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What Keeps Leaders Up at Night: Recognizing and Resolving Your Most Troubling Management Issues
You are not perfect. Never have been, never will be. And no matter how much experience you gain, how long you contemplate a decision, or who you seek counsel from, you will still make the occasional management misstep--a few of them. Guaranteed. And if you stay in management long enough, you will undoubtedly ask yourself questions such as:• Why do I sometimes feel threatened by my best people? • How do I remain cool in hot situations? • How can I ensure people hear what I say? • How can I cope more effectively with change? • Why have I lost so many of my best employees to the competition?The question is, will you wait for these mistakes to happen and then stay awake at night dwelling on these questions, or will you address them proactively so that you may discover the right solutions to apply now? Clinical and business psychologist Nicole Lipkin knows the stresses leaders face. In What Keeps Leaders Up at Night, she examines the common mistakes leaders make with their people. Featuring illuminating examples and exercises, this sleep-friendly book shines a bright light into the dark corners where all leaders struggle with their own shortcomings and presents smart solutions to the problems that arise as a result.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
June 19, 2013
Aptly titled, this book covers eight of the most frustrating and difficult problems that leaders face in the workplace. It addresses topics like why leaders are a good boss one day and then become bad, why employees won't take a leader's advice, unproductive "fighting," and resistance to change.
The book has a very readable structure that presents a real-life workplace situation, the contributing factors that are based in psychology (including documented studies), deconstruction of those factors into concepts for the lay person, and approaches to turning things around.
Lipkin fully acknowledges that leading is, by its nature, a messy business. People at work are different and collectively create a community and a culture that has to adapt to situations that are in constant motion. This book does a good trying to give leaders workable concepts that they'll find useful.
As a text, the book can be used as a desktop reference. When you have one of those eight problems, open to that chapter and find a strategy for moving through it.
The book has a very readable structure that presents a real-life workplace situation, the contributing factors that are based in psychology (including documented studies), deconstruction of those factors into concepts for the lay person, and approaches to turning things around.
Lipkin fully acknowledges that leading is, by its nature, a messy business. People at work are different and collectively create a community and a culture that has to adapt to situations that are in constant motion. This book does a good trying to give leaders workable concepts that they'll find useful.
As a text, the book can be used as a desktop reference. When you have one of those eight problems, open to that chapter and find a strategy for moving through it.
December 7, 2017
Surprisingly good book, a few really key nuggets found in here. Highly recommend.
January 15, 2014
What Keeps Leaders Up at Night: Recognizing and Resolving Your Most Troubling Management Issues by Nicole Lipkin was chosen by Soundview Executive Book Summaries as one of the Top 30 Business Books of 2013.
THE SOUNDVIEW REVIEW:
It’s an important, if subtle, point that the title of Nicole Lipkin’s What Keeps Leaders Up at Night appears without a question mark at the end. Lipkin’s book, now available as a Soundview Executive Book Summary, is entirely devoted to providing answers. The only questions that appear in the book serve as a guide for Lipkin’s substantive advice for topics including productivity, credibility and conflict.
What Keeps Leaders Up at Night achieves the critical balance between academic examination and practical application. This reflects Lipkin’s dual pedigree of a Ph.D. in clinical psychology, as well as an MBA. Some executives might be tentative about taking a trek into the “softer” side of leadership, but as Lipkin points out, effective leadership is “all about managing the messy, complicated, illogical and fallible human variables.”
A great example of the strength of Lipkin’s method is her response to the common leadership question, “Why Don’t People Heed My Sage Advice?” Lipkin provides a two-part answer that cites psychologists John French and Bertram Raven’s power framework before advising leaders to pay particular attention to referent power, derived from personal traits and values. After giving insight into referent power, she continues by helping executives craft the second component of creating buy-in, a compelling message.
What Keeps Leaders Up at Night treads cautiously through the minefield of problems executives face and the book does a great job of de-arming the danger posed to leaders. Lipkin’s advice is readily applicable and covers territory that new leaders need to know and experienced leaders need to review.
Soundview's 8-page Executive Book Summary of What Keeps Leaders Up at Night is available here.
THE SOUNDVIEW REVIEW:
It’s an important, if subtle, point that the title of Nicole Lipkin’s What Keeps Leaders Up at Night appears without a question mark at the end. Lipkin’s book, now available as a Soundview Executive Book Summary, is entirely devoted to providing answers. The only questions that appear in the book serve as a guide for Lipkin’s substantive advice for topics including productivity, credibility and conflict.
What Keeps Leaders Up at Night achieves the critical balance between academic examination and practical application. This reflects Lipkin’s dual pedigree of a Ph.D. in clinical psychology, as well as an MBA. Some executives might be tentative about taking a trek into the “softer” side of leadership, but as Lipkin points out, effective leadership is “all about managing the messy, complicated, illogical and fallible human variables.”
A great example of the strength of Lipkin’s method is her response to the common leadership question, “Why Don’t People Heed My Sage Advice?” Lipkin provides a two-part answer that cites psychologists John French and Bertram Raven’s power framework before advising leaders to pay particular attention to referent power, derived from personal traits and values. After giving insight into referent power, she continues by helping executives craft the second component of creating buy-in, a compelling message.
What Keeps Leaders Up at Night treads cautiously through the minefield of problems executives face and the book does a great job of de-arming the danger posed to leaders. Lipkin’s advice is readily applicable and covers territory that new leaders need to know and experienced leaders need to review.
Soundview's 8-page Executive Book Summary of What Keeps Leaders Up at Night is available here.
October 14, 2013
Most of this book had information I already knew or that was just business common sense. It's still helpful to be reminded of such things every once in awhile but I was disappointed at the lack of original thought that went into it. It became heavy pop psychology towards the end. I wouldn't recommend this book for leaders but for those aspiring to be leaders to get a better perspective on what their boss might be going through.
September 6, 2013
I really enjoyed reading this book on the pitfalls that leaders face. I haven't read too much on the topic, but I related to almost all the situations as either a leader or as someone affected by a leader. I think it is helpful and have already recommended that others at work read it. I think the last two chapters especially were really helpful.
January 24, 2014
Regurgitated research that most leaders already know
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews