Leadership From Below explains how the workplace is being changed by ideas from Asia, Scandinavia, and the socially-networked internet. All managers - but especially the growing group of de facto managers - will take away usable leadership skills.
MacDonald uses the massive foundations of bridges not visible to the eye but essential to long term viability as a metaphor for the spiritual life of Christian leaders.
Having successfully completed the rigorous professional requirements for qualification in submarines, having gained a thorough knowledge of submarine construction and operation, having demonstrated his reliability under stress, and having my full confidence and trust, I certify that he is Qualified in Submarines. (Text from the author's US Navy Submarine Qualification Certificate) Photo of Jeff Flesher: Author Submarine photographs: US Navy
For MBA and upper-level undergraduate courses in Leadership, Organizational Behavior, and Change. This brief paperback outlines a practical, contemporary model for making a difference as a leader in the Information Age one which goes well beyond the single, behavior-focused leadership style (Level One) typically associated with Industrial-Age organizations to encompass opportunities to influence people and their thinking (Level Two Leadership), and their values and basicassumptions about how the world operates (Level Three Leadership). Drawing on the work of a wide range of scholars and authors in the field of leadership and managing change, it integrates theory and practice to create the model and a set of related perspectives and concepts about how students can become better leaders not only in their own lives, but in their work group, and in their organizations. Questions for Reflection throughout and an innovative Workbook section help students explore their own values, assumptions, beliefs, and expectations about what it means to be an effective leader and suggest ways to grow and develop their leadership skills.
You'll never see leadership the same way again after reading this book. These fifteen commitments are a distillation of decades of work with CEOs and other leaders. They are radical or provocative for many. They have been game changers for us and for our clients. We trust that they will be for you too. Our experience is that unconscious leadership is not sustainable. It won't work for you, your team or your organization in the long term. Unconscious leadership can deliver short term results, but the costs of living and leading unconsciously are great. Fear drives most leaders to make choices that are at odds with healthy relationships, vitality and balance. This fear leaves a toxic residue that won't be as easily tolerated in an increasingly complex business environment. Conscious leadership offers the antidote to fear. These pages contain a comprehensive road map to guide you to shift from fear-based to trust-based leadership. Once you learn and start practicing conscious leadership you'll get results in the form of more energy, clarity, focus and healthier relationships. You'll do more and more of what you are passionate about, and less of what you do out of obligation. You'll have more fun, be happier, experience less drama and be more on purpose. Your team will get results as well. They'll be more collaborative, creative, energized and engaged. They'll solve issues faster, and once resolved the issues won't resurface. Drama and gossip will all but disappear, and the energy and resources that fueled them will be redirected towards innovation and creativity. Any one of these commitments will change your life. All of them together are revolutionary. Leaders who practice the 15 commitments: - End blame and criticism - Speak candidly, openly and honestly, in a way that invites others to do the same - Find their unique genius - Let go of taking everything-especially themselves and their problems-so seriously - Create win for all solutions - Experience a new relationship to time and money where there is always enough What do you need to bring to the table? Be curious. Sounds so simple, and yet in our experience it's a skill few have mastered. Most of us are far more interested in being right and proving it, than we are in learning, growing and shifting out of our old patterns. By default we gravitate towards the familiar. We're asking you to take a chance and explore the unfamiliar. You'll get scared and reactive. We all do. So what? Just stay curious and let us introduce you to a whole new world of leadership.
An uplifting leadership book about a coach who helped transform the nation’s worst high school hockey team into one of the best. Bacon’s strategy is straightforward: set high expectations, make them accountable to each other, and inspire them all to lead their team. When John U. Bacon played for the Ann Arbor Huron High School River Rats, he never scored a goal. Yet somehow, years later he found himself leading his alma mater’s downtrodden program. How bad? The team hadn’t won a game in over a year, making them the nation’s worst squad—a fact they celebrated. With almost everyone expecting more failure, Bacon made it special to play for Huron by making it hard, which inspired the players to excel. Then he defied conventional wisdom again by putting the players in charge of team discipline, goal-setting, and even decision-making – and it worked. In just three seasons the River Rats bypassed 95-percent of the nation’s teams. A true story filled with unforgettable characters, stories, and lessons that apply to organizations everywhere, Let Them Lead includes the leader’s mistakes and the reactions of the players, who have since achieved great success as leaders themselves. Let Them Lead is a fast-paced, feel-good book that leaders of all kinds can embrace to motivate their teams to work harder, work together, and take responsibility for their own success.
Featured on The Jocko Podcast “The finest little handbook on leadership and training ever written.” --Col. David Hackworth, author of the bestseller About Face Guidelines for the Leader and the Commander is an enduring classic. Written by the Army’s premier trainer of the twentieth century, this is a wide-ranging collection of principles and maxims to guide the building, training, and leading of any organization, with a focus on the individuals who make up that organization. Clarke intended the book to enlighten and instruct leaders, and those who aspire to leadership, in every profession and every walk of life. Thoughtful as well as concrete, pithy and often conversational, Clarke’s book resonates today.
Leadership lessons from Captain Sandy Yawn, a renowned superyacht captain with over 30 years of international maritime experience, and star of the reality show Below Deck Mediterranean. Everyone experiences a moment in life when they need to lead. Sometimes it's a team, sometimes it's a company, a classroom, a patient ward, a family, or simply your own individual self. Based on the leadership lessons she's gathered from her resourceful and resilient life, Captain Sandy, a superyacht captain and star of Bravo's Below Deck Mediterranean, shares the leadership skills and critical thinking inherent to being a captain that can empower anyone to navigate their way to a successful life. Among some of the stories/lessons she'll share: How she selects and sizes up her crew even before embarking on a charter, deciding who to invest in and how to bring out their best. Things happen at sea. No matter how much you plan and train, so much can go wrong so she'll discuss the level of persistence and faith that's required in solving an especially knotty problem. Authority and discipline are required to lead, but they must be leavened with compassion, understanding, and a desire to see your crew succeed. She describes the seamless flow that happens in great teamwork and how she loves seeing the way her deckhands pitch in with the stews when needed. For Captain Sandy, this represents leading with empathy, figuring out who your teammates are and what motivates them, then communicating in a way that motivates and makes them feel understood. As a captain, Sandy is constantly upgrading her knowledge and skill set, which is as much a part of her job as steering a vessel. Sustaining excellence requires constant effort, whether you find yourself at the end of a journey, halfway through or at the start of a new one. And the learning never stops. Woven throughout her stories are Captain Sandy's optimism and abiding faith that, given the right tools and opportunities, individuals are capable of so much more than they realize, especially when they can find someone to believe in them.
Why should you want to read my book? I was a first-line manager of several businesses for over 40 years. There has been many changes in attitudes and business practices over these years. Therefore, I believe this saying is true "experience is the best teacher, it just costs too much." It is my wish that my experience and my stories will save you time and money. My life changed when I became a manager. I was sandwiched between managers making a career and employees making a living. First-line managers are the backbone of a business. These managers are usually the only ones who understand what it takes to make a product or provide a service. They are the ones on the shop floor or customer service office who keep the company in business day to day, hour to hour. If someone in middle or upper management is absent, no problem, the business will still function on the first line. However, when first-line managers are absent, some part of the plant or service process will suffer, and thus, the business. When the production line or the service line backs-up or slows down, the company expects the first-line manager to get it moving again. First-line managers stand in the gap between the business and the customer. They are the deal-makers in any business. Here are confidential comments on management surveys made by my team members. These are the blurbs that count most for the evaluation of my management style. Team member comments: Comments exactly as given on upward and 360 surveys.GREAT DECISION MAKER TAKES INITIATIVE PEOPLE ORIENTEDForward vision always learning Honest, good listener, provides employee empowerment Knowledgeable - Honest / Fair - DedicatedVery knowledgeable of companies business, has wise visions very courteousGood communicatorDependability Cares about Company and peopleJim handles a changing environment well. He tries to help with difficult situationsDedicated to what he is doing prompt in getting answers to problemsDedicated knowledge of APCo COMPANYHere is my last evaluation: As a manager/supervisor, you are especially good at... employee comments: Allowing us to manage ourselves as a group. He is our leader, but he does not dictate. If we come up with a solution to a problem that affects us as a group, he allows us to handle it as long as we as a group agree on it.He's an excellent leader.Empowerment and EncouragementListening to employees problems and working with us when we have personal needs> Following through with special request & projects. Jim is a wonderful supervisor whom I feel truly cares for his employees, as a co-worker & a person. He is someone I know I can count on.> ACTING IN A PROFESSIONAL MANNER, ALWAYS MAKES DECISION THAT'S BEST FOR THE WHOLE WORK GROUP, AND ALWAYS WILLING TO GO THE EXTRA MILE TO GET THE JOB DONE. I CAN TRULY SAY, I FEEL BLESSED TO HAVE JIM AS MY SUPERVISOR. HE IS DOING AN EXCELLENT JOB. I AM VERY GLAD HE IS APART OF OUR WORK GROUP.
“One of the 12 best business books of all time…. Timeless principles of empowering leadership.” – USA Today "The best how-to manual anywhere for managers on delegating, training, and driving flawless execution.” —FORTUNE Since Turn the Ship Around! was published in 2013, hundreds of thousands of readers have been inspired by former Navy captain David Marquet’s true story. Many have applied his insights to their own organizations, creating workplaces where everyone takes responsibility for his or her actions, where followers grow to become leaders, and where happier teams drive dramatically better results. Marquet was a Naval Academy graduate and an experienced officer when selected for submarine command. Trained to give orders in the traditional model of “know all–tell all” leadership, he faced a new wrinkle when he was shifted to the Santa Fe, a nuclear-powered submarine. Facing the high-stress environment of a sub where there’s little margin for error, he was determined to reverse the trends he found on the Santa Fe: poor morale, poor performance, and the worst retention rate in the fleet. Almost immediately, Marquet ran into trouble when he unknowingly gave an impossible order, and his crew tried to follow it anyway. When he asked why, the answer was: “Because you told me to.” Marquet realized that while he had been trained for a different submarine, his crew had been trained to do what they were told—a deadly combination. That’s when Marquet flipped the leadership model on its head and pushed for leadership at every level. Turn the Ship Around! reveals how the Santa Fe skyrocketed from worst to first in the fleet by challenging the U.S. Navy’s traditional leader-follower approach. Struggling against his own instincts to take control, he instead achieved the vastly more powerful model of giving control to his subordinates, and creating leaders. Before long, each member of Marquet’s crew became a leader and assumed responsibility for everything he did, from clerical tasks to crucial combat decisions. The crew became completely engaged, contributing their full intellectual capacity every day. The Santa Fe set records for performance, morale, and retention. And over the next decade, a highly disproportionate number of the officers of the Santa Fe were selected to become submarine commanders. Whether you need a major change of course or just a tweak of the rudder, you can apply Marquet’s methods to turn your own ship around.