Ibarra, H. (2015). Act like a leader, think like a leader. Harvard Business Review Press.
Herminia Ibarra is a well-known professor at INSEAD, which is one of the best business schools around the world. She is also an expert on development and professional leadership. Ibarra wrote the book to offer advice on how executives and managers can step up their leadership at all levels by making some crucial changes in their work, networks, and individuals. The book contains practical advice and self-assessments, which helps readers define their most pressing leadership challenges. The author encourages readers to redefine their job and make more strategic contributions while diversifying their networks to connect with bigger stakeholders. She goes ahead to encourage managers to let their old leadership styles evolve.
The author of the book majorly targets people in leadership roles, and this creates some bias toward people that are not in leadership roles. Nevertheless, the book is useful to all managers and executives. Ibarra assists leaders in governing with greater impact and realizing their potential. However, for anyone who needs to gain more knowledge on a leadership topic, it would be better to use other books on the same topic to get a better understanding of the same. The author of the book has laid out how people in executive positions can better their leadership skills, and this is helpful to anyone who needs to better their skills.
Galindo, L. A. (2009). The 85% solution: How personal accountability guarantees success: no-nonsense, no excuses. Jossey-Bass.
Linda Galindo is a consultant who advises individuals, teams, and organizations who aim to improve their personal lives and their work through accountability. The book is meant for people from different walks of life, and it tries to explain that the only way a person can achieve personal responsibility is by taking responsibility for their actions and choices. The book offers practical guidelines for personal accountability and also guides the readers to take actions and risks if necessary to reach their goals. The book further contains personal assessments that will help in determining one personal accountability index.
The book is of great help, especially during the continued economic strain where personal responsibility is easily confused with punishment, blame, or guilt. The book suggests that the only factual answerability there is “personal accountability,” which can easily be achieved through taking responsibility for one’s behaviors (24). The 85% suggestion is mainly to leaders to always take no less than 85% responsibility for their actions. The book is helpful to those people or leaders who fear taking action or risks to get what they want.
Wheatley, M. J. (1994). Leadership and the new science: Learning about organization from an orderly universe. Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
The author teaches and writes about how a person can easily accomplish work even in chaotic times. With the new science and discoveries in chaos theory, physics and biology, the book guides people on how to apply the new science to management and organization. The book majorly describes how new science alters how human beings understand the world and how it teaches people to work together during these chaotic times. The book uses examples to make the reader understand better how self-organization systems and non-linear networks flourish in the midst of turbulences.
The author defines the world as a place where chaos is just natural and that order exists “for free.” The source also describes how cooperation connects people and further guarantees readers that life always seeks order but to get the order, chaos must be present. The book will be helpful for anyone who thinks that they cannot work well under different forces and messes. It will also assist leaders in meeting developing needs by looking at the whole system and also involving the whole parts.
Stengel, R. (2010). Mandela’s Way: Fifteen Lessons on Life, Love, and Courage. Random House Audio.
Richard is the editor of Times Magazine and compressed most of Mandela’s conversations into life lessons in this book. The author spent a lot of time with Mandela and grasped a lot of knowledge. The book focuses on major life lessons such as why people should always keep their enemies closer, the importance of finding something that gives one satisfaction, and answers to why courage is more important than the lack of fear. The author also narrates some of Mandela’s childhood stories, his imprisonment, and how he remarried at 80 years.
The book gives a better understanding of how Mandela was resilient and how he pushed on to achieve what he achieved regardless of what he went through as a freedom fighter. It also helps people contemplate the legacy they will leave behind and the things that they should not take for granted. The book will be helpful to all people, especially leaders. It will assist them in understanding how they should lead.
Sample, S. B. (2003). The contrarian’s guide to leadership. Jossey-Bass.
Steven Sample is the president of Southern California University and was able to turn the university into one of the highest-ranked in the country. This source suggests a type of leadership skills that challenge the current leadership thought but incidentally work. Sample targets and urges all leaders and all those aspiring to be leaders to use some counterintuitive truths. The book provides some practical tactics for successful leadership and further suggests that, at times, leaders should compromise their principles. Sample further suggests that leaders should put off some decisions and not read everything brought on the table. The book offers excellent advice to leaders and aspiring leaders, hence making it helpful in all leadership positions.
Steven Sample provides helpful tips for the new generation of leaders to follow instead of the old ways that are now outdated. Some of the major pieces of advice that he gives in the book are; that leaders should not make decisions today that might put them off tomorrow. Leaders should also be careful not to involve others while doing illegal work. They should instead face it alone. The guide given by Sample contains many skills that are not in other books and has proven to be helpful to many people.
Caroselli, M. (2000). Leadership skills for managers. McGraw-Hill.
Marlene is a well-known author and a contributor to some leading business publications. The book gives techniques on how to move beyond management and acquire the necessary skills to become a true leader. Leaders must at all times effect positive changes in employees and operations to ensure their organizations are moving forward. Caroselli explains how managers can use their expertise and skills to become top leaders. The author guides managers on how to exhibit the presence required by others, not follow the status quo, and enhance professional bonds.
The book targets managers and executive leaders and are very educative on how they should aspire to be great leaders in their organizations. It uses case studies and examples to explain some effective leadership techniques and to correct some problems. It is an excellent source, especially for managers aspiring to improve their companies and their leadership skills. The source gets right to the point and gives useful tips, unlike some, which are full of not useful information.
References
Caroselli, M. (2000). Leadership skills for managers. McGraw-Hill.
Galindo, L. A. (2009). The 85% solution: how personal accountability guarantees success: no nonsense, no excuses. Jossey-Bass.
Ibarra, H. (2015). Act like a leader, think like a leader. Harvard Business Review Press.
Sample, S. B. (2003). The contrarian’s guide to leadership. Jossey-Bass.
Stengel, R. (2010). Mandela’s way: Fifteen lessons on life, love, and courage. Random House Audio; Westminster, Md.
Wheatley, M. J. (1994). Leadership and the new science: learning about organization from an orderly universe. Berrett-Koehler Publishers.