Top Leadership Books Of 2013

Here, in no particular order, are my top (favorite) books for leaders that were published in 2013.

Each provides timely, practical and valuable tips, techniques and tools for how to become a more effective leader.

You'll find among the books useful information about:

• communicating more effectively 
• the power of story telling
• creating an ethical workplace culture
• increasing revenue
• the basics you need to know as a first-time leader

Ethical Leadership

 

 

Unlimited Sales Success

 

 

Manager 3.0

 

 

AMA Business Boot Camp

 

 

The way of the SEAL

 

 

Becoming a Better Boss

 

 

Leadership Conversations

 

And, my favorite from last year (2012) in case you haven't read this book:

Lead with a Story

 

What is your favorite book for leaders from this year?  

 

Change-friendly Leadership

Because Dr. Rodger Dean Duncan delivers so much timely, straight-forward and relevant wisdom in his book, Change-friendly Leadership, reading it is like talking with your trusted best friend. Or, listening to your favorite teacher.  Or, soaking in the thoughts from your respected mentor. 

That's why you'll want to spend plenty of time reading the book.  Reflecting on the messages.  Absorbing the discussion,  And, then likely re-reading it.  Or, at least certain sections.

Duncan demonstrates in the book how humanness, approachability, and friendliness are necessary but often overlooked elements of making change successful in an organization. 

He teaches leaders the foundation for effectively engaging people's heads, hearts and hopes -- all necessary to enable effective and lasting (sustainable) change in today's constantly changing world.  Duncan refers to this as leading the whole person.

According to Duncan:

• Change must accommodate people's feelings--feelings that involve trust, confidence, passion, and all those other intangible but very real things that make us human.

Duncan's change-friendly leadership approach includes knowing how to leverage the Champions, Agents, Sponsors and Targets within your organization.  And, how to combine tough love elements into the process while always operating from a platform of respect and caring, not intimidation and contention.

Readers will appreciate the "Bonus Points" offerings at the end of each major section of the book where they learn how to access free white papers, diagnostic tools, videos and other items by going to a URL or using a QR code via their Smart phone.

You'll also likely enjoy as I did all the great leadership quotes sprinkled throughout the book, such as these:

• Losing good people is costly.  But the number one most expensive thing that can happen to your organization is for your best and most capable people to quit and stay.
• It's often the stress that people resist, not the change itself.
• A transactional leader focuses on routine and regimented activities.  A transformational leader focuses primarily on initiating and "managing" change.
• It is not the strongest of the species that survive, not the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change -- Charles Darwin.
• The key to change is to let go of fear -- Roseanne Cash
• Amateurs practice until they get it right.  Professionals practice until they can't get it wrong.

Behavior-based Interview Questions Are Becoming The Trend

Many Human Resource (HR) managers have moved away from questions like "What's your weakness?" and prefer behavior-based questions, which ask you to:

• describe how you handled specific situations at your former jobs

If you are about to interview for your next leadership position, be prepared for questions like these (from an article in Reader's Digest):

• Tell me about a time when your integrity was challenged. What was the situation, and what did you do?
• Tell me about a time you had to work with someone you did not personally like.
• If you could come to work with only three tools to get your job done, what would they be?
• What personal and professional development have you been engaged in outside the workplace over the past year?
• Describe your Outlook calendar on a typical day

Your Six Essential Project Review Questions

Here is some great advice from the authors of, Helping People Win At Work.  Those authors, Ken Blanchard and Garry Ridge, recommend you ask the following six essential questions whenever you do a project review:

1. What did we set out to do?
2. What actually happened?
3. Why did this happen?
4. What will we do next time?
5. What should we continue to do?
6. What should we do differently?

Seems simple enough, but how often do we really take the time to step back and ask ALL six of these questions? 

• And, these questions are important to ask even if there was no mistakes made during the project.

Continually planning and executing without the value of a review can blindside you.

Get more great advice from their book.

How To Apologize

One of the most difficult words for anyone, leaders included, to say is, "sorry."

Yet, the time will likely come when that's the word you need to say.  Research shows that apologizing in a heartfelt way can help you reduce stress and alleviate guilt.

In the position of needing to apologize?  Do this:

• Apologize immediately.  Say you are sorry.
• Take responsibility for the situation.
• Acknowledge the offense.
• Ask forgiveness with a promise that it won't happen again.
• Offer restitution whenever possible.

And, should your apology go unaccepted, most experts say forgive yourself and move on.

Note:  Thanks to St. Joseph Medical Center in Kansas City, MO for this sound advice.

Three Common Mistakes Leaders Should Avoid

In Leading Change, Step-By-Step, author Jody Spiro describes three common mistakes leaders should avoid.

Those are:

1. Thinking That a Mission is Developed by a Single Leader -- Spiro explains that in order to have buy-in from across the organization, the creation of a mission requires negotiation and genuine input from across the organization.  And that means a leader needs to be a good, active listener.
2. Addressing Too Much in a Single Strategy; Inability to Say "No" -- According to Spiro, leaders should avoid the temptation to "pack" a given strategy with several other strategies.  Instead, you should be selective and narrow the strategy to a single thought that furthers your mission and is a niche where you can have a competitive advantage or offer a unique program or service.
3. Confusing Strategies with Actions -- Both strategies and actions specify something that will be done. But, as Spiro explains, actions are more specific and concrete.  The strategy should cause you to determine the approach to addressing the problem and what won't be done.

Thank you Jody for this good advice.

How To Listen And Learn As A Leader

 

In John Baldoni's new book, The Leader's Guide to Speaking with Presence, he provides these tips for listening as a leader and learning as a leader:

 

When Listening As A Leader:

• Look at people when they are speaking to you. Make eye contact.
• Ask open-ended questions, such as "Tell me about..." or "Could you explain this?"
• Consider the "what if" question:  "What if we looked at the situation like this?"
• Leverage the "why" question:  "Why do we do it this way?"
• Employ the "how" question:  "How can you do this?"

When Learning As A Leader:

• Reflect on what people have told you.
• Think about what you have not observed.  Are people holding back?  If so, why?
• Consider how you can implement what you have observed.
• Get back to people who have suggested ideas to you and thank them.
• Look for opportunities to collaborate with others.

For nearly 20 years, Baldoni has coached and consulted for a number of leading companies in a variety of different businesses, ranging from automotive and banking to computers, high technology, fast food, and packaged goods. 

Breaking Out Of Your Comfort Zone

Inspirational leadership wisdom came awhile back from Bahram Akradi, the CEO of Life Time Fitness.

From that health club's monthly fitness magazine, Experience Life, Akradi says:

• Once we get comfortable in our habitual patterns, we may fail to notice when they have outworn their useful purpose, or when new alternatives might serve us better.
• Once you've encountered a second way of seeing things, you're more likely to entertain the possibility of a third and fourth way, too.
• Do something that makes you just a little bit uncomfortable--and that renders you a little more awake.

Thanks Akradi for encouraging us to break out from predictability.

9 Ways To Deliver Excellent Customer Service This Holiday Season

Leading a customer service team? Have the team members use these 9 tips for delivering excellent customer service this holiday shopping season:

1. Rely on winning words and soothing phrases. A simple but sincere “Thanks for your patience” or “I’m listening” can go a long way toward defusing a holiday shopper’s frustration, anxiety, or panic. Develop a repertoire of short, easy to remember phrases around issues that are important to customers. Practice until the words come naturally.
2. Communicate with silence. Remaining silent while your customers are talking is a basic courtesy, and nodding tells them you’re listening and understanding what you hear. An occasional “uh huh” or “I see” tells them you’re still listening without interrupting.
3. Make customers feel seen. Making eye contact acknowledges that you see your customers as individuals. But there’s a balance to be struck here: staring can make your customers uncomfortable, too. Also keep in mind that eye contact is governed by specific cultural rules. A good rule to follow is to give as much as you get.
4. Never underestimate the value of a sincere thank you. Thanking customers when they offer comments or suggestions says that you value their opinion. Thanking customers for complaining says that you value their loyalty. Customers who tell you they are unhappy are giving you a second chance. And that’s quite a gift.
5. Use the well-placed “I’m Sorry.” Don’t assume that you’re not allowed to say “I’m sorry” when a snafu occurs. Actually, a sincere apology delivered in a timely and professional manner often heads off potential further problems. When you show your willingness to make sure your customers receive what they expect to receive, you relieve them of the need to even think about starting an argument.
6. Never deny a customer’s problem. Problems are an undeniable part of the hectic, stressful holiday shopping season. And problems exist when the customer says they do. You can’t wish a problem away because it is something no reasonable person would be upset about, because it’s not your fault, or even because the customer made a mistake.
7. Fix the person first. Real problem solving cannot happen until the issues are out on the table. And that requires getting past a customer’s emotional reaction. Breaking through the icy calm defenses of an upset customer is just as important as coaxing a “raging red” customer out of a temper tantrum.
8. Listen and then probe for information. Customers, particularly upset customers, don’t always explain everything clearly or completely. Ask questions about anything you may not understand or need clarified. Then, when you feel you have identified and clearly grasped the problem, repeat it back to the customer for confirmation.
9. Ask the customer for problem-solving help. Involving customers in generating solutions not only starts to rebuild the relationship, it gives them the feeling that your business really is interested in satisfying their needs. You’ll find that most customers bring a sense of fair play with them and will often expect far less than you’d think.

These tips are adapted from the book, Delivering Knock Your Socks Off Service, Fifth Edition by Performance Research Associates, Inc., Edited by Ann Thomas and Jill Applegate.

The Benefits Of Having An Ethical Culture

In Andrew Leigh's new book, Ethical Leadership, he provides these compelling and important benefits of having an ethical culture in your business/organization:

• Customers prefer dealing with companies who put ethics at the center of their culture.
• Most employees would prefer to earn less working for an ethical company than being paid more and working for an unethical company.
• More than one in three people at work say they've left a job because they've disagreed with the company's ethical standards (Trevino, L and Nelson, K - 2011)
• If you adopt an early warning system against misconduct it reduces the risk of you facing expensive litigation.
• An ethical culture helps you make your company a strong affirming place to work in.

"The foundations of an ethical culture include values, attitudes, meaning, behaviors, purpose, and management practices," explains Leigh.