Worthwhile information to keep in mind.

I think that this book is a worthwhile read for anyone in a leadership position. As is the case with books on this topic, I feel as if the content can sometimes feel obvious. However, I appreciate that this book covers the information and discuss how what might be obvious can be tied to measurable behaviors and habits that we could all use a reminder on. I think the true value of the book comes from what development goals you identify for yourself to more consistently exhibit those behaviors habits.

A shotgun approach leadership book which gave me a lot of “I need to be doing that” moments.

Some of those moments:
1) owning a clear vision.
2)Showing my credibility to lead. (I have a tendency to downplay myself, and I think that can be a negative in leadership).
3)Celebrate the wins and tell stories.

Leadership books motivate me to do and be more, but for some reason this comes with a negative side of me seeing how I haven’t been doing or been enough. That’s why I avoid them. But, I believe I can remind myself that leadership is learned and something you practice, and as long as I am growing and moving forward that is good enough.

While I enjoyed the book, it was a lot to take in and had more stories than practical steps.

Leadership není o pracovní pozici nebo titulu.
Není o rodině, ve které jste se narodili.
Není o tom, že jste hrdina.
Leadership je o budování vztahů, o důvěryhodnosti a o všem, co děláte.
A vše, co vždy budete jako leader dělat, je založeno na klíčovém předpokladu: že vám na tom záleží.

I have lived with insomnia for 16 years.

This book gets 1.5 stars from me as it's an exhausting string of monotonous narratives.

Rounding up because it literally bored me to sleep on more than one occasion, so... there's that I guess.

I was skeptical of this book as I often view leadership books as overly aggressive, over-promoting of a "hustle culture", and male-centric. I was pleasantly surprised that this was not the case. I appreciated the research and the discussion put forth by the authors, and while it took me over a year to read, the content was engaging. Even taking a long time to read, I still remember what I've read and have had the opportunity to really think about the material (which is not as common for me - I like to blow through and move on to the next thing).

Many different cultures, industries, and case studies are highlighted. The principles presented seem achievable and reasonable in both Western and Eastern workplaces and in corporate and non-profit spheres. There's also a good balance between male and female insights and voices. There aren't any "10 steps to success" chapters or directives on how to achieve immediate success. Really, the premise boils down to this: be humble and listen. I'm all for that.


"What's true at home, in the community, and on the playing field is just as true at work."
"You must have the courage to be human and the courage to be humble."

Leadership is something we all have in us — this book is all about how leadership is learned and how hard work and deliberate practice out matches talent. Any one of us can become a leader. This is one of those books i couldn’t put down, I read at the right time, my mindset and soul was ready to embrace and inhale the wisdom and lessons. I have took 40 pages of handwritten notes. I appreciate the random person who gave me this book after a meeting with them earlier this year. I never planned on reading this book. This book breaks down leadership skills and strategies so you can understand every bit. It includes over 30 years of their own research and interviews with different types and levels of leaders from around the world. I couldn’t put the book down. Highly recommend.

I feel fortunate to have traveled in management circles that have accepted many of the principles found in this book as doctrine and put them into practice. That made the somewhat persuasive tone of the book feel somewhat dated. I think this book best serves as an introductory text to leadership in a variety of organizations and, taken on those terms, provides a great overview. Like many readers, I think I would have appreciated a more nuanced presentation of the principles that would involve digging deeper into specific leadership cases. However, I think that is judging the book unfairly and I think that the way the book is structured makes it more accessible to a broad range of readers, even if the structure also makes it rather route and a dry read. 21st Century Leadership is far more complicated than I think you can glean from this book, but the principles that are found here still endure and so I would definitely recommend this book, although I would not judge you harshly for focusing on the main bullets and skipping some of the discussion in the middle.

"The Leadership Challenge" is an excellent book that offers practical and valuable lessons on how to become a better leader. The authors, James Kouzes and Barry Posner, draw on their extensive research and experience to provide statistical and anecdotal references on the effectiveness of various leadership techniques.

The book is divided into five sections, each of which covers a critical aspect of leadership, including modeling the way, inspiring a shared vision, challenging the process, enabling others to act, and encouraging the heart. The authors emphasize the importance of building relationships, fostering collaboration, and empowering others.

One of the strengths of this book is its focus on actionable steps, making it an ideal resource for leaders and individuals looking to improve their leadership skills. The authors provide numerous examples and practical advice that can be applied to any organization or situation.

In conclusion, I strongly recommend "The Leadership Challenge" to anyone seeking to grow as a leader or develop their leadership skills. This book is a comprehensive guide to effective leadership that is both informative and inspiring.

Before listening to this book, that was recommended to me, I saw a hard cover copy, and was so unimpressed that I nearly didn't listen to it on Audible. But did because of the recommendation.

I'm sure glad I did listen to it.
Because while I might not have come away with an overarching vision of leadership,
I learned lots of good bits that make me an even better leader.

For example:
Only those who Believe They Can Get Better,
Make an Effort to Do So.

I needed that reminder, that not everyone is as eager or as avid a continuous learner as I am.

I quit a board I was on because of this. We couldn't get beyond creating a great plan.
The Key to Execution isn’t Creating the Plan.
It’s in Changing the Behaviors of the Frontline People
who must Execute It.

The result of only two out of four was failure.
VSEM = Vision. Strategy. Execution. Metrics.

If People Are To Do Their Best When Challenged,
They Must Be Internally Motivated.

To Achieve the Extraordinary
You Have To Be Willing To Do Things
That Have Never Been Done Before.

The Vision My Be Grand, But The Way To Reach It Is
By Putting One Foot in Front of the Other.

GRIT = Perseverance and Passion for Long-Term Goals,
Despite Failures, Adversity, and Plateaus.
Being Obsessed with an idea, maintaining Focus.

This lack of collaboration and incorporating the strengths of others killed us too:
Working on a Common Goal it Built Mutual Respect.
Both Recognizing Each Other’s Strengths.
And how much they Needed Each Other to Excel.

People Don’t Put On Their Best Behavior
When the Boss Comes Around,
Because They Get Nervous and Tense.

When you know people are coming around looking for problems,
you’re more likely to Hide Them than Reveal Them.
People Share Problems (and get help to solve them) when they feel safe doing so.
Encouraging Behaviors Produce Better Results.
A Virtuous Circle.
Giving regular Feedback helps people Self-Correct and
understand their role in the Bigger Picture.
Receiving Feedback is the Most Important Thing in My Growth.

Without Making Mistakes It Is Hard To Learn.
And without a colleague to Point Out the Mistakes,
they can be Overlooked and Not Corrected.

Only those who received Positive Feedback improved their Performance.
Only those who received Positive Feedback improved their Performance.
Only those who received Positive Feedback improved their Performance.
Only those who received Positive Feedback improved their Performance.
And it needs to be repeated.

To make Feedback more Constructive:
1. Explain WHY you are giving the feedback.
Because it is to help them, and that you care about them personally.
2. Because Negative Feedback can make people feel inferior.
3. Ask if the person Wants Feedback.

The Willingness to View Oneself With a Critical Eye.

Think about the Best and the Worst Leaders you’ve ever worked with.
What percentage, from 1 to 100, of your Talents, Skills and Ability,
plus Time and Energy would you say each of these leaders used?
Worst Leaders Percentage of Talent Utilized was 2 to 41 with an average of 31%.
The Best Leaders got a minimum of 40% and an average of 95%.

The Best Performers Always Strive to Improve.

So it was time to invest in myself some more. This was the book I went with this time.

Overall a very solid 3 stars.

Good content, although very basic. Do not expect many revelations, more of a refresher, unless you are new to the craft, in that case might be a mix of revelations and common sense.

What I found very effective for me, was the examples of the concepts the authors talk about. It was not so much high levels stuff as every day situations. It might, at first glance, seem like common sense, but consider that this book might not be written to be read in one or two sittings.

Consider reading one chapter and then implementing what you've learned, no matter how basic it might seem in your work place. A few weeks later continue with another chapter and so on, so on.

Reading through some of the reviews I can absolutely see how some people might feel it being too basic and common sense. The thing is...most leadership appears basic and common sense anyways if you look at it that way. Yet...there's different degrees in it. Plus, Id take some real life leadership examples anytime over theories or other nonsense that just does not apply to real life, unless your work is academia.

All in all, very solid, very researched work that, despite being basic is still very useful and relevant to any leader.

To new leaders is practically a "Leadership Onboarding Manual"
To Tenured leaders it is a great refresher-reminder of what it means to be a leader vs manager.

Definitely worth the time, if you approach it with practice in mind, not revelations or aha moments.


Roman "Ragnar"

Great ideas and insights from within the book:
Clarify values
Good exercise – write a tribute to yourself:
1.tWhat do you stand for?
2.tWhat do you believe in?
3.tWhat are you discontent about?
4.tWhat brings you suffering?
5.tWhat makes you weep and wail?
6.tWhat makes you jump for joy?
7.tWhat are you passionate about?
8.tWhat keeps you awake at night?
9.tWhat’s grabbed hold and won’t let go?
10.tWhat do you want for your life?
11.tWhat is it you really care about?

Write your credo. “This I believe.”

Share the above among those on the team.

Daily show someone you care. Make a call. Send a note. Show interest.

Ask purposeful questions. Example: What should you be asking if integrity is your focus? Trust? Quality? Innovation? Growth? Personal responsibility?

Critical incidents – best opportunities for teachable moments.
Excellent behavior – reward it if you want it repeated.

Do personal audits
•tYour daily routines
•tYour calendar
•tAgendas at meetings
•tHow you deal with critical incidents
•tMake the results public

Start each meeting with a story about something someone did to demonstrate a cherished value.

Ask people what they are proud of, what brings them to work every day. Recognize that those answers define a vision for the team to grow.

Promote trust. Do the following:
•tDisclose information about who you are and what you believe.
•tAdmit mistakes.
•tAcknowledge need for personal improvement.
•tAsk for feedback.
•tListen attentively.
•tInvite interested parties to important meetings.
•tShare information that is useful to others.
•tOpenly acknowledge contributions of others.
•tShow you are willing to change your mind.
•tAvoid negative talk about others.
•tSay “we can trust them” and mean it.

Host monthly meetings – coaching conversations occur there:
Six key questions (you tell me what you see/I tell you what I see):
•tWhere are we going?
•tWhere are you going?
•tWhat are you doing well?
•tWhat suggestions for improvement do you have for yourself?
•tHow can I help you?
•tWhat suggestions do you have for me?

If strengthening credibility is your goal, then there is no better task than speaking to every person whom you oversee for five minutes each week. For me that is probably about two hours per week.

Once a month, give a team member award that is voted on in a meeting. The award winner gets a date to . . . .

I believe this model is the most user-friendly one established within the transformational leadership theory. I feel the book is a bit excessive in its presentation of the model, but that is just personal preference. Transformational leadership, especially this model, are (what I believe) the best leadership style to achieve organizational goals and develop your team members.

Highly recommend this book, and for readers to make some additional personal effort to fully understand transformational leadership.