The Ultimate Leadership Book

Inspire Others; Make Smart Decisions; Make a Difference

Carol O'Connor, Sue Stockdale, Clive Steeper, Martin Manser

• Publisher: Teach Yourself
• Year: 2018
• Print ISBN: 9781473688575
• eBook ISBN: 9781473688544
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Leadership
• Index: Business

If you want to be the best, you have to have the right skillset. From decision making and motivating people to vision and inspiration, THE ULTIMATE LEADERSHIP BOOK is a dynamic collection of tools, techniques, and strategies for success. Discover the main themes and key ideas, and bring it all together with practical exercises. This is your complete course in leadership. ABOUT THE SERIES
ULTIMATE books are for managers, leaders, and business executives who want to succeed at work. From marketing and sales to management and finance, each title gives comprehensive coverage of the essential business skills you need to get ahead in your career. Written in straightforward English, each book is designed to help you quickly master the subject, with fun quizzes embedded so that you can check how you're doing.

PART 1

Your Leadership Masterclass

Introduction

World events in business and politics reveal the importance of leadership. When it is absent, things fall apart. When it inspires, things improve. The purpose of this book is to encourage good people to become leaders by presenting the basics. Using a step-by-step approach, it shows the way to gain skill through training and effort.

Anyone can be a leader, even if modesty, lack of experience or self-doubt get in the way. This first Part guides readers to identify their strengths and build upon them. It also helps them to focus on their weaknesses in order to manage them better.

The central theme is self-awareness. Its importance underlies every activity, idea and suggestion. People often surprise themselves when they begin to explore their inner resources and discover that they have untapped leadership qualities. The result is personal growth as well as their leadership development.

However, taking charge is never easy. Each chapter in this Part features the challenges as well as the benefits of leadership. Among these is the need to inspire other people and gain their support. Leaders must also set priorities, give direction and make decisions, often under pressure of both time and resources.

CHAPTER 1

Self-awareness

The first step to successful leadership is developing self-awareness. Leaders who lack personal insight are like tone-deaf musicians. Even if they gain technical skills through drill and practice, they begin each performance at a great disadvantage. They don’t know if the notes they play are sweet or sour until their audience reacts.

Leaders need to cut the risk of striking the wrong note by adjusting their actions immediately. Self-awareness shows them how. Four topics support developing awareness:

• Leadership essentials

• Assessing strengths and weaknesses

• Following the leader

• Personal development.

Leadership essentials

There are three commonly held ideas about leadership:

1 Leadership is hereditary, and leaders are born to their role.

2 Character traits make a leader, including ambition, charisma, confidence, intelligence, initiative and independence, among many others.

3 Leaders emerge when special situations require them to accept leadership responsibility.

For many years, businesses, universities and the military have all debated the true nature of leadership. These ideas are still discussed around the world, and each idea has such firm support that this discussion could go on for ever.

However, everyone does agree on one point. It is clear that leaders must have the support of their followers because only this gives them the authority to act. When leaders lose this support, it is only a matter of time before they also lose their position as leader.

James MacGregor Burns wrote in the 1970s that leaders and followers need each other. He said that, when leaders represent their followers fairly, and followers loyally support their leaders, they create a virtuous circle. Also, if leaders later fail to respect their followers, then this circle breaks down, and the followers withdraw their support.

The virtuous circle of leadership

Respect is earned, and a leader’s primary task is to convince people that they are worthy of receiving their support. Without followers, leadership exists only in the imag...

Table of contents

• Cover 
• Title
• Contents 
• Part 1: Your Leadership Masterclass
• Part 2: Your Motivating People Masterclass
• Part 3: Your Business Communication Masterclass
• Part 4: Your Decision Making Masterclass
• Answers
• Copyright