Book Review #36
One of the unsung heroes of almost every Indian student's academic journey are textbook guides (at least during my times). They were trusted sidekicks in our never-ending battles against exams. These guides are similar to Cliff's Notes in the US or Jacaranda in Australia or Longman Singapore.
Fueled by copious amounts of chai and a heavy dose of last-minute desperation, these steroidal learning capsules, transformed clueless schoolkids and undergrads to exam-slaying ninjas 🏹😜
John Maxwell, the author of 'Good Leaders Ask Great Questions', has sold 24 million copies of leadership books but would have never imagined someone calling his book as a perfect example of a beautiful exam guide. In my opinion, if you have a leadership interview next week and you want to quickly brush up leadership concepts and best practices, I will strongly recommend you read this book. Primarily because John has intended this book to his book of books. Major part of the book is structured as responses to questions answered in a selfreflecting style making for an easy reading experience. So here are some major takeaways from this title
1> Before you attempt to set things right, make sure you see things right. The future belongs to the curious. The ones who are not afraid to try it, explore it, poke at it, question it, and turn it inside out
2> Good questions inform; great questions transform! Example, next time you meet a new person ask him/her "Whom do you know that I should know?"
3> Three questions people ask of their Leader: Can you help me? (competence). Do you care for me? (compassion). Can I trust you? (character)
4> Every Leader should have their own set of questions they ask themselves regularly. Here is John's own list
Am I Investing in Myself? (Personal Growth)
Am I Genuinely Interested in Others? (Motivation)
Am I Grounded as a Leader? (Humility/Stability)
Am I Adding Value to My Team? (Teamwork)
Am I Staying in My Strength Zone? (Effectiveness)
Am I Taking Care of Today? (Success)
Am I Investing My Time with the Right People? (ROI)
5> The Most Effective Daily Habit for Any Leader to develop and practice - Give more than you receive
6> You can be a leader no matter where you are. You don’t need a title or a position or even formal education. All you need is the desire to lead and a willingness to learn and ability to influence.
7> It is critical to discover your purpose. First you need to know yourself. Your unique purpose must be built on your strengths and aligned to your values
8> A person with a clear purpose will make progress on even the roughest road. A person with no purpose will make no progress on even the smoothest road.
9> Lead well long enough, and people will shift from giving you no credit, to giving you proper credit, to giving you too much credit
10> No job has a future. Only people have a future
I think you get the drift. So, when are you getting your copy?
#BookReview #Leadership #Purpose #Questions
