Learning to Lead: A Workbook on Becoming a Leader

This workbook is filled with excellent ideas and exercises for leaders at all levels, and for those who aspire to be leaders. I use it extensively with my consulting and coaching practice. My clients really love it!

I particularly enjoyed the simple, yet subtle style how the book is written. Only when a real Master such as Warren Bennis does that, it brings home the message intended. I consider this a valuable read not only fr those that wish to become better leaders but also for those that are working in the field of management development. Here is another proof, that valuable training has often more to do with depth than with the complexity of the materials you present.

This is a book which is incredibly hands on and easy to access. Bennis focuses on the essentials of leadership and unlike so many others, he gives concrete tangible steps for people to take to help them discover their own leadership potential. It is useful for individuals and for groups. It has application for people from all walks of life, at all stages of life and at all stages of personal development!

The late Vince Lombardi once asserted that leaders are made -- they are not born. "And they are made just like anything else that has ever been made in this country -- by hard effort and that's the price we all have to pay to achieve that goal, or any goal." Bennis and Goldsmith agree. Theirs is literally a WORK book. The material is organized within these seven chapters:Leadership for a Successful Future ["Followers, who are often partners in an endeavor, look to leaders to interpret reality, explain the present, and paint a picture of the future."]How to Use This Workbook ["We are introducing a different path to leadership development -- one that has twists and turns. It may not take a reader on a direct route to a finite end-place."]The Leadership Crisis ["Where have all the leaders gone?...In the past two decades, there has been a high turnover, an appalling mortality -- both occupational and actuarial -- among leaders."]Knowing Yourself ["If we have a clear awareness of who we are, we can develop the habit of staying tuned to what we say and do."]NOTE: Bennis and Goldsmith agree with Shakespeare's Polonius ("To thine ownself be true") as does James O'Toole who, in The Executive's Compass and in Leading Change, has much of value to say on the subject of congruence of values and behavior. Creating and Communicating a Vision ["Vision animates, inspirits, and transforms purpose into action."]Managing Trust Through Integrity ["The leader has a vision for the organization that is clear, attractive, and attainable....has unconditional empathy for for those who live in the organization.....the leader's positions are consistent....and the leader's integrity is unquestionable."]Realizing Intention Through Action [Those who would be leaders "need to know where you begin and where you want to go....flesh out those routes, elaborate them, revise them, and map them, complete with possible pitfalls and traps as well as rewards"....also you must "look to see if the direct route is the most sound, or whether you should make a more circuitous approach....you plan your resources and identify your allies....examine your map objectively, as if you were not its maker....Finally, when you have finished the strategy, you set out to climb the mountain."]The authors share a wealth of their own observations and suggestions in each of the seven chapters. What sets this book apart from others which address similar subjects is its inclusion of dozens of exercises for the reader to complete within the (WORK) book. The reader is also provided with "Books on Leadership: An Annotated Bibliography" prepared by Emmeline de Pillis, Anthony Khoo, and Hyepin Im. To their excellent suggestions I would add Tichy's The Leadership Engine because, as Goldsmith observes, "Our book proposes that in our world of startling changes and overwhelming challenges, leadership is needed at every level and in every nook and corner of our organizations. We can only have the leadership we need i

Using a framework for thinking about and developing leadership talents, this workbook presents a course of study consisting of discussion and many exercises (including a leadership assessment inventory), focusing on character and core competencies. The theme is we are each capable of creating ourselves as effective leaders and can find a place on a continuum of leadership ranging from indirect support to direct leadership. This book offers a highly practical approach to leadership self-development. Reviewed by Gerry Stern, founder, HR consultant.com InfoCenter and Stern & Associates.