" and "leadership models," the author focuses on right-brain constants such as emotional connection, compassion, focusing on others, humility, and managing oneself. Lead readers will find inspiring stories, easy to digest analogies, reflective exercises and evocative images meant to give them pause, draw them in, and encourage introspection.

Table of contents

  1. Cover Page
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright
  4. Dedication
  5. Contents
  6. THE ABSOLUTES FOR LEADERS
    1. Leadership is making others believe, turning vision into reality .
  7. 1: LEAD
  8. 2: PURPOSE
    1. “To make all athletes better through passion, science, and the relentless pursuit of innovation.”
  9. 3: STRATEGY
    1. “The limiting factor in our ability to build strong organizations is just humans' ability to all get on the same page and go in the same direction.”
    2. Plan a little; think a lot; decide always.
  10. 4: PEOPLE
    1. “In show business, the show comes first, because if you have a great show, you have a great business. If you don't have a good show, you don't have a business.”
  11. 5: MEASURE & MONITOR
    1. “If you aren't measuring, you're just practicing.”
    2. Open your ears to what you don't want to hear; create a culture that does the same .
    3. “Test fast; fail fast; adjust fast.”
  12. 6: INSPIRE & EMPOWER
  13. 7: REWARD & CELEBRATE
    1. “[If] the employee doesn't trust you … engagement is one-tenth of what it could potentially be. You have to create a culture of trust, and that can happen only by pushing the envelope of transparency.”
  14. 8: ANTICIPATE
    1. “We need to sustain growth, not just sustain what has come before so that we're living in the past.”
  15. 9: NAVIGATE
    1. “If you are about to launch a rocket and that launch trajectory is off by even inches, the rocket is going to be off by miles out in orbit…. Mission is what starts that trajectory. Strategy and navigation enables you to stay focused on maintaining that trajectory over time.”
  16. 10: COMMUNICATE
    1. “When a leader walks into the room, before he or she speaks the first word, people already have an opinion…. Language is an art to express ideas, but energy is what is projected.”
  17. 11: LISTEN
    1. “Talk less and people may assume that you know more.”
    2. Listening is more than hearing, and it is definitely more than waiting for the other person to take a breath so that you can speak again.
    3. Listen to what you don't want to hear.
  18. 12: LEARN
    1. “Perspective comes from remembering the past, but not staying there.”
  19. EPILOGUE
    1. IT'S ALL ABOUT THE PEOPLE
    2. Success must breed humbleness, failure must impart wisdom .
  20. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  21. Acknowledgments
  22. CREDITS

Product information

  • Title: Lead
  • Author(s): Gary Burnison
  • Release date: July 2013
  • Publisher(s): Wiley
  • ISBN: 9781118750797