I chose this book by John Wooden in hopes to better my efforts in terms of everyday leadership in any environment I’m put in. I feel as if I am a leader myself already as I’ve had experience in terms of playing on multiple competitive softball, baseball and ice hockey teams. I’ve also seen my leadership abilities prove themselves in every work condition I’ve been a part of and every job. I work diligently and effortlessly and hope to lead by example. I chose this book to better improve these skills I already posses and help myself become more knowledgeable on the subject. Synopsis: Wooden’s main theme is behind a pyramid concept that is pictured at the beginning of this book. The whole idea behind the pyramid is that if you follow its notions,
Barker, R. A. (1997). How can we train leaders if we do not know what leadership is? Human Relations, 50(4), 343-362. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/231429531?accountid=458
The topic of leadership continues to attract several theoretical arguments as the practice of leadership varies depending on a variety of factors (Loveridge, 2014). However, the contributions made by John Wooden in transforming leadership are impeccable, with his many years as a basketball coach earning him admiration and success in equal measure. John Wooden, therefore, explains how leaders can get the maximum potential out of their followers through enhancing the individual abilities and shaping the personal efforts in a manner that guarantees personal peak performances and subsequent improvement of team or organizational performance.
First published in 1987, The Leadership Challenge is a guide for becoming leader. The book received many awards and its above two million copies are internationally sold. The book teaches principles of leadership that apply whether the leader is running a sports team or a fortune 500 organization. The book includes stories and examples of many leaders from micro to macro level (Founders and Authors, 2013). The basic leadership principles can be adopted by anyone to challenge status quo and increase leader productivity multifold. The book tells about the flow and hierarchy of values too (Machedo, 2013). One can use the guide without an instructor to develop leadership traits.
In the Leadership Challenge, 4th edition, it is Kouzes & Posner (2007) intention to present a road map for individuals to follow on their leadership journey. The authors stress that “leadership is not a gene and it’s not an inheritance.” Leadership they assert is “an identifiable set of skills and abilities that are available to all of us” (p. 23). They make clear that the “great person” theory of leadership is “plain wrong.” Leaders are our everyday heroes who do extraordinary things on a regular basis (p. 23).
The overall objective of the book is to teach new, and old, leaders to become better leaders. While anyone can benefit from reading this
To begin with, the authors are crystal clear when it comes down to laying out the blueprint the requirements needed for a successful leader. Stepping into any profession requires patience and clear thinking. The authors mention “taking a minute out each day of your leadership can really make a difference between a good and a bad leader”. Throughout the book, the authors step into depth explaining why it is necessary for the leaders to take just one minute out of their day to notice any noteworthy changes in relationship within the firm. By being packaged in the box the entire day and not thinking and stepping out the box, it can cause delays in work and/or possibly an unsuccessful firm. The authors move on to speaking about the different levels of management and the flexibility that occurs at those various levels.
I chose this book in hope that it could help me understand the difference between managing and leading. In addition, I wanted to gain more knowledge and tools to help myself grow as a leader and help develop all of my subordinates that I may have to time throughout my career. The book jacket for this book is ultimately why I decided to read the book because it truly grabbed my attention. I found it interesting that John C. Maxwell is a #1 New York Times bestselling author (Maxwell, 2013). Moreover, the book jacket continued to catch my attention by stating to be more than a boss people are required to follow, you must master the ability to inspire and invest in people (Maxwell, 2013). I particularly found the “invest in people” line most interesting and caused me to want to read and learn more about the authors perspective on leadership.
Thesis Statement: The Great Pyramid is a mystery to the modern age, even though its
In Leadership 101 by John Maxwell, the author uses practical application points to give guidance on what it takes to be good leader. The book is divided in three parts, linking the development, traits and impacts of a leader, with a series of questions that the author answers. He also uses real-life stories and quotes from leaders such as the McDonald brothers and Princess Diana, to demonstrate leadership principles. The author also uses these examples and a detailed framework to help the readers enhance the leadership abilities they already possess. Maxwell suggests that in order to be a successful leader you need to; Follow your vision and bring others with you, produce a lasting legacy, grow the loyalty of your followers, make continual
For many years, I have been told by teachers, family, and friends that I am a good leader. Until fairly recently, I had never truly thought about what it means to be a good leader and just took it as a compliment. Leadership is an intangible concept which cannot be properly outlined in a dictionary, but one which must be formed and explained only through one’s own philosophies and experiences.
The first couple of chapters in the book focus on not only knowing yourself to be an effective leader, but also being yourself. In other words, the majority of people want
I believe that developing leadership skills is not a rapid process, but it is a daily process. The best place people learn how to lead is from their daily experiences. Therefore, my job experience helped me to be more familiar with this topic and I gained additional worthy information from the class materials and lessons. Writing a biography was an amazing experience that helped me to look back in my life, review it in details, know what I did in the past and discover myself better. I did many of the book’s assessments and exercises and I found them totally thought-provoking and useful materials. They assisted me to think more about my leadership potentials and skills. Doing the exercises made me more aware of my strengths and weaknesses in the area of leadership. I read in the book about 10 qualities that mark a leader and help influence the leadership process. Those qualities listed as: vision,
Why were the pyramids so important to the history of Egypt? Pyramids housed dead, important pharaohs and is now a main source of income through tourism. Pyramids were representations of Ancient Egyptian religion, and also benefit many people by learning more about it.
J. Thomas Wren (1995) put together a book to help leaders define leadership for themselves. The Leader’s
One of the biggest lessons learned from this course is that to be an effective leader, you must have a diverse skillset. I’m not sure if there is any one magical component or characteristic in being a great leader. One influence during my review of the literature was that; although easier for some, I see leadership as something we must continually improve upon. This is in contrast to my belief during my first day of class, when I thought leaders just