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

Effective Listening: Do's And Don'ts

Here are some great tips from Michelle Tillis Lederman's book, The 11 Laws of Likability . They are all about: what to do and what not to do to be a leader who's an effective listener : Do : Maintain eye contact Limit your talking Focus on the speaker Ask questions Manage your emotions Listen with your eyes and ears Listen for ideas and opportunities Remain open to the conversation Confirm understanding, paraphrase Give nonverbal messages that you are listening (nod, smile) Ignore distractions Don't : Interrupt Show signs of impatience Judge or argue mentally Multitask during a conversation Project your ideas Think about what to say next Have expectations or preconceived ideas Become defensive or assume you are being attacked Use condescending, aggressive, or closed body language Listen with biases or closed to new ideas Jump to conclusions or finish someone's sentences

The Science Of Personality In The Workplace

In the book, Good Judgment , author Richard Davis , PhD , explains what the science of personality is and how it works, and how all of us can use it to improve our working relationships, careers, and lives. “Understanding the science of personality and how to utilize it is the key to exercising good judgment, shares Davis. “The ability to read others’ personalities quickly and accurately, overcoming biases and prejudices that might skew our perception, is critical when making decisions and managing relationships both professional and personal.” Psychologists widely agree that five key traits define our personalities : Intellect : How people think. How people process information, make decisions, and solve problems. Emotionality : How people express emotions. How people typically experience and/or express their emotions. Sociability : How people engage with others. How people tend to interact, communicate, engage, and get a...

How To Reduce Employee Loneliness In The Workplace

Here is a book that provides workplace leaders an urgently needed methodology for helping companies to reduce worker loneliness, and it delivers a blueprint for building strong, high-performing workplace teams. The book is, Connectable: How Leaders Can Move Teams From Isolated To All In , by Ryan Jenkins and Steven Van Cohen . “72% of workers suffer from loneliness. And what was once a simmering problem shifted to a crisis when COVID-19 and the sudden transition to remove work isolated workers from each other as never before,” report the authors. “Loneliness is the absence of connection,” explain the authors. “Loneliness is not defined by the lack of people, because someone can be lonely even while surrounded by others. We require more than the presence of others. We require the presence of others to dream, strategize, and work toward commons goals.” Furthermore, “workplace loneliness is defined by the distress caused by the perceived inadequ...

Use A Board Of Advisors

David Burkus often provides valuable comments to my various Blog postings, and he's a person who effectively uses a board of advisors, instead of mentors, to help him achieve success. "I've found that in my life, it was easier and more effective to set up a board of advisors," said Burkus, the editor of LeaderLab . "This is a group of people, three to five, that have rotated into my life at various times and that speak into it and help me grow. I benefit from the variety of experience these people have." LeaderLab is an online community of resources dedicated to promoting the practice of leadership theory. Its contributors include consultants and professors who present leadership theory in a practitioner-friendly format that provides easy-to-follow explanations on how to apply the best of leadership theory. Community users can download a variety of research reports and presentations about leadership and leadership versus management. For example, a pr...

How To Embrace Change

If you want to learn how to more effectively embrace change, read Build For Tomorrow , by Jason Feifer , Editor in chief of Entrepreneur magazine and host of the podcasts Build For Tomorrow and Problem Solvers . “My book is for anyone facing down an uncertain future, as well as a practical guide for every entrepreneur and aspiring entrepreneur,” says Feifer. Organized around the four phases of change, Feifer shares personal insights and learnings from his interviews with success entrepreneurs and changemakers who have experienced tectonic shifts in work, culture, and life. The four phases of change are: Panic Adapt New Normal Wouldn’t Go Back – When we gain something so new and great that we wouldn’t want to go back to a time before we had it. “Change is coming. It’s here. It cannot be stopped! And when it comes for us, we really only two choices – to embrace it, or to fight a losing fight,” explain...

Reach Communications & Leadership Expert David Grossman Via His New App

If you haven't engaged with David Grossman's website, Blog and incredibly useful eBooks, make a point of checking them all out at his website for The Grossman Group. David just launched his new App, called " Ask David ." Via the App, David promises to bring his communications industry expert advice and wisdom right to your fingertips. Topics covered include: Employee engagement Internal communications Change management Leadership effectiveness Crisis messaging Diversity and inclusion

Resolve To Find A Mentor In 2011

Having a mentor is one of the best things you can do to advance your career as a leader. So, decide today to secure a mentor who will work with you during 2011. Make that one of your New Year’s resolutions. A mentor can benefit leaders new to their leadership role and they can benefit experienced and seasoned leaders, as well. A strong mentoring relationship allows the mentor and the mentee to develop new skills and talents, to build confidence, and to build self-awareness. Proper mentoring takes a commitment from both parties and it takes time to develop and to reap the rewards of the relationship. Plan to work with your mentor for no less than three months, and ideally for six months or longer. When seeking out a mentor, think about these questions: 1. Will the relationship have good personal chemistry? 2. Can this person guide me, particularly in the areas where I am weakest? 3. Will this person take a genuine interest in me? 4. Does this person ha...

How You Create An Optimistic Workplace

In the book, The Optimistic Workplace , author Shawn Murphy , explains that the following beliefs are essential to helping create a positive work experience : The team is more important than any individual . For optimism to be strong, a cohesive team is vital. People need to believe the team will be there for them when needed. A team is weakened when the first priority is the needs of each person, or when ego dictates a team's actions or inaction. And, avoid relying on the usual suspects, the same few superstars, to handle high-profile projects. There's value to experiencing joy at work . Joy can open brains to better see connections and various options to solve work problems. Joy is about playing. Play at work is useful when creativity and innovation are needed. The usefulness of creativity and innovation at the workplace is linked to increasing employees' knowledge and skills. Doing good is good for business . It's not just about philanthropy. Do good b...

How To Use The CPR Business Efficiency Framework To Eliminate A Team's Pain Points

In Nick Sonnenberg’s book, Come Up For Air , you’ll learn about his CPR Business Efficiency Framework , which stands for: C ommunication P lanning R esources This framework focuses on eliminating the pain points most teams experience by optimizing these three operation areas foundational to every organization. “In my book, I show you the tools that will boost efficiency in all three of these domains and I provide you with a detailed blueprint for the most effective ways to use them,” explains Sonnenberg. He further shares that some sections of the book may be more applicable to managers, and some may be more applicable to individual contributors. “However, it is still integral that both roles understand all of the concepts within the CPR Framework as each one benefits the team as a whole,” says Sonnenberg. As you read the book, you’ll learn what Sonnenberg has learned through years of building a leading efficiency consulting business – that th...

How You Make Them Feel

"I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." - Maya Angelou

Eric Jacobson On Management And Leadership

Search This Blog