The Book Every Leader Needs To Read

Pages & Pages of Mentorship

48 Authors

• Publisher: Tracey McDonald Publishers
• Year: 2021
• ISBN:
  9781776260973
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Leadership
• Index: Business

For our world to survive, and thrive, we need people who can lead the way to a better future for everyone, be that in corporate, government, or society in general.

What we need is great leadership, not mediocre leadership, and an attitude of ever-learning, growing and developing. Business leaders have a financial and moral obligation to uplift the people of this country. A narrow focus on profit won't achieve that, but a culture that puts people first can.

We need ethical leaders, visionary leaders, empathic leaders, courageous leaders, forward-thinking leaders, transformational leaders, human-centric leaders, purposeful leaders, curious leaders.

This book is the antidote to the lack of mentorship, and is the resource for the saying: When the student is ready, the teacher will appear. Incorporating the collective leadership wisdom for both the leaders of tomorrow and for the leaders of today, The Book Every Leader Needs to Read is full of lessons, insights, pep talks, advice and direction for building your own style and approach to great leadership, and not shy away from the ecstasy (and sometimes agony) of becoming a significant leader.

If you are striving for excellence as a leader, get your pen and notebook ready, start reading and make notes from the thousands of hours of lived experiences, and list what you can start doing, right now, to craft the art of leading.

BE THE BLACK FRIDAY SPECIAL THAT NOBODY CAN RESIST

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By Brent Spilkin (affectionately called Spillly with 3 Ls)

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In this chapter I will explore how particular psychological factors play important roles in the characteristics of business leaders and how they affect the decision-making processes in the running and leading of their businesses.

PART 1 – EMBRACING THE INNER IMPOSTER

I find a number of my clients face imposter syndrome, and deal with it on a regular basis. This cognitive bias affects the way people perceive themselves, their skills and their abilities in a negative light – which is why using it as a tool or weapon, rather than a deterrent, can go a long way in creating a strong, Herculean leader.

WHAT AM I DOING HERE?! SURELY I’M NOT THAT GREAT?

Like with the majority of psychological or sociological biases that are present in the world around us, there’s always a spectrum to consider. Some people sit on the deeper end of the spectrum with all of the features included in that diagnosis; some are closer to the middle, with only a few; and some are on the shallow side, with one or two of those patterns.

Not everybody has the most severe case of imposter syndrome, but many will certainly resonate with a number of the key attributes that have to be dealt with.

In short, this bias refers to the belief of not being good enough to have the skills, talents and abilities necessary to do a great job in their respective field, regardless of the achievements, praise and positive feedback that they may receive; viewing themselves as fraudulent and carrying the belief that they shouldn’t be as successful as they are, even when they are so adept at doing what they do.

This can certainly be a scary experience or feeling to have, as it can cause damage to their self-image and take away from the motivation that got them to that influential position in the first place.

If you’re someone who deals with something similar, you shouldn’t be alarmed; it is a defence mechanism that attempts to protect you from the unknown. It’s your mind telling you that you’re better off in the comfort zone, free from risks or potential danger – simply, your fight or flight response being kicked into overdrive.

It’s common to find that people with this sense of ‘imposterism’ often have stronger empathy and a great deal of humility, as they care about the opinions and well-being of others first, and will often distance themselves from their ego and pride.

This doubt in their ability to succeed in leading teams, gathering new clients, asking for more money when it’s deserved, or even launching that new and exciting business, is a bias that should be worked on to reap better outcomes.

UNDERSTANDING THE BARRIER IN ORDER TO BREAK IT DOWN

By understanding that you might have imposter syndrome, you’re able to take the necessary steps towards slowly removing some of the obstacles that are impeding you from achieving all the great feats you’re capable of.

With lists of resources (especially online) that will help you chip away at that barrier to your success, you will most definitely find ways to ease your conscience and make a powerful impact, while still remaining true to yourself.

Some of the best recommendations are to:

•Separate your feelings from the facts, by acting logically and rationally towards situations, rather than emotionally;

•Condition yourself to respond in a more optimistic way to any failures or criticism that you might face;

•Adapt and learn from mistakes instead of harbouring them;

•Not seek external validation as it often does more harm than good. Find other measurement methods that prove that you are doing a great job and keep at it.

Having a bit of imposter syndrome isn’t a bad thing. Adopt the positive attributes that it offers you. Weave it into your personal philosophy and try your best to not be overcome with damaging self-reflection – especially when you are as remarkable as you are. Remind yourself that nobody is perfect, bulletproof or without their own faults and failures.

The people around you, and also your business, will be highly appreciative of the fact that you’re making the effort to find peace and fulfilment in yourself, rather than being at war with your own thoughts.

PART 2 – AUTHORITY SYNDROME

Have you ever had the motivation, courage and determination to be highly creative and have put your idea or concept out there, only to be riddled with anxiety that nobody will see or hear it – or even worse, not care, at all?

By taking note of how the imposter syndrome and one of its closest counterparts, creative anxiety, both work, I’ve come up with a blended form of the two, which I call authority syndrome.

Noticing it in particular clients that I work with, and even in myself, this interesting cognitive bias leaves you in fear of not being recognised for a creative endeavour that you’ve put out into the world.

‘IF A TREE FALLS IN A FOREST …’

There’s an interesting philosophical thought experiment that questions human perspective and existence: ‘If nobody knows it’s there, or that it happened; does it even exist?’

In looking at the authority syndrome, I’ve often found myself in fear, wondering whether or not anybody will even see, recognise or pay attention to some of the creative ambitions and endeavours I want to put out for the world to engage with.

Even with enough confidence and motivation to create content, generate ideas and formulate concepts, I find that a sense of anxiety follows the desire to put it out there for display – not necessarily because it won’t be good enough, but that nobody will even care to engage with it, or worse, be totally unaware of its existence.

The desire for such recognition is rooted in all of us and social media proves this through our dependency and need for engagement through likes, comments and shares. A clear distinction emerges between the comfort that comes with creation and the reluctance that comes with putting it out there.

Nobody wants to deal with the harrowing silence that might follow all of the hard work and effort one puts into something so close to their heart, especially when countless hours and love are invested in that process.

FIGHTING A LACK OF SELF-BELIEF

Both imposter and authority syndromes come from a deep-rooted lack of self-belief. While imposter syndrome has you convinced that your voice does not matter, authority syndrome has you believing that your voice does matter, but that nobody cares and there is no real point in even bothering to make use of it.

And as with all biases: they’re simply different forms of psychological self-defence mechanisms that try to protect and prevent you from the inevitable unpredictability that life can present you. Safety and security become a necessity, so our minds work to protect us from any potential threats or danger to our mental well-being.

It’s a difficult and painstaking process to deal with mentally, but it is important to remember who the common denominator is: Yourself.

You are the common thread in those thinking processes and need to be self-aware of the contradictory fact that you believe you matter one day, but don’t believe it the next day. You are in possession of the power to break that vicious cycle.

Growth isn’t about resources, but rather resourcefulness and by taking the decision to grow, rather than struggle, you’ll find success in seeking ways to create a base of fans and interest inside and outside of your business. By understanding the psychology behind how, what and why you do things, you won’t only have insight about yourself, but insight into those who you work with and have in your business.

You can’t please everybody and by finding acceptance in the fact that there will always be people who criticise the work that you do, everything becomes a lot easier. In order to build something of value, you have to trust yourself to put out the hard work and energy, regardless of whether or not it’s seen, heard, criticised or loved.

By learning how your thoughts and emotions operate, you’re granted the ability to see that you’re not alone in dealing with the tumultuous environment where your powerful mind can often abandon you.

You can carry these psychological insights through to the way that you motivate your employees; in hiring the right people; negotiating contracts with clients effectively; improving your and your staff’s performance, leading in better ways; and achieving your goals far more effectively.

Aristotle’s wise words echo through the a...

Table of contents

• TITLE PAGE
• IMPRINT PAGE
• DEDICATION
• TABLE OF CONTENTS
• PURPOSEFUL, CURIOUS AND COURAGEOUS LEADERSHIP IS MISSION-CRITICAL
• MADE, NOT BORN
• THREE ORGANISING SIGNALS: CRISIS, CHALLENGE and CAUSE
• 20/20 LIFE LESSONS
• WHAT’S MISSING?
• IT’S THE BALANCE OF LEADERS AND FOLLOWERS THAT MAKE WORKING TEAMS EFFECTIVE
• WHAT I WISH I KNEW WHEN I STARTED OUT
• DO MORE THAN IS NECESSARY
• LEARN THEIR LANGUAGE. ENTER THEIR WORLD
• THOSE WHO TELL THE BEST STORIES MAKE THE BEST LEADERS
• DON’T BE AFRAID TO FLY
• SHARED VALUES, NOT ONLY SHARE VALUE
• THE ART OF GIVING THE SFW
• BACKING THE JOCKEY: LEADERSHIP SUCCESS IN START-UPS
• THE ESSENCE OF LEADERSHIP IS TO SOLVE
• REFRAMING LEADERSHIP THROUGH CREATIVITY
• FIND YOUR VOICE
• BE THE HERDER
• HELP WRITE HISTORY
• GIVE YOURSELF PERMISSION TO BE SUCCESSFUL
• A RESPONSIBILITY AND AN OPPORTUNITY
• LEADING A SCALING BUSINESS – MY JOURNEY FROM DISASTER TO FLOWCODE
• LEARNING TO BE OTHER-CENTRED
• JOIN ME ON THE BALCONY
• PERSONAL ADAPTABILITY FOR LEADERS
• BE THE BLACK FRIDAY SPECIAL THAT NOBODY CAN RESIST
• WE GET TO CRAFT THE STORY. WHAT WILL IT BE?
• CULTURENEERING
• THE TRANSFORMATIVE LEADER
• YOU WILL HAVE BAD DAYS
• BE THE LIGHT SWITCH
• PLAY YOUR MUSIC FROM WITHIN
• THE PERSON YOU ARE TODAY IS A MANIFESTATION OF THE DECISIONS YOU MADE YESTERDAY
• THE TALLER A TREE GROWS, THE HARDER THE WIND BLOWS
• ATTRIBUTES OF LEADING IN THE 21st CENTURY
• HAVE AN OPTIMISTIC WORLD-VIEW LENS
• LEADERSHIP – CONTEXT IN A TIME OF TRANSITION
• SET THE PULSE
• THE KING
• LEADERSHIP STARTS WITH SELF-MASTERY
• GUIDING PRINCIPLES [developed over thirty-five years]
• A LEADER’S JOB IS NEVER DONE
• DECLUTTER
• CHART THE COURSE, STEER THE SHIP
• DON’T FORGET TO LOOK IN THE MIRROR FOR A SELF-CHECK
• CONSISTENCY, CONSISTENCY, CONSISTENCY
• BE HUMBLE. BE HUNGRY. BE SMART.
• LEADERSHIP LESSONS I HAVE LEARNED AS AN EDUCATOR
• A COUNTRY AND A SOCIETY IN WHICH EACH OF US CAN BE BETTER
• APPRECIATIONS
• ANOTHER TITLE IN THIS SERIES
• ENDNOTES