Kogan Page The Inspirational Leader: How to Motivate, Encourage and Achieve Success

Interesting reading

Used when I was working as it has some interesting tips and lots of insider information.

John Adair is described on the cover as 'the most distinguished figure in the field' (of leadership studies, The Sunday Times), 'the world's leading authority on leadership and leadership development' and 'one of the foremost thinkers on leadership' (Sir John Harvey Jones), so expectation is extremely high as you approach this book. It takes the form of Socratic dialogues between a junior CEO and the author. The book covers, most helpfully, the distinction between leadership and management, and this is perhaps the heart of the book. Leadership requires values and purpose beyond management skills, though the latter remain important.The book is in nine brief sections, each section is concluded with a very useful 'keypoints summary' and is worth the purchase price for these alone. The author begins with three basic approaches to leadership: qualities, what you are; situational, what you know; and functional, what you do. Later he adds a fourth, values, what you believe. Also important is the relationship of task, team and individual needs, diagramed as three overlapping circles. "Only things can be managed." This statement and its relation to practical wisdom is illuminating. Three great values are introduced; truth, beauty and goodness, in the context of understanding what motivates, or 'inspires' the human essence (spirit). Trust is considered at some length as a key way of drawing out the potential in people. A major motivating force is love.I have titled this review 'The Spirituality of Leadership' because of the book's extensive use of language such as belief, inspiration, spirit, love, hope, trust, truth, beauty and goodness, purpose and wisdom. It sets leadership in the larger context of life itself, and those who learn the lessons of this book will not only be leaders in business, industry, politics or education, but in the art of living.On a very minor note it would have been helpful in the notes and references to have sources and not just authors' names.

Very helpful, find interesting stuff in it.

So glad I chose this. I have never bought a used book but will always choose this option especially as it is as good as new & only needed for reference. Will leave anither review ince I've read the book.