by Jane Perdue | Book Review
I love it when something challenges us to reconsider entrenched paradigms, and that’s just what Karen and Henry Kimsey-House do in their new book, Co-Active Leadership: Five Ways to Lead. This short, pithy gem gives us five dimensions of choice, opportunity, and possibility for creating a 360 degree model of leadership support for leading ourselves as well as others.
Sticking with the theme of 5 ways, there are five reasons why this book resonates with me.
5 Ways Karen and Henry Advise Us to Co-lead
1) Challenge our paradigms.
All too often, when we think about leadership, we picture only the top guy. This book debunks that view, noting that leadership isn’t the exclusive purview of the fellow whose name fills the top box of the organizational chart. Everyone can be a leader—no job title required, and do it in a multiplicity of ways…five in fact! Everyone can lead from within, out front, from behind, from beside, and in the field.
“…everyone has within them the capacity to lead and any organization or community is most dynamic, most alive, and most productive when there is a commitment to leadership at every level.” ~Karen and Henry Kimsey-House
2) Advocates for a “yes, and” orientation to assure hearts, minds, and creativity stay open, not closed off by a surplus of either/or thinking.
“The more we are able to engage in enthusiastic disagreement with each other, the more we will be able to uncover the best in ourselves and each other.” ~Karen and Henry Kimsey-House
3) Discourages the rugged warrior independence associated with being THE ONE who has all the answers. In a highly connected and complex world, it’s connections and partnerships that serve as currency for getting things done…together.
“We are most effective when we are able to lean in fully to the resource of the other people in our lives.” ~Karen and Henry Kimsey-House
4) Places leaders and followers on the same level, since one role cannot exist without the other and context requires us to shift roles.
“…powerlessness is a two-way collusion; and ‘going along to get along’ come at a very high price and only keep the power imbalance in place.” ~Karen and Henry Kimsey-House
5) Encourages generous use of David Whyte’s concept of courageous conversations.
“The best conversations make clear distinctions between what has gone before and what is now possible. They give the sense that we are part of something that is enlarging us or our organization rather than confining us.” ~Karen and Henry Kimsey-House
Which of the 5 ways of leading—from within, out front, from behind, from beside, and in the field—resonate with you? Which of the five reasons for reading strike a cord with you?
Enjoy!
Image credit: Book authors, Karen and Henry Kimsey-House
by Jane Perdue | Book Review
Book review: Promote Yourself: The New Rules For Career Success by Dan Schawbel, Managing Partner of Millennial Branding, a Gen Y research and consulting firm and author of the #1 international bestselling book for millennials, Me 2.0: 4 Steps to Building Your Future.
Millennials get it.
87% of them believe business success should be measured by more than profit. They state the #1 purpose of business is to improve society.
Now what they must do is get themselves ready and positioned to make their voices heard to advance their careers and make a difference. (more…)
by Jane Perdue | Book Review, Inspiration
Are you feeling disconnected from your purpose?
Do you see more and more people in your stream yet feel isolated?
Do you yearn to be a leader who leaves a positive legacy?
Are you seeking answers? (more…)
by Steve Van Remortel | Book Review, Workplace tips
Steve Van Remortel, founder of SM Advisors and creator of the Stop Selling Vanilla Ice Cream process, educates and inspires business leaders on how to differentiate their organization by applying the fundamentals of strategy and talent. In his first book, Stop Selling Vanilla Ice Cream: The Scoop on Increasing Profit by Differentiating Your Company Through Strategy and Talent, he provides all business leaders a simple step-by-step planning process they can implement into their organization to optimize its performance.
Steve Van Remortel
Vince Lombardi once said, “There is no room for second place. There is only one place in my game and that is first place.”
That is true in business as well as football.
When it comes to your competence and strategy second place is not an option.
The first fundamental of my strategic planning process is defining your competence. Your competence is something you do better than anyone else in the markets where you compete.
It is why customers choose you first, not second.
When helping a company define its competence, we do an analysis is to help clients evaluate their new or current competence against the competitors in the markets where they compete.
Discovering your marketplace competence
7 questions to determine your organization’s competitive competence (more…)
by Jane Perdue | Book Review, Leadership
Check out a new book written by 21 members of the Lead Change Group titled The Character-Based Leader: Instigating a Leadership Revolution… One Person at a Time!
the Lead Change Group is a virtual community of authors, business owners, thought leaders, and academics who share a passion for character-based leadership.
Character-based leaders lead from the power of who they are, rather than from their position of authority or designated job title.
People who lead with character don’t wait for others to make something right.
When they see a need, they move to close the gap.
The book combines current leadership thought with personal stories, providing compelling messages, tools and insights for those seeking to enrich their own leadership style.
6 thoughts on sparking a character-based leadership revolution (more…)
by Jennifer V. Miller | Book Review, Leadership
Today’s guest author is Jennifer V. Miller. Jennifer, a member of the Lead Change Group, is the Founder and Managing Partner of SkillSource, an organizational development consultancy that specializes in leadership development, teambuilding and sales relationship management.
Jennifer V. Miller
Leadership is a tough gig.
I’m not talking about being in “management”, although that is a really tough job, too.
What I mean is leading – stepping up, making the difficult calls, doing the right thing even when nobody’s looking.
Are you a leader?
Even if you don’t have an official leadership title, I bet you’ve been called to lead as a parent, a volunteer, a mentor or a project manager.
If you wear any of these hats, no doubt you’ve been confronted with the realization at some point in our lives, we all lead. (more…)
I love it when something challenges us to reconsider entrenched paradigms, and that’s just what Karen and Henry Kimsey-House do in their new book, Co-Active Leadership: Five Ways to Lead. This short, pithy gem gives us five dimensions of choice, opportunity, and possibility for creating a 360 degree model of leadership support for leading ourselves as well as others.
