Key messages in the book
Chapter 1 – Finding the leader in you
The first step towards success is identifying your own leadership strengths
Mere management isn’t enough as the world is too unpredictable, volatile and fast paced. What’s needed is leadership, to help people achieve what they are capable of, establish a vision for the future and the encourage and coach them to maintain successful relationships.
Leadership isn’t easy, however, every one of us has the potential to be a leader every single day.
Great managers seek advice from their employees, the best experts in the business.
A leader must establish a vision that articulates a view of a realistic, credible and attractive future for the organisation, a condition that is better than what now exists.
Ask yourself, what personal qualities you possess, that can be turned into qualities of leadership.
Chapter 2 – Starting to communicate
Communication is built on trusting relationships.
It’s always a shame when a guy with great talent can’t tell the board or committee what’s in his head.
A company must know how to communicate with its customers.
A leader creates a receptive environment for communication.
A pre-requisite to leadership, is to love your people and have them know it.
Chapter 3 – Motivating people
Motivation can never be forced. People have to want to do a good job.
Enroll people in your thinking and your vision. It takes time, effort and continual reinforcement. But you don’t dictate, you enroll.
Real motivation will never flow from financial inducements alone, or from a fear of being fired.
True motivation comes from giving someone a real sense of purpose, the feeling that he or she is working for a valuable, mutually important goal.
Dwight Eisenhower said, “You do not lead by hitting people over the head, that’s assault, not leadership.”
There’s still a little child in every one of us, waiting to be praised. People want to be told when they have done a good job.
Chapter 4 – Expressing genuine interest in others
There’s nothing more effective and rewarding than showing a genuine interest in other people.
One of the most basic facts of human psychology is that we are flattered by other people’s attention. We tend to reciprocate their interest by showing interest in them.
Chapter 5 – Seeing things from the other person’s point of view
Step outside yourself to discover what’s important to someone else.
It isn’t how can we do business in a manner most convenient to us? It is how can we do business in the way most convenient to you?
Delighting the customer – that’s what it’s all about.
Without customer input, there would be an ivory tower.
Smart business leaders are always thinking about what the customer will want next. It’s vital to stay one step ahead.
SAS Airlines president, Jan Carlzon, said, “Each of our ten million customers came in contact with approximately five SAS employees. This contact lasted an average of fifteen seconds. These fifty million moments of truth are moments that ultimately determine whether SAS will succeed.”
Ask yourself, what is the other person trying to achieve here? What is the other person trying to avoid? What other constituencies does the other person have to serve?
What will it take for the other person to consider this encounter a success?