Little Book of Leadership

Key take-aways for Little Book of Leadership (2011) of Jeffrey Gitomer:

• Insight - - Who you are and what you stand for and against trigger attitude and action - - yours and those you lead.  Look inward to understand your philosophy of leadership and life.  It's not about money and power.  Regardless of your organization title, you will always be the CEO of "Me Inc."
• Respect is earned, not given - - People fellow leaders because they want to; they do what the boss says because they have to.  Lead by example.  Make honesty and integrity an integral part of the way you do business.
• Communicate expectations - - Ideas are transferable as long as you explain the vision of what the future could be.  Ask for input - - and listen to it.  Learn new answers by finding new sources of information.
• Make resilience a trait - - Progress and risk go hand-in-hand.  Expect success, and learn from failure.  Resilience allows you to use downside experiences to create the next success.
• Attitude in.  Attitude out - - A make-it-happen attitude is just as contagious as a negative one.  You can't get people to yes by telling them no.
• How you train determines their results - and yours - - Coaching, not telling, strengthens individuals and teams.  People learn in different ways; get to know them and tailor you approach to fit the way they learn.  Create "stretch" opportunities for them and provide a sounding board for their actions.
• Focus on your best people and invest most of your time with them - - They're the ones who make a difference in outcomes.  Many leaders spend  time tying to fix the "flat tires."  Get new ones instead.
• Give change a chance - - Before you make a change, use your team to asses its impact - - good and bad.  The team can devise ways to minimize problems.
• Long decision cycles make you look indecisive and hurt morale - - Beware of paralysis analysis.  And while you always as for input, recognize that the window of opportunity doesn't stay open long.
• Leaders share responsibility - - They don't dictate.  They delegate because they know that building the team increases their productivity.  They encourage people to venture out of their comfort zones.  Delegating shows confidence in your staff.  It's also the way you build your legacy.
• Got a mission?  Or is it just a mission statement? - - Most mission statements are PR mumbo-jumbo that no one remembers.  They lack a game plan.  Leaders set ground rules that translate the mission statement into action plans.  Doing so ensures that staff sees the vision and lives it.
• Your people count on you - - "Manage yourself; lead others."