Leadership Made Simple: Practical Solutions to Your Greatest Management Challenges

by Ed Oakley, Doug Krug

Leadership Made Simple reduces your greatest management challenges, often people issues, to the most simple and practical solutions. It captures and defines what the best leaders do naturally in a powerful Framework for Leadership. Practical, simple solutions are included for many management challenges, including: Getting critical projects back on track; Resolving conflict among people or cross-functional teams; Shifting resistance-to-change into whole-hearted commitment; Inspiring people and teams to dramatically higher performance levels; Getting all team members fully aligned with important objectives; Solving problems in creative, inspiring ways; Gaining buy-in and ownership for what needs to be done. This book provides over 40 real-world examples of how leaders and organizations have used the powerful Framework for Leadership introduced herein to solve these and many other of your greatest management challenges.

Genres: Leadership

166 pages, Hardcover

First published October 2, 2006

Reviews

[Kristin]

As the subtitle indicates this book is about a process for dealing with management challenges. It's less about leadership and more about getting groups into or back into productivity. Eight questions are proposed as a framework for getting people to identify successes and then examine them so they can be replicated (Steps 1-2). Then agreeing on goals and the benefits of the goals (steps 3-4) so that everyone is oriented and committed. Then action planning (step 5). The book also comments on working through negative emotions that might get in the way of forward progress, basically suggesting that they be brought out into the open through the question "what are your concerns?"

The book provides practical questions and clarifies the intention behind each one. It also provides variations on the questions for different circumstances such as performance improvement, generating buy-in and conflict resolution. This is a good resource for facilitators and consultants as well as managers. At 150 pages, it's a quick read.

I appreciated the book advocating for an "eye for excellence" within our organizations. I also liked the model's use of positive, forward focused approach.

[Becky Morlok]

This is required reading for a staff meeting a few weeks from now. I have read many business books MUCH better. This one doesn't flow well. But I hope it accomplishes what the facilitator has in mind!