The Titleless Leader: How to Get Things Done When You're Not in Charge by Nan S. Russell is one of those books that deserves wide distribution and readership within organizations. Its lessons, in essence, revolve around themes of accountability, benevolence, curiosity, and trust, with the last being the hub of the wheel.
The accountability aspect is obvious. Leadership is not a caste system. Everyone in an organization will, at various times, have leadership responsibilities and should be expected to take initiative.The related actions, however, are unlikely to be effective without the ability to seek out and handle different perspectives and to deal with others in a caring and trustworthy manner. Russell's book has an easy, conversational tone that, as in many management books, uses checklists and summaries but then hits you with insights that may cause a pause. [I loved her "conflict as diagnostic" point about relationships.] She writes about workplace relationships but also has much on the internal "self-trust" part of the equation.
I highly recommend this book. At a time when budgets are tight and staffs are lean, we need to develop leadership at all levels and, one could argue, in all positions. I suspect that the individuals who need The Titleless Leader the most will also resist it the most. The book is a savvy and artful blend of advice on how to deal with the white space between the boxes on the organization chart. Check it out and if you really like it, give a copy to all of your team members. Just be sure to keep your own copy because you may return to it often.
Publisher copy received for review: 234 pages
Paperback
No comments:
Post a Comment