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The Not So Subtle Art of Caring: Letters on Leadership
Virgin’s Richard Branson, Zappos’ Tony Hsieh and Tesla’s Elon Musk, apart from their obvious success, all share another thing in common. Each utilizes storytelling to maximize their effectiveness as leaders. Many of the most influential leaders of our and all time, including arguably the most influential leader in history, used storytelling whenever they had a particularly important point to make.
Encouraged by these influences, a father who was a known storyteller and a Nigerian priest who used stories to bridge a language barrier, author, and successful businessperson, Phillip Kane used stories each Friday throughout his career to help business associates relate to key issues facing the organizations he had the privilege to lead. These weekly letters had less to do with what was going on in the business than how people thought about what was going on in the business. By helping shift and align his teams’ point of view, Kane and the teams he led were able to accomplish more and win more often. All because of the stories he told.
Many of them are assembled here in one place for the first time. Organized around key themes like encouragement, trust, and gratitude, Kane also provides additional insights for existing or aspiring leaders looking for a different, better way to appeal to those who should be following them.
Featured twice in Kouzes’ & Posner’s, The Leadership Challenge (Wiley), first-time author, Phillip Kane’s storytelling technique and the leadership lessons he imparts are key for any leader seeking to create winning teams built on a fundamental foundation of kindness and service to others.
Encouraged by these influences, a father who was a known storyteller and a Nigerian priest who used stories to bridge a language barrier, author, and successful businessperson, Phillip Kane used stories each Friday throughout his career to help business associates relate to key issues facing the organizations he had the privilege to lead. These weekly letters had less to do with what was going on in the business than how people thought about what was going on in the business. By helping shift and align his teams’ point of view, Kane and the teams he led were able to accomplish more and win more often. All because of the stories he told.
Many of them are assembled here in one place for the first time. Organized around key themes like encouragement, trust, and gratitude, Kane also provides additional insights for existing or aspiring leaders looking for a different, better way to appeal to those who should be following them.
Featured twice in Kouzes’ & Posner’s, The Leadership Challenge (Wiley), first-time author, Phillip Kane’s storytelling technique and the leadership lessons he imparts are key for any leader seeking to create winning teams built on a fundamental foundation of kindness and service to others.
336 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2021
25 people want to read
About the author
Phillip Kane
2 books2 followersPhillip Kane is a husband, father, and servant leader. He has had a successful business career of more than 30 years in some of the world’s best-known corporations. Working for brands like Goodyear, Pirelli, Rothschild, and NAPA, Kane has had the privilege to lead thousands of individuals and has managed billions of dollars in value for stakeholders. Consistently recognized by the leaders of these organizations for excellence, Kane though credits any personal success to those he has led and who have made each win possible. Born in Detroit, the grandson of an International Harvester (now Navistar) truck dealer, Kane has spent a lifetime in and around cars and trucks. An Eagle Scout, Kane has been serving others since he was a young boy. Crediting his father and a Nigerian priest with almost every good thing he has learned about life, leadership, business and the art of storytelling, Kane has been recognized twice by Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner for the impact of his storytelling on teams. Kane lives in Ohio with his wife, Annie, of 27 years, 3 children, Caroline (24), Charlotte (21) and William (17), and the wonderdogs – Moses, Daisy, Eddie and Pete.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
February 17, 2022
Book divided into total of 6 chapters which guide you on how to find a more caring style .
The common misconception among people is that caring is about being nice all the time. It's about being empowered and letting people know when they've let us down. The author teaches us that there is a better, more caring way to lead, to achieve extraordinary things. You will get to learn and explore a more caring style of leadership.
This is a great book to deeply understand the meaning of leadership and how to be a good leader because people will not willingly follow you unless they trust you. Written in simple language, concise and fast read.The author cites some real life examples he has experienced in his 30+ years as a leader & the interesting part is that It is a collection of letters that the author has sent throughout his career for the better life of the organization and the individual.
The common misconception among people is that caring is about being nice all the time. It's about being empowered and letting people know when they've let us down. The author teaches us that there is a better, more caring way to lead, to achieve extraordinary things. You will get to learn and explore a more caring style of leadership.
This is a great book to deeply understand the meaning of leadership and how to be a good leader because people will not willingly follow you unless they trust you. Written in simple language, concise and fast read.The author cites some real life examples he has experienced in his 30+ years as a leader & the interesting part is that It is a collection of letters that the author has sent throughout his career for the better life of the organization and the individual.
November 17, 2021
Stories are great conveyers of emotions and are a great way to impart learning. We often learn more from stories than we ever do from lessons. Author Phillip Kane has wisely used the art of storytelling over the years to preach and lead people into success. In this book, he compiles stories from his life for us and takes us through the experiences that have taught him how to be a good leader. His book explains so much in the simplest ways that everyone reading it would find themselves gaining a ton of knowledge.
The book follows six relatively short chapters, which tell us one or more stories. All of the stories talk about a different quality a person should possess to succeed in leading. They change our perspective of how we look at leadership, and they teach us many little things that we never even pay attention to. He also refers to many events from the lives of other people who have been great leaders. These add more interest to the book and make things even more intriguing.
All parts of the book start with a quote from a personality, and these relate to the chapters well. It made me eager to read the upcoming chapter and see what the author has got in his stories. It's not easy being a leader, and it's often very challenging. You have to adapt to situations well and fast and learn to deal with everything alone. This book, in many ways, is an eyeopener to what the lives of a leader could be like. It can get lonely and challenging, and you have to get yourself through it. In this book, you will get many pointers to what your people need and how to lead them through difficult times if they present themselves.
The book follows six relatively short chapters, which tell us one or more stories. All of the stories talk about a different quality a person should possess to succeed in leading. They change our perspective of how we look at leadership, and they teach us many little things that we never even pay attention to. He also refers to many events from the lives of other people who have been great leaders. These add more interest to the book and make things even more intriguing.
All parts of the book start with a quote from a personality, and these relate to the chapters well. It made me eager to read the upcoming chapter and see what the author has got in his stories. It's not easy being a leader, and it's often very challenging. You have to adapt to situations well and fast and learn to deal with everything alone. This book, in many ways, is an eyeopener to what the lives of a leader could be like. It can get lonely and challenging, and you have to get yourself through it. In this book, you will get many pointers to what your people need and how to lead them through difficult times if they present themselves.
October 29, 2021
I was given an advance copy to review.
I experienced the traditional command and control style, and the servant/caring style advocated by Phillip Kane during my 30 plus years of corporate management.
As Kane advocates, and instructs, there are many more benefits to coaching, and growing people beyond the performance of the moment than there are leading a business with a quarterly focus.
Kane’s style of making points, contrasting styles, offering examples, reinforcing with proof from professional studies, and use of humor make our journey reading The Not So Subtle Art of Caring easy, enjoyable and profitable.
There are many lessons to be learned in this volume, any one of which will increase the trajectory and speed of your success. If you want to become a great leader, read and implement the principles of The Not So Subtle Art of Caring!
You can learn the lessons on your own, or you can benefit from Phillip’s experience, and leap frog your competition. I don’t know what your choice will be, but I know what mine is.
I experienced the traditional command and control style, and the servant/caring style advocated by Phillip Kane during my 30 plus years of corporate management.
As Kane advocates, and instructs, there are many more benefits to coaching, and growing people beyond the performance of the moment than there are leading a business with a quarterly focus.
Kane’s style of making points, contrasting styles, offering examples, reinforcing with proof from professional studies, and use of humor make our journey reading The Not So Subtle Art of Caring easy, enjoyable and profitable.
There are many lessons to be learned in this volume, any one of which will increase the trajectory and speed of your success. If you want to become a great leader, read and implement the principles of The Not So Subtle Art of Caring!
You can learn the lessons on your own, or you can benefit from Phillip’s experience, and leap frog your competition. I don’t know what your choice will be, but I know what mine is.
October 31, 2021
I have had the privilege or reading Phillip's works as a part of his leadership and communication to his teams. I also was fortunate to get a manuscript preview. Being the recipient of his writings and leadership I can attest it works to bring out the best in individuals, teams and company performance. Well worth the read and consideration. Choose a new course for success.
November 17, 2021
Stories are a great way to interact and bridge gaps. Often times stories convey more than any conversation ever could. Author Philip Kane a businessperson is a remarkable storyteller. He often uses stories as a way to communicate with his business associates in the organizations he leads. In his book "Not So Subtle Art of Caring- Letters on leadership," author Philip conveys a bundle of stories. He portrays what leaders are and should be like, in the stories he tells, from the events he has experienced in his lifetime.
The stories tell us about the essentials of what being a great leader is. Being dedicated to what you do for your people, caring about them and building trust are a few of the things these stories convey. We read about a lot of situations that the author has been in throughout a lifetime of leading people. He tells us about the different situations he has had to face and how he has dealt with them. He also tells us stories from the lives of other people who have been good leaders.
Succeeding in being a good leader takes a lot. And it's not always the complications that you have to deal with. It's the little things that matter more. Things that are often misunderstood by us. The author shines a light on a variety of such things and shows us how often we get confused in our perspective of looking at a thing. The author does a great job framing this book together, and it's apparent how good of a storyteller he is! He tells us how leadership is an art, and how exactly we can master that art. Throughout the book, the author manages to keep us hooked to the book and keep us eager to learn!
The stories tell us about the essentials of what being a great leader is. Being dedicated to what you do for your people, caring about them and building trust are a few of the things these stories convey. We read about a lot of situations that the author has been in throughout a lifetime of leading people. He tells us about the different situations he has had to face and how he has dealt with them. He also tells us stories from the lives of other people who have been good leaders.
Succeeding in being a good leader takes a lot. And it's not always the complications that you have to deal with. It's the little things that matter more. Things that are often misunderstood by us. The author shines a light on a variety of such things and shows us how often we get confused in our perspective of looking at a thing. The author does a great job framing this book together, and it's apparent how good of a storyteller he is! He tells us how leadership is an art, and how exactly we can master that art. Throughout the book, the author manages to keep us hooked to the book and keep us eager to learn!
January 23, 2022
Fridays have a special place in our heart and are usually perceived as the day before the weekend. To Phillip, Fridays are seen more as the closing day of a productive working week and he uses stories on this specific day to help his co-workers relating to was has happened within the organisation they are helping leading. “The Not So Subtle Art Of Caring” is a collection of these stories written in the form of letters.
Quoting what Alfredo Altavilla says in the Forword of the book , “True leaders care for those they have the privilege to lead. […] Caring is not about being nice to people all the time. […] Caring simply means treating others ALWAYS with dignity, respect and love.” And this is exactly the approach and mindset that Phillip uses through his whole book.
Being a collection of real stories and letters written in a time frame of more than 2 decades gives you a real feeling of authenticity and honesty. Kane really shows what it’s needed in his opinion to be a great leader and he shows that he lives up to those expectations and moral values.
The book is divided in 6 chapters and each chapter is a collection of independent letters that deal with a common topic. What I’ve personally loved about this book is the fact that after reading the introduction and the first chapter you can kind of decide how to continue, you can read it as a normal book or you can decide to jump a little bit from a letter from a chapter to one in a new chapter, since there’s not a chronological order that needs to be followed.
Quoting what Alfredo Altavilla says in the Forword of the book , “True leaders care for those they have the privilege to lead. […] Caring is not about being nice to people all the time. […] Caring simply means treating others ALWAYS with dignity, respect and love.” And this is exactly the approach and mindset that Phillip uses through his whole book.
Being a collection of real stories and letters written in a time frame of more than 2 decades gives you a real feeling of authenticity and honesty. Kane really shows what it’s needed in his opinion to be a great leader and he shows that he lives up to those expectations and moral values.
The book is divided in 6 chapters and each chapter is a collection of independent letters that deal with a common topic. What I’ve personally loved about this book is the fact that after reading the introduction and the first chapter you can kind of decide how to continue, you can read it as a normal book or you can decide to jump a little bit from a letter from a chapter to one in a new chapter, since there’s not a chronological order that needs to be followed.
December 14, 2021
📚 𝑻𝒐 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒊𝒔 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒂 𝒃𝒆𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈.
The author Phillip Kane teaches you that there is a better, more caring way to lead others to accomplish extraordinary things. You’ll get to learn and explore a more caring style of leadership.
The book is divided into 6 chapters:
🔹 Chapter 1️⃣ : It mentions The Rules, a set of guiding principles for caring steward. Each rule is well explained by telling stories.
🔹 Chapter 2️⃣ : The fundamental objective of the caring leader, to make others big.
🔹 Chapter 3️⃣ : Identifies the true source of charisma, 11 additional attributes that comprise caring leadership and behaviors necessary to win with today’s worker.
🔹 Chapter 4️⃣ : 10 traits and 10 behaviors that enable people and real teams to succeed over 30 years.
🔹 Chapter 5️⃣ : It shows that stewardship is the ultimate measure of winning.
🔹 Chapter 6️⃣ : It mentions stories that teach us about a better short of leadership.
It also provides some real-life examples of how this kind of leadership actually works.
The writing style is very engaging. The most interesting part of the book is that the author tells stories from his own life to explain a particular topic. It makes it both interesting and easy to understand. It’s a useful and enjoyable read.
The author Phillip Kane teaches you that there is a better, more caring way to lead others to accomplish extraordinary things. You’ll get to learn and explore a more caring style of leadership.
The book is divided into 6 chapters:
🔹 Chapter 1️⃣ : It mentions The Rules, a set of guiding principles for caring steward. Each rule is well explained by telling stories.
🔹 Chapter 2️⃣ : The fundamental objective of the caring leader, to make others big.
🔹 Chapter 3️⃣ : Identifies the true source of charisma, 11 additional attributes that comprise caring leadership and behaviors necessary to win with today’s worker.
🔹 Chapter 4️⃣ : 10 traits and 10 behaviors that enable people and real teams to succeed over 30 years.
🔹 Chapter 5️⃣ : It shows that stewardship is the ultimate measure of winning.
🔹 Chapter 6️⃣ : It mentions stories that teach us about a better short of leadership.
It also provides some real-life examples of how this kind of leadership actually works.
The writing style is very engaging. The most interesting part of the book is that the author tells stories from his own life to explain a particular topic. It makes it both interesting and easy to understand. It’s a useful and enjoyable read.
October 28, 2021
The general misconception amongst people is that caring is about being nice all the time. It’s about being empathetic and telling people when they have let us down.
In his book, the author, has shared stories of how people have accomplished extraordinary feats in their lives. These people have not only done great in their respective fields but also made relationships for a lifetime. They could do all this because they chose to lead with care.
The book is built up on his 30+ years of experience as a leader in transforming individuals and organizations. He has strived to make the point that ‘Kindness does not equal to weakness.’ He believes a leader thrives when one puts others first.
The book is a collection of letters which the author had sent throughout his career to help the organizations lead better. These letters are like a treasure and have so much to offer.
The uniqueness of the book is the author’s art of storytelling. Recommended to all those seeking how to lead with influence and create a win-win situation for everyone.
In his book, the author, has shared stories of how people have accomplished extraordinary feats in their lives. These people have not only done great in their respective fields but also made relationships for a lifetime. They could do all this because they chose to lead with care.
The book is built up on his 30+ years of experience as a leader in transforming individuals and organizations. He has strived to make the point that ‘Kindness does not equal to weakness.’ He believes a leader thrives when one puts others first.
The book is a collection of letters which the author had sent throughout his career to help the organizations lead better. These letters are like a treasure and have so much to offer.
The uniqueness of the book is the author’s art of storytelling. Recommended to all those seeking how to lead with influence and create a win-win situation for everyone.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews