How To Be A Leader In Ten Easy Lessons!
Review By Simon Tupman,
MBA, Solicitor (Eng & Wales)
It was social researcher Hugh McKay who offered us a timely and insightful analysis of contemporary Australia in his recent book ‘Turning Point’. In it, he raised the importance of leadership in guiding Australians to a more secure and confident future. He suggested Australia was suffering from a leadership vacuum : ‘What seems to be lacking is ‘a guiding story’ that connects leaders and people: a set of coherent ideals, values and beliefs, imaginatively couched, that gives us a framework for making sense of our national life, and encourages us to take more confident steps towards controlling our future.’ Now we have such a ‘guiding story’. Recently published, ‘Lessons in Leadership’ is a collection of coherent ideals, values, beliefs and insights written by 10 of Australia’s leading consultants and authors on leadership. As contributing editor Michael Harrison writes, ‘this book is an owner’s manual for the rest of your life’. Continuing that opening theme, Keith Abraham deals with how to design your life and offers a step by step process to help readers to decide on what they want out of life and how to get it. Very simple, yet very effective. Perhaps he makes the most important point in the book right at the beginning of his chapter: ‘before you can lead others, your must learn to lead yourself first.’ Sarah Cornally, Managing Director of boutique consultancy Leading People, explores how leaders can be more effective. Specifically, she neatly draws our attention to the importance of emotional intelligence and how it helps us to appreciate our own personal values as well as those of other people. Such appreciation is also an essential ingredient to a leader’s success. Michael Harrison amplifies Cornally’s message, highlighting the vital factor in leadership – self awareness. He asserts that regular, honest self-assessment is an essential key to freedom, - ‘the ability to enjoy leisure or work for pleasure entirely by choice’. Having specific, personal and work-related targets and being well organised are two of the other unifying factors he refers us to. Robyn Henderson has built her dynamic business over the past 10 years by networking. In her chapter, she illustrates how some of the world’s more successful leaders have also achieved their success by observing three universal laws: abundance, reciprocity and giving without expectation. There is a particularly helpful section on understanding the difference between income
generation (earning income in the short term) and income building activities (that generate income in the long term). Max Hitchins is a guru in the hospitality industry as well being an author and award-winning speaker. He confesses there is no easy recipe for but he does offer five key words with readers, five words which will help people to learn, understand and appreciate leadership. What are they? You’ll have more fun buying the book and finding out for yourself! Being able to confidently and persuasively present is a skill that every leader needs to master. Doug Malouf is a master at teaching leaders that skill. Drawing on his own learning experiences as a young man, he acknowledges the fear that many people have to confront when asked to speak publicly. If you have a speech to give in the near future, then Malouf’s tips are bound to ease your anxiety and improve the effectiveness of your message. Marketing guru Winston Marsh lends his hand and outlines the weaponry you need to become a leader in marketing so as to generate a steady flow of business and to raise your personal and business profile. Known as Mr F-a-n-t-as-t-I-c, Marsh’s segment is full of sensible, easy-to-implement ideas that will make a difference to your business. My personal favourite chapter in this book is written by Lisa McInnes-Smith. Titled ‘Servant Leadership’, she defines leadership as simply ‘living a life worth following.’ She focuses on the motives of a leader (it’s about choosing what’s right, not about what is necessarily profitable’.) and the sacrifices she or he needs to make in order to make a difference in the world. If you think you are a leader or think you may be, then have a go at answering the 7 questions she poses early in her chapter. This may be an eye-opener for you! Earlier in the book, Robyn Henderson referred to reciprocity as being one of her universal laws of success. David Penglase, an expert on the impact of personal ethics explores this law further. He defines it as simply ’what you give is what you get’. His self-disclosure as to how he came to learn this law is sobering and instructive. He explains how to put this law into action at home and at work and leaves the reader with a simple exercise on how to build trust in all your important relationships. The final contribution to this helpful guide comes from David Julian Price. If you’ve ever been asked to chair a meeting and found yourself out of your depth, then Price’s 4 step guide will help you to be a charismatic chairman, running much more effective meetings. Meetings are the forum at which leaders are often judged or assessed and so this chapter is a most valuable contribution to this ‘how to’ book.
I have already read it twice and not for the last time. This worthwhile read gets two thumbs up!
Publisher –21 Century Publications; RRP $27.50 (inc GST) Simon Tupman wrote the book, ‘Why lawyers should eat banana’s’ Visit him at www.simontupman.com.au
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