Leadership Secrets from the Executive Office

I believe most leaders instinctively focus on the "what-to-do" vice the "how-to-do-it" aspects of their jobs or positions. Sadly, they fail to realize the force-multiplying effects of the "how" on the "what" and either miss out on a lot from their leadership experiences, or they work much longer and harder than they need to achieve effective leadership results. Fortunately, George Hathaway has written a very good little book that certainly helps to fill the "how-to-do-it" void for anyone filling a leadership or executive position. Following a short, straight-forward introduction, the book is a seasoned collection of 131 behavior tips and observations for leaders and executives organized into ten categories. Each tip or observation gets its own page, and is accompanied by a few concise sentences of explanation or exploration, plus a relevant quote for additional insight. Calling the tips and observations "secret" is inaccurate. All of them are common-sense (but not universally common practice by those filling leadership positions) and there is nothing secretive or mysterious about them. I believe these "secrets" are too easily forgotten or over-looked, but their power and importance cannot be over-stated. Organizing the book into categorized chapters helped me to digest and reflect on the author's thoughts, and they allow me to use the book as a handy guide or reference. Below is a list of what I considered the most useful tip and observation per chapter or category: Attitude: Leave your ego at home Sensitivity: Watch for signals Style: Stay in shape or Get out of your office Salesmanship: The customer "is" always right Motivation: Be the coach Communication: Ask lots of questions Support: Help them succeed Drive: Go to the sound of the guns Integrity: Admit your mistakes Responsibility: Reserve private time for yourself I believe this book would be good for any leader or follower interested in character refinement. However, I believe it would be especially useful for new leaders looking to understand how to act as a leader, or for those experienced leaders who are willing to honestly evaluate their personal and inter-personal leadership behaviors against a set of proven standards.