New Business Book Summary Available for Leaders Don’t Command

A boss is not always a leader. In fact, the term "boss" is often associated with someone who simply tells his or her employees what they have to do. A "leader," conversely, puts his or her ego aside and focuses on developing and inspiring team members to work toward a common vision. In Leaders Don't Command, Jorge Cuervo details the many characteristics that constitute a truly great leader.

New Summary Available for Uncommon Leadership

Phil Higson and Anthony Sturgess believe that what is known about good leadership is not commonly practiced. They have written Uncommon Leadership to help bring effective leadership practices out of the shadows. Their five-part model helps leaders identify solutions, change their companies’ cultures, focus on customer service, serve employees, and share power.

New Summary Available for Leadership Blindspots

In Leadership Blindspots, Robert Bruce Shaw explores the ways in which leaders can become negatively impacted by their weaknesses. A blindspot is an unrecognized weakness that could negatively impact a leader’s success. This is different than black swan events, which are completely unpredictable or situational blindness which occurs when it is nearly impossible to see a weakness due to the environment. Blindspots impact all levels of a company, including the leader, the team, and the overall organization. The cost of ignoring blindspots can be very high, causing impacts on multiple levels.

Step Up

It is the people who step up to exercise leadership in critical moments that ultimately achieve greater success within their organizations. However, few people are able to recognize the moments that are opportunities to exercise leadership. In Step Up, Henry Evans and Colm Foster identify six common “leadership moments” every professional should recognize along with what actions they must take when they encounter them. By demonstrating leadership in each of the six moments, leaders will be able to improve their overall performances and further their careers.

The Other Side of Innovation

Companies fail to innovate when they put more energy and resources into generating “big ideas” than they do implementing them. In The Other Side of Innovation, Vijay Govindarajan and Chris Trimble demonstrate how the execution of an innovation initiative is just as important to the process as generating the idea itself. Drawn from their ten years of innovation research on the world’s most respected companies, the authors offer innovation leaders the framework to build teams and plans capable of facilitating the successful execution of any innovation initiative.

The main challenge of leadership is that it is poorly understood, and the public associates leadership with scandal and distrust. Also, people in leadership roles often do not understand how to lead. In The Leadership Contract, Vince Molinaro presents a fresh look at leadership, and offers a tangible, concise, and easy-to-understand document that outlines what leadership is: making tough decisions, obligation, hard work, and community. Molinaro explores the risks and rewards of leadership in the context of these concepts. He captures key lessons gleaned from his experiences as a consultant for leaders in a variety of organizations, and reframes leadership as an opportunity to build successful and sustainable organizations.