Leadership Through People Skills

I haven't read a lot of books about leadership, perhaps four or five. I liked this one the best because it provided concrete examples and strategies for improving one's leadership skills. People harp about leadership skills starting in high school or even earlier, and many people can point to those who are obviously natural leaders, but usually it's presented to young people as if you either are or are not a leader. And if you are not, then just move to the back of the line and your life of mediocrity! This book showed that the ability to be a good leader can be learned, instead of being the mystical, unknowable talent that teachers imply it to be. I would buy it for my teenager or anyone who wants to improve this aspect of their work life.

With all the fluff books on leadership around these days, it is great to see one that has true grit. This is not Tom Peters ranting, nor is it the leadership secrets of the buffalo/Attila the Hun/sharks, or whatever the flavor of the week is. This is pure applied social science.Though this book did not 'revolutionize' the way I manage, like Blanchard/ Hersey's 'Management of Organizational Behavior,' or Aubrey Daniels' 'Bringing Out the Best in People' did, this is a very useful book. It really illuminates the Blake/ Mouton Managerial Grid, and the Ohio State and Michigan studies that spawned the Grid, through clear, concrete examples. And this exposition is necessary, since these very important topics are usually glanced over in five pages in most Management/OB texts. This book packs a ton of strategies for driving performance into its 225 pages. By sticking to scientifically sound principles, its recommendations appear right on track, placing just enough tension into the system to get results. As to its effectiveness, hit me up in a couple of months. However, as a down-to-earth, practical guy, I have a very strong gut feeling that the strategies in this book are right on target.

I highly recommend this book for the following reasons:1)The authors are PhD in Psychology and their viewpoints are backed by empirical psychological studies. You won't find BS management theories in this book.2)Very few pages are wasted. The authors apparently do not believe in writing fillers to sell a thicker book for a higher price.3)The scientific approach to dealing with different management types is refreshing. It is not something that is found in most leadership/management books.4)The book is helpful even if you are not in managment. The theories and suggestions outlined in this book can apply to one's personal life.