Book Review: The Taboos of Leadership

Anthony F. Smith's new book, The Taboos of Leadership, purports to surface leadership secrets that few people are willing to acknowledge. It succeeds in challenging common assumptions and provoking thought.

In this short and interesting read, Smith dissects these "secrets":

1. We know what leadership looks like... but don't know what it takes.


2. Charisma shouldn't make a difference... but it does.


3. Real leaders don't play politics; they take it very seriously.


4. Women make better leaders...when that's what they really want to do.


5. The double standard is for cavemen... and the corner office.


6. Thou shalt not play favorites with friends and family...except when it makes a lot of sense.


7. A leader's fundamental duty is to groom a successor...but it hurts like Hell.


8. Leaders need to demonstrate work-life balance. No problem; work is their life.


9. Blatant self-interest is dangerous...in followers, not leaders.


10. It's lonely at the top...but leaders wouldn't have it any other way.

These are pretty debatable propositions, but that's why Smith's book is both gutsy and enjoyable. It would be fun to assign a chapter to a team each week and let the members wrestle with the analysis. I suspect it will get wide and well-deserved usage in leadership workshops. Consider this excerpt:

In the real world, leadership is not always most effective when it is most caring, open, transparent, sensitive, and empowering. In fact, fear, manipulation, ruthlessness, power hoarding, and the competitive will to win at all costs are common characteristics of our best and most effective leaders. While that may not sound very warm and fuzzy, it cannot be ignored. So which is right? Is one approach better than the other? Perhaps the real answer is a fluid one without a clear-cut balance: a yin and yang between kiss and kick.

You can easily imagine the reaction you'll get from some quarters if you toss that out in a meeting.

I recommend The Taboos of Leadership not because provides the last word on various issues but because, in some respects, it gives the first.

A quick and interesting read: Check it out.