The Best Leadership Book Of 2021

Soon, I will share my pick for the Best Leadership Book of this year (2022). In the meantime, here's a reminder of what I selected as the Best Leadership Book of 2021...

Flashback:

This time each year, I select my pick for best new leadership book for the year. For 2021, my pick is, Heart First, Lasting Leadership Lessons From A Year That Changed Everything, by David Grossman, published in July 2021.

Written by a wise, award-winning leadership and communications expert, Grossman supplies clear, timely, critical, actionable advice, how-to’s and tips for leaders as the pandemic continues to challenge us...and as we get past the pandemic.

I selected this book because the book is easy to read, incredibly engaging, and is filled with inspirational and powerful stories of lessons learned by a wealth of leaders with diverse backgrounds. Plus, it covers today’s pertinent topics for workplace leaders, including diversity, equity, inclusion, and culture.

It’s a playbook you’ll want to read and then refer to time after time. And, if you read only one leadership book next year, make it this one.

Reflecting on the past year during the COVID-19 pandemic, David says, “I saw many leaders using this challenging time as an opportunity to stand up and lead in moving ways. I was continually inspired by the concrete action leaders took to lead and communicate with heart – and guts. That is what this book is all about – applying those lessons learned to provide clear direction on how to be the very best leader and communicator you can possibly be.”

He adds, “During the pandemic, many leaders rose to the occasion, often by drawing not just from experience and wise counsel, but from being human as they led – what David calls Heart First leadership.”

Ten book chapters cover

Q&A from the front lines
Lead yourself first
Know your audience and their needs
Show your human side
Communicate the right messages at the right times
Frame the context and make it relevant
Talk openly about what’s happening
Use the right channels to communicate with impact
Be ready to answer questions
Be respectfully authentic

As you dive into Heart First, you’ll read Q&As with fascinating insights and practical advice from many business leaders, presented in a style as if you were sitting with your favored mentor over a cup of coffee.

Leaders and Change Makers featured in the book include:

Tamer Abuaita, Senior Vice President of Global Supply Chain, SC Johnson
Paula Angelo, Vice President, Internal and CEO Communications, The Hartford
Nadeen Ayala, Chief Communications Office, ABM Industries
Liru Chan, Head of Marketing, Visa Singapore
Adam Collins, Chief Communications & Corporate Affairs Office, Molson Coors
Sherri Dublin, Vice President DE&I, Culture, Engagement and Communications, Ingredion
Lisa Keltner, Senior Director, Inclusion and Diversity, Baxter
Erin Loverher, Senior Manager, Corporate Communications, Walgreens
Ken Meyers, Former CHRO, Hillrom
Triona Schmelter, Chief Transformation Officer, TreeHouse Foods
Stephen Smith, Chairmen, President and CEO of Amsted Industries
Matt Snow, CEO, DHG
Victor Swint, CEO, Tecomet
And many others

One of my sections of the book is where Grossman teaches how best to select the right channel to communicate most effectively with your employees. He provides expert advice for communicating via:

Face-to-face meetings
Video conference calls
Traditional conference calls
Town halls
Podcasts
Written communication
Email
Text messages
Voice mail
Blogs
Internal social media
Intranet
Employee surveys
Infographics
Notice boards
Videos
Your CEO
Employee ambassadors
Front-line managers

David Grossman

Today, Grossman shares these insights with us:

Question: What has the reader reaction been to the book since it was published this past summer?

Grossman: I’ve been incredibly humbled by the book’s overwhelmingly positive reception. While the book contains proven strategies, tips, tools, and time-savers to communicate with heart, not surprisingly, it’s the stories that are resonating most. These are real people opening up about their emotional journeys and how they managed to lead with humanity during these unprecedented times for business and society.

If a leader is committed to lifting others up and making the workplace better, we have a special opportunity for them to get the book at no cost (really!) for a limited time. That’s why we started our Great Giveback Giveaway, where you can GET a complimentary copy of the book during this season of giving, and then GIVE a copy to someone who’s had a positive impact on your career. Since we started, we’ve given away almost 3,400 copies to amazing trailblazers looking to learn and grow, and there’s still time to participate by using this link.

Question: Why do you believe readers have reacted that way to your book?

Grossman: Many leaders shared that this moment is causing them to rethink how they lead and find new ways to connect with their teams, understand their needs, and inspire them to work together to make change. The insights they were generous to share will help all leaders find their playbook for leading in this dynamic time for business.

Question: Your books are always so beautifully designed and illustrated. What made you decide to use that approach for your books?

Grossman: Leaders are busy. We wanted Heart First to stand out as an easily accessible book that invites leaders in and where leader can choose their own way to access the tips, tools, and time-savers. Everything is in bite-sized pieces with an emphasis on ways to be even better. That said, leaders could read the book cover-to-cover. They could focus solely on a chapter of special interest such as “Lead Yourself First,” “Show Your Human Side,” or “Be Respectfully Authentic.” They could read a spread with one of our proven methodologies to know how to better communicate change or learn “8 steps to active listening.”

Question: What makes you most proud about Heart First?

Grossman: Heart First is so much more than a book. It’s a philosophy that’s the key to effective leadership for this new reality: leading with empathy, authenticity, and most importantly, with heart. My passion and purpose are about engaging employees and helping leaders lead with heart, and I’m humbled by the response of so many leaders who are committed to lifting others up, and know – in their hearts – that they can and will do better.

Question: What is your biggest takeaway from all the Q&A's and Change Maker insights featured in the book?

Grossman: What stands out for me is the new level of empathy and humanity I see leaders looking to fold into their leadership. The pandemic and racial unrest of the past year forced a reckoning of sorts, and many leaders expressed the need to look inside themselves and reflect on how they might better connect with their employees in a personal and authentic way. Whereas before leaders were concerned about showing their personal side out of fear of being seen as weak or vulnerable, they are now seeing that kind of authenticity as a strength.

I was continually inspired by the concrete actions that leaders took to lead and communicate with heart, helping carry forward their teams in tough times as well as the calmer ones. Sometimes the simple act of acknowledging how challenging a moment is – and then finding ways to better support employees during a chaotic time – goes a long way toward building a connection and a shared sense of purpose for a team.

Question: What is your top advice/tip for leaders as we head into 2022?

Grossman: Here are my top 5 leadership lessons from the pandemic:

Understand that inspired leadership matters
Increase your commitment to communications
Show your humanity
Prioritize gratitude and recognition
Be flexible

Prepare to spend a lot of time with this informative and wonderfully designed and visually appealing book. It’s worth it!

Comments

10 Quotes From The 5 Levels Of Leadership -- John C. Maxwell

Soon I'll post my full review of John C. Maxwell's latest book, The 5 Levels of Leadership . In the meantime, here are some of my favorites quotes from the book that I believe should become a must-read book by any workplace/organizational leader: Good leadership isn't about advancing yourself. It's about advancing your team. Leaders become great, not because of their power, but because of their ability to empower others. Leadership is action, not position. When people feel liked, cared for, included, valued, and trusted, they begin to work together with their leader and each other. If you have integrity with people, you develop trust. The more trust you develop, the stronger the relationship becomes. In times of difficulty, relationships are a shelter. In times of opportunity, they are a launching pad. Good leaders must embrace both care and candor. People buy into the leader, then the vision. Bringing out the best in a person is often a catal...

How To Create More Human Workplaces By Tackling Hidden Patterns

Most organizational change initiatives fail because they treat symptoms, not systems. Real transformation happens when you see and redesign the hidden patterns driving how work actually works. “Hidden Patterns prioritize principles over procedures. Each pattern is a tested, fundamental idea, not a formula,” explains Clay Parker Jones , author of the new book, Hidden Patterns, A Playbook For More Human Workplaces . Based on behavioral science and real-world case studies, the book identifies 75 common organizational problems , the core solutions to each, and connected patterns to link sustainable improvements. “If the examples or templates don’t seem immediately relevant, that’s fine,” shares Jones. “The core principle is what matters. Take the idea, apply it flexibly, and test it out. Make it your own.” “In the book, you’ll find patterns that lay groundwork for healthier, more humane workplaces rather than prescriptive tactics masquerading as guaranteed quick fixes.” J...

Five Essential Principles For Sustaining Growth Through Innovation

Even though many companies strive for innovation, most struggle to achieve meaningful change. The largest reason for this disconnect? Playing it safe. Leaders and organizations want to implement new ideas, but too often they are held back by the fear of failure, even though setbacks are intrinsic to the innovation process. In the new book, No Fear, No Failure , by Lorraine H. Marchand (with John Hanc), readers will learn how to overcome the status quo that stifles creative thinking and how to create a culture that encourages innovation. Marchand provides a framework for sustained growth built on the “ 5 Cs ”: Customer First Culture Collaboration Change Chance She draws on more than 120 interviews with leaders across industries, real-world case studies, and her firsthand experience and shares step-by-step, field-tested strategies, tactics, and tools that practitioners can use to embed creativity within organizational cultures. Marchand is a former Big Tech and Big Pharma ex...

How To Achieve Real Optimism Even When Life Is Hard

“Optimism is not about believing that everything will turn out the way you want it; that everything will go according to plan, or that positive thinking about the future can stave off disaster. It’s about accepting that life is hard—sometimes really hard—but it always has something to teach us,” explains Dr. Deepika Chopra , author of the new book, The Power Of Real Optimism: A Practical, Science Based Guide To Staying Resilient, Curious, And Open Even When Lie Is Hard . She adds, “If we can stay open to those lessons, we will survive.” Why should we strive to become more optimistic? “Because, simply put, optimism improves our mental and physical health and makes us more able to face whatever life has in store while staying committed to our goals and values,” shares Dr. Chopra. In this fresh, science-backed debut, professional psychologist and media expert Dr. Chopra shows us how to build the kind of optimism that can actually withstand real life. The book offe...

29 People Who Taught Us Life Lessons In Courage, Integrity And Leadership

The 29 profiles you will read in Robert L. Dilenschneider’s new book, Character , are about people who are exceptional exemplars of character. They’re inspirational because they used their abilities at their highest levels to work for causes they believed in. Because of character, they influenced the world for good. The dictionary defines “character” as the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual, the distinctive nature of something, the quality of being individual in an interesting or unusual way, strength and originality in a person’s nature, and a person’s good reputation. “But beyond these definitions, we know that character is manifested in leadership, innovation, resilience, change, courage, loyalty, breaking barriers, and more,” explains Robert (Bob), “Character drives the best traits in our society, such as honesty, integrity, leadership, and transparency, and it drives others to exhibit those qualities.” Profiled in the book ar...

How to Be a Leader – 9 Principles from Dale Carnegie

Today, I welcome thought-leader Nathan Magnuson as guest blogger... Nathan writes : This is it, your first day in a formal leadership role. You’ve worked hard as an individual contributor at one or possibly several organizations. Now management has finally seen fit to promote you into a position as one of their own: a supervisor. You don’t care if your new team is only one person or ten, you’re just excited that now – finally – you will be in charge! Unfortunately the euphoria is short-lived. Almost immediately, you are not only overwhelmed with the responsibilities of a team, but you quickly find that your team members are not as experienced or adroit as you. Some aren’t even as committed. You find yourself having to repeat yourself, send their work back for corrections, and staying late to fill the gap. If something doesn’t change soon, you might just run yourself into the ground. How did something that looked so easy ...

Teach An Employee Something New Today

Take the opportunity today to teach an employee something new. Nearly everyone likes to learn and is capable of tackling a new challenge. Teach your employee something that expands their current job description. Teach something that will help them to get promoted within your organization at a later date. Teach them a skill that uses new technology. Or teach them something that will allow them to be a more skilled leader and manager in the future. You can even teach something that you no longer need to be doing in your position, but that will be a rewarding challenge/task for your employee. The benefit to your employee is obvious. The benefit to you is you'll have a more skilled team member who is capable of handling more work that can help you to grow your business and/or make it run more efficiently. Be a leader who teaches.

Best Reasons For Doing Employee Exit Interviews

Don't be the guy in the picture when an employee leaves your company. Instead, conduct exit interviews and surveys. Leigh Branham explains in his book, The 7 Hidden Reasons Employees Leave , what the most favorable conditions are for conducting the interviews and surveys. And, if you need convincing to read the book, take a look at these 11 best reasons for listening and gathering the data when an employee leaves : Bringing any "push-factor" root-cause reasons for leaving to the surface. Alerting the organization to specific issues to be addressed. Giving the employee a chance to vent and gain a sense of closure. Giving the employee the opportunity to provide information that may help colleagues left behind. Providing information about competitors and their practices. Comparing information given with the results of past surveys and employee data. Detecting patterns and changes by year or by quarter. Obtaining information to help improve recruiting. Possibly heading off ...

How To Be A More Human Leader

“To be most effective in today’s environment, leaders must be human leaders. Human leaders must be able to lead not only with their heads but also with their hearts and souls,” says veteran executive coach Hortense le Gentil , author of the book, The Unlocked Leader: Dare to Free Your Own Voice, Lead with Empathy, and Shine Your Light in the World . She adds, “In addition to being respected, seen, and valued, employees also seek leaders who feel human, not distant and perfect beings with whom they can’t connect.” Additionally, leaders need to put the collective interest before their own and work hard to make other people’s good ideas happen. “And although the book focuses on leadership at work, each of us is a complete individual, not a sum of separate, isolated parts. As such, the process presented in the book applies to all areas of your life,” shares the author. She further explains that becoming a human leader is a journey, not a desti...

Important Questions To Ask Your New Hires

In Paul Falcone ’s book, 75 Ways For Managers To Hire, Develop And Keep Great Employees , he recommends asking new employees the following questions 30, 60 and 90 days after they were hired: 30-Day One-on-One Follow-Up Questions Why do you think we selected you as an employee? What do you like about the job and the organization so far? What’s been going well? What are the highlights of your experiences so far? Why? Tell me what you don’t understand about your job and about our organization now that you’ve had a month to roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty. Have you faced any unforeseen surprises since joining us that you weren’t expecting? 60-Day One-on-One Follow-Up Questions Do you have enough, too much or too little time to do your work? Do you have access to the appropriate tools and resources? Do you feel you have been sufficiently trained in all aspects of your job to perform at a high level? How do you see your job relating to the organi...

Eric Jacobson On Management And Leadership

Search This Blog