What leadership is all about

books:


	• Inspire! What Great Leaders Do Lance Secretan Wiley, 2004 - 272 pages average customer review:based on 12 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Leading from the Heart

This book was my introduction to the substantial body of work that Lance Secretan has developed around his "new story of leadership"-a style based on personal integrity, building community, and deep self-awareness.

The heart of the book is a discussion of what the author describes as "Destiny-Cause-Calling": WHY are we here, how will we BE, and what will we DO? Secretan offers a step-by-step process for undertaking this self-examination and producing a personal statement that can form the core of a personal leadership style.

The author suggests ways to ensure that all three elements are aligned, and how to lead by serving others. It is only through a relentless emphasis on inspiring others, Secretan believes, that we find success and fulfillment at a personal level.

One clear characteristic of this and other works by the author is that they are not "over-researched". Facts and figures are used to emphasize concepts, not produce them. For this reason, much of Secretan's work comes across differently from so-called "scholarly" works on the topic of leadership.

The approach in Inspire! is to arrive at personal view of leadership from the inside-out, based on an authentic, heartfelt calling. Most readers will find this approach more challenging than models which attempt to present leadership as an intellectual exercise. Patience and persistence are prerequisites for getting the most out of this book. The content can also be used as a framework for personal coaching.

Inspire! led me to new insights about my life and career, and affected how I approach both. I suggest that readers new to Secretan's work read this book in conjunction with his recently-released "ONE: The Art and Practice of Conscious Leadership."

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What leadership is all about

This is the first thing I have ever read by this author, but INSPIRE: WHAT GREAT LEADERS DO by Lance Secretan will not be the last. This is leadership for the 21st century.

I learned some new terminology here, such as "higher ground leadership" (leading by serving) and "old story leaders" (Jack Welch types who rule with an iron fist and focus solely on the bottom line).

Much of the focus here is on expanding the mission statement. By that I mean, Secretan teaches creating 3 separate statements; destiny, cause and calling. Call it what you want, but the truth is, we all need something to guide us and maintain our focus. As Yogi Berra said, "If you don't know where you're going, you'll end up someplace else."

I particularly liked the content here about how convoluted and unproductive (and uninspiring) corporate mission statements tend to be. They are all pretty much the same; main focus being a few patronizing remarks to attract shareholders, a quick statement about teamwork, and just for good measure, something about how important our customers are. There's just not a lot there to inspire anyone. I have long maintained, if your corporate mission focuses on building customer loyalty, your employees will perform better, your NOI will go up and your shareholders will be happy. Use your financial statements and analytical tools to attract shareholders, not your mission statement.

Anyone would benefit and learn from this magnificent work, but CEO's in particular. Unfortunately, the smattering of existential eastern philosophy will turn off many CEO's. Let that be their loss, not yours. Read this book.

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A Soulful Jump Start

As a life purpose and career coach, speaker, facilitator and workshop designer, I'm always on the lookout for new reference material for my clients. But this book gave me new reference material for my own personal development. The definitions Lance Secretan provides for destiny, cause, and calling have given me new understanding of my own purpose, along with new language to spur transformational conversations within the workplace. I can't speak highly enough about the value of the concepts in this book to the healing of our corporate leadership.

Review of "Inspire..."

Within 5 pages of beginning my reading of "Inspire...", I was enthralled. Lance writes so eloquently and powerfully of a way of being in corporate life (and life in general) and how each of us can impact positive change as leaders in our individualized way. Want to make a greater difference in your life's circle? Read, read, read this book!

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3

A top business consultant and speaker lights the path to a positive, productive work environment
What do the best leaders do to achieve greatness in the modern workplace that is muddled by fear, pressure for productivity, overwork? Inspire! offers business leaders a clear vision of what a positive, productive, inspiring organization looks like in these challenging and chaotic times, and how to get there.
The key to extraordinary long-term performance lies in a transformational commitment to inspiring people rather than motivating them. Lance Secretan's Higher Ground Leadership concepts have been widely used to increase profits and quality, slash staff turnover, and achieve record organizational and personal performance. Inspire! describes Lance's breakthrough thinking, often in the words of the pace-setting leaders who are implementing them and building legacies. Countless examples, stories, and case studies demonstrate the magic of these brilliant ideas.
Six essential values form the foundation of positive, productive, and profitable organizations and a meaningful and fulfilling life-courage to begin the transformation; authenticity that lets people contribute all of themselves and excel; service that fosters a spirit of cooperation; truth-telling that builds trust and loyalty; love for others that leads to inspired results; and effectiveness, the attainment of results. Inspire! shows leaders in any organization how to foster these essential values that lead to personal and organizational greatness.
Lance Secretan (Alton, Ontario, Canada) is one of the world's foremost thinkers on self-improvement and leadership. He is an author, award-winning columnist, philosopher, corporate coach, and a renowned public speaker and business consultant. He served as chairman of the Advisory Board of the 1997 Special Olympics World Winter Games and is also a former ambassador to the United Nations Environment Program.

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