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Leaders Open Doors: A Radically Simple Leadership Approach to Lift People, Profits, and Performance
True leaders open doors of opportunity. "I got to open doors for people!" These seven simple words, spoken by author Bill Treasurer's five-year-old son, cut straight to what matters most about True leaders open doors for people. This radically simple concept is the heart of Leaders Open Doors. This book presents a fresh and unique take on leadership that will benefit experienced leaders and those just starting their leadership journeys. With a little courage, anyone at any level can be a leader. Drawing on two decades of experience, author and speaker, Bill Treasurer, in this new second edition, combines personal stories and anecdotes to illustrate how (and how not) to inspire people. He approaches these ideas with the belief that great leadership is not hierarchical―it is the peoples' willingness to take initiative and reach their goals that is crucial to successful leadership.
160 pages, Hardcover
First published March 7, 2013
13 people are currently reading
741 people want to read
About the author
Bill Treasurer
41 books16 followersBill Treasurer is the Chief Encouragement Officer at Giant Leap Consulting (GLC), a courage-building company that exists to help people and organizations be more courageous to drive superior performance. He is dedicated to advancing the new organizational development practice of courage-building, a concept that he introduced in his internationally bestselling book, Courage Goes to Work.
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Bill's newest book is Leadership Two Words at a Time: Simple Truths for Leading Complicated People. It serves as a playbook for new leaders, covering the essentials that will improve performance, effectiveness, and enjoyment.
John Ryan, past president and CEO of the Center for Creative Leadership, calls the book "honest, funny, and deeply insightful."
Jeff Hayes, president and CEO of The Myers-Briggs Company says, “I have read many books on leadership during my career, but none have provided the practical guidance reflection and call to action that Leadership Two Words at a Time does...This is truly a must-read playbook, if you will, for every new leader. In fact, it’s a wonderful resource for all leaders.”
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Bill co-authored The Leadership Killer: Reclaiming Humility in an Age of Arrogance with U.S. Navy Seal Captain John Havlik (retired).
Tony Bingham, president and CEO of the Association for Talent Development called the book a "valuable resource on what every leader should know, embrace, and practice if they want to be successful in the most meaningful way."
E. Gordon Gee, the current president of West Virginia University, said, "In an age crying out for wise judgment and effective leadership, “The Leadership Killer” is an essential read."
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Bill is the author of A Leadership Kick in the Ass, which focuses on the importance of confidence and humility. The book received rousing endorsements from leadership luminaries such as Ken Blanchard, Marshall Goldsmith, Jim Kouzes, Adam Grant, and many others, and received the Gold Award from the Nonfiction Book Awards. Bill also wrote Leaders Open Doors, a simplified approach to leadership that emphasizes the importance of leaders as opportunity-creators. Bill donates all his royalties from this book to programs that support children with special needs.
Bill is the creator of Courageous Leadership: Using Courage to Transform the Workplace. The comprehensive off-the-shelf courage-building training program has been taught on five continents in twelve countries since being published in 2011.
Bill's first book, Right Risk is about how to take smart risks, and draws on Treasurer's experiences as both an organizational development professional and as a daredevil athlete.
Bill's insights have been featured in hundreds of national and global media outlets, including The Washington Post, The NY Daily News, The Chicago Tribune, Atlanta Journal Constitution, Boston Herald, and Investor's Business Daily, Entrepreneur Magazine, Huffington Post, Leader-to-Leader, Woman's Day, Parent, Redbook, Fitness, American Way, and The Harvard Management Update.
Since 1991, he has conducted over 1000 corporate workshops designed to strengthen people's leadership skills, improve team performance, accelerate innovation, and help executives behave more courageously. Among his clients are NASA, Saks Fifth Avenue, eBay, Accenture, UBS Bank, Spanx, eBay, Lenovo, Walsh Construction, Hugo Boss, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. Forest Service, the National Science Foundation, and the U.S. Department of Veteran's Affairs.
Bill lives in Asheville, North Carolina, with his wife Shannon and their three children, Bina, Alex, and Ian. To contact Bill, email btreasurer@giantleapconsulting.com or go to CourageBuilding.com.
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Bill's newest book is Leadership Two Words at a Time: Simple Truths for Leading Complicated People. It serves as a playbook for new leaders, covering the essentials that will improve performance, effectiveness, and enjoyment.
John Ryan, past president and CEO of the Center for Creative Leadership, calls the book "honest, funny, and deeply insightful."
Jeff Hayes, president and CEO of The Myers-Briggs Company says, “I have read many books on leadership during my career, but none have provided the practical guidance reflection and call to action that Leadership Two Words at a Time does...This is truly a must-read playbook, if you will, for every new leader. In fact, it’s a wonderful resource for all leaders.”
------------------------------------
Bill co-authored The Leadership Killer: Reclaiming Humility in an Age of Arrogance with U.S. Navy Seal Captain John Havlik (retired).
Tony Bingham, president and CEO of the Association for Talent Development called the book a "valuable resource on what every leader should know, embrace, and practice if they want to be successful in the most meaningful way."
E. Gordon Gee, the current president of West Virginia University, said, "In an age crying out for wise judgment and effective leadership, “The Leadership Killer” is an essential read."
------------------------------------
Bill is the author of A Leadership Kick in the Ass, which focuses on the importance of confidence and humility. The book received rousing endorsements from leadership luminaries such as Ken Blanchard, Marshall Goldsmith, Jim Kouzes, Adam Grant, and many others, and received the Gold Award from the Nonfiction Book Awards. Bill also wrote Leaders Open Doors, a simplified approach to leadership that emphasizes the importance of leaders as opportunity-creators. Bill donates all his royalties from this book to programs that support children with special needs.
Bill is the creator of Courageous Leadership: Using Courage to Transform the Workplace. The comprehensive off-the-shelf courage-building training program has been taught on five continents in twelve countries since being published in 2011.
Bill's first book, Right Risk is about how to take smart risks, and draws on Treasurer's experiences as both an organizational development professional and as a daredevil athlete.
Bill's insights have been featured in hundreds of national and global media outlets, including The Washington Post, The NY Daily News, The Chicago Tribune, Atlanta Journal Constitution, Boston Herald, and Investor's Business Daily, Entrepreneur Magazine, Huffington Post, Leader-to-Leader, Woman's Day, Parent, Redbook, Fitness, American Way, and The Harvard Management Update.
Since 1991, he has conducted over 1000 corporate workshops designed to strengthen people's leadership skills, improve team performance, accelerate innovation, and help executives behave more courageously. Among his clients are NASA, Saks Fifth Avenue, eBay, Accenture, UBS Bank, Spanx, eBay, Lenovo, Walsh Construction, Hugo Boss, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. Forest Service, the National Science Foundation, and the U.S. Department of Veteran's Affairs.
Bill lives in Asheville, North Carolina, with his wife Shannon and their three children, Bina, Alex, and Ian. To contact Bill, email btreasurer@giantleapconsulting.com or go to CourageBuilding.com.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
June 2, 2013
I've been a fan of Bill Treasurer for a long time. No surprise,I pre-ordered THREE copies of this book and ordered another today. It's simple; it's timely; it's NEEDED! Well done (again) Bill!
September 14, 2024
i think this book is beneficial even for non-managers because i want coworkers to lift each other up - i don’t think a workplace should be so cutthroat
May 19, 2013
Bill Treasurer helps us differentiate between the hype of leadership and the practicality of what it takes to actually lead people so that they an become their bests potential selves.
Leading people implies that you are leading them into or on to somewhere. And where are we leading them? Treasurer uses the metaphor of doors to speak eloquently about the process of leading people to opportunity. Opportunity to grow, learn and ultimately become better leaders themselves.
Leading, according to Treasurer is a process which begins with and continues through self-assessment (and assessment by others) and self-development to know and learn ourselves well as we help others accomplish the same.
The doors that Bill Treasurer takes us through are akin to our own personal and professional development: proving-ground, thought-shifting, second chances, opening for others, personal transformation, and finally open-hearted.
This is a treasure trove of information which should be part lf the library of resources available to and used by oldand new managers and leaders, to find ourselves and others doing good by opening doors.
Leading people implies that you are leading them into or on to somewhere. And where are we leading them? Treasurer uses the metaphor of doors to speak eloquently about the process of leading people to opportunity. Opportunity to grow, learn and ultimately become better leaders themselves.
Leading, according to Treasurer is a process which begins with and continues through self-assessment (and assessment by others) and self-development to know and learn ourselves well as we help others accomplish the same.
The doors that Bill Treasurer takes us through are akin to our own personal and professional development: proving-ground, thought-shifting, second chances, opening for others, personal transformation, and finally open-hearted.
This is a treasure trove of information which should be part lf the library of resources available to and used by oldand new managers and leaders, to find ourselves and others doing good by opening doors.
April 10, 2015
I liked this book but saw nothing 'radically' different. The principles of good leadership are fairly simple; it is in the application that so many fall short. Leadership is about directing the course - whether yourself, a small start-up, or a large organization. It's about tapping into the talents and aspirations of your workers and demonstrating a belief in their abilities. Treasurer demonstrates this many times.
I found the author's use of made-up words annoying. He speaks often of how things are complexified or about the complexifaction of leadership. Terribly annoying - I wanted to scream about the fifth time I eye-ballified these words.
I found the author's use of made-up words annoying. He speaks often of how things are complexified or about the complexifaction of leadership. Terribly annoying - I wanted to scream about the fifth time I eye-ballified these words.
May 13, 2013
Really enjoy this concept and the author's ability to distill leadership to its most basic activities. What do leaders do? Leaders open doors for people. To consider how I can open doors for others is a wonderful way to view leadership.
December 19, 2017
Maybe I’ve read too many of these books on being leaders. The lessons “Leaders Open Doors” provides are not unexpected given the title. This is not what I would call an academic book. It doesn’t repeatedly quote research. This falls more into the motivational realm of leadership books. In the writing, Treasurer does have a very friendly tone, which raises this a bit above the normal leadership book. It is more approachable while feeling more “meaty” that many of the other short leadership books at Barnes and Noble. I appreciated the story of his son becoming class president, and who saw his role as opening doors. I also appreciated the personal stories that Treasurer shared. I found this a good example of a motivational leadership book. A bonus star for being brief.
February 7, 2019
This book is a quick read. It provides valuable perspective for leaders that are focused on results by emphasizing that results are accomplished by people. Therefore, we can't ignore the people. In fact, it makes sense to care about the people and work to develop the people (open doors for them). Whatever our level of experience in developing others, the exercises with each chapter are useful in challenging us. They provide thoughtful questions for self-assessment, frequently asking us what our employees/followers would think/say about our ability and asking us for the evidence we have to support our self-evaluation. Of note... 100% of the royalties are being donated to charities that support kids with special needs.
December 25, 2018
This is not your average business/leadership book! Bill paints a picture with his story telling of techniques and tips to "hold the door open" for your people, instead of closing it on them. A great approach to the written tutorial!
June 27, 2021
This was just ok for me. There are a few good stories in here, but as usual it doesn’t apply to middle management academia where there are few abilities for reward. The questions at the end of each chapter are good for reflection.
June 12, 2019
The reader was mispronouncing some things...but I will be opening some more doors from now on.
February 23, 2017
A great relevant subject for all aspiring managers. The authors approach is also good. Unfortunately, the material is somewhat thin. The book could have been half as large.
July 30, 2013
As I plan to do occasionally, this post is from my husband from a book he won on Goodreads:
It seems nowadays, in any bookstore you step in, there might be countless books at any given moment speaking on how best the average individual might most easily reach their potential as a leader or master of business. The options are plenty yet I am willing to bet if you take a moment to page through them independent of one another, you might see a lot of the same information being dispensed in a variety of ways, all claiming to be original or innovative in their own right.
“Leaders Open Doors” is one of the few that can truly make a claim to be innovative.
The author cuts through the fog of how best to be a leader and gets straight to the heart of it. At barely 90 Pages, this small yet powerful book is a breath of fresh air in the congested world of “How-to” business and Management books. The chapters are short, the language plain yet still provides you with enough information to allow even the most novice of leaders feel empowered.
I have read countless business and management books yet I can honestly say this is one book that I would highly recommend. The concepts spoken of in the text are so simple, and should seem so obvious to anyone that spends a good deal of time working with people as a professions but the truth is, they are often overlooked.
It seems nowadays, in any bookstore you step in, there might be countless books at any given moment speaking on how best the average individual might most easily reach their potential as a leader or master of business. The options are plenty yet I am willing to bet if you take a moment to page through them independent of one another, you might see a lot of the same information being dispensed in a variety of ways, all claiming to be original or innovative in their own right.
“Leaders Open Doors” is one of the few that can truly make a claim to be innovative.
The author cuts through the fog of how best to be a leader and gets straight to the heart of it. At barely 90 Pages, this small yet powerful book is a breath of fresh air in the congested world of “How-to” business and Management books. The chapters are short, the language plain yet still provides you with enough information to allow even the most novice of leaders feel empowered.
I have read countless business and management books yet I can honestly say this is one book that I would highly recommend. The concepts spoken of in the text are so simple, and should seem so obvious to anyone that spends a good deal of time working with people as a professions but the truth is, they are often overlooked.
January 14, 2016
This is a great book! It is easy to tell that Bill Treasurer is a leader that you can trust and would love to work for.
He is giving all the profits of this book to charity!
He hits on the life significance one can gain while leading others. Getting great results is what we want but at the end of the day and looking into mirror.....we want to know that we made a difference in someone's lives. This book helps quantify the answers we have in our hearts and puts real application to it.
My key thoughts I found in the book were in 5 "knows."
• Know your employees
• Know their gifting
• Know what their results are to be
• Know how to help them
• Know where to give them a second chance
The other great part of this book is the discussion on how to challenge your direct reports to be better and to grow. As leaders we have the opportunity to grow and help and get out of their “comfort zone.” "Leaders open doors" provides a framework and asks solid questions to help.
If you are looking for a quick and challenging read that will make a difference for your leadership as well as helping out a great charity. Read “Leaders Open Doors” by Bill Treasurer
He is giving all the profits of this book to charity!
He hits on the life significance one can gain while leading others. Getting great results is what we want but at the end of the day and looking into mirror.....we want to know that we made a difference in someone's lives. This book helps quantify the answers we have in our hearts and puts real application to it.
My key thoughts I found in the book were in 5 "knows."
• Know your employees
• Know their gifting
• Know what their results are to be
• Know how to help them
• Know where to give them a second chance
The other great part of this book is the discussion on how to challenge your direct reports to be better and to grow. As leaders we have the opportunity to grow and help and get out of their “comfort zone.” "Leaders open doors" provides a framework and asks solid questions to help.
If you are looking for a quick and challenging read that will make a difference for your leadership as well as helping out a great charity. Read “Leaders Open Doors” by Bill Treasurer
October 7, 2014
Bill Treasurer has done it again! And this may be my favorite yet. The leadership and organizational development fields are expanding and changing at a rapid pace and figuring out what to read and what advice to follow can be overwhelming. Leaders Open Doors cuts through the "complexification" and focuses on the simple truth that leaders make a difference when they create opportunities for others. All kinds of opportunities and all kinds of others! Whether you help Jane see she can do something she didn't think she could or restore Joe's confidence with a second chance on the heels of work that went south, the doors you open for others make big and lasting differences. In addition to great content, Leaders Open Doors is also a wonderful read. You'll enjoy reading it as much as you'll enjoy the the results of your expanded leadership skills!
January 17, 2017
Bill does a very nice job at simplifying the concept of leading by focusing on the members of the team and their opportunities instead of the gaps and tasks to be done.
Idea like bringing someone with you to important meetings to give them exposure to more strategic conversations. Or the concept of pushing someone to perform a difficult tasks to battle their fear of failure with you on a supporting role.
Opening does for others is a change in mentality and not a set of rules to follow.
Idea like bringing someone with you to important meetings to give them exposure to more strategic conversations. Or the concept of pushing someone to perform a difficult tasks to battle their fear of failure with you on a supporting role.
Opening does for others is a change in mentality and not a set of rules to follow.
Read
June 12, 2013A short book, and a quick read. Bill's primary point is that success is not just about seeing how far you can get, but how you can open doors for others along the way, even if and when that means they pass you by. You don't have to be in a position of authority or have a title to be an open-door leaders. Lead where you are... lead up, lead down, open-doors for everyone.
October 6, 2014
Leaders Open Doors is a compact book of wisdom. Some of its lessons will be familiar to those who lead while others will inspire those same leaders to see things differently. In both cases, Bill offers invaluable guidance for leaders who yearn to create thriving enterprises with enlivened, engaged employees. Leaders Open Doors is an elegant, inspirational treasure.
October 16, 2014
Leaders Open Doors is an amazing book! With a gazillion leadership
books available, Bill Treasurer brings a powerful, practical treatment
that uniquely re-frames a quality still in short supply. Written with
refreshing clarity, delightful humor, and profound insight, the book
is a must-read for all interested in successfully influencing others to
deliver their best.
books available, Bill Treasurer brings a powerful, practical treatment
that uniquely re-frames a quality still in short supply. Written with
refreshing clarity, delightful humor, and profound insight, the book
is a must-read for all interested in successfully influencing others to
deliver their best.
January 15, 2015
This was a quick read that offered many tips on becoming a better leader. The gist of the book can be wrapped up in the book's title. Leaders Open Doors for people, their colleagues, subordinates, customers, vendors, etc. If leaders can remember this simple mantra and then open doors for others, they will truly be amazing leaders. We will want to follow them. A recommended read.
August 3, 2016
I received this book from Goodreads.com giveaway contest. This book was absolutely amazing!! It shows a positive way to be a leader. The most important element I picked from this book was regarding the fact that a good leader should be focused on cultivating other leaders.
November 4, 2013
A very good treatise on a simple model of leadership.
July 21, 2013
Like the approach. Should be a must for management. Great read
August 30, 2013
Excellent book on a style of leadership I subscribe to.
March 27, 2017
This is a great leadership training book. It is so straight forward and easy to read. I must admit that I was unsure because it is such a small book. I can only say that it is filled with great ideas to elevate your own leadership and open doors for those you lead!
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews