Not bosses but leaders : how to lead the way to success

John Adair is a British leadership guru, having spent many years as a lecturer at the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst. I met him about 20 years ago when, as CEO of a textile company, I asked Adair's consulting firm to help me with the introduction of major organizational change. The book was required reading for all of the members of my management team; it is full of sound advice about the task of leading, which Adair differentiates from simply managing. Adair uses the three circle concept (team, task, individual) showing how each of these has to be addressed for effectiveness. Some quotes from the book that exemplify Adair's ideas: "Self-leadership comes before leading others. That means setting aims and objectives for yourself as well as high standards of conduct and communication ... A chief executive is like the conductor of an orchestra. One key test of his leadership is that the orchestra should know where it's going and play together ... Like a conductor, a chief executive needs "presence", not least because he or she stands on the boundary between the organization and its environment." I can testify that the techniques Adair advocates work in practice, and they are appreciated by participants. This is an excellent little book that could help both new and experienced leaders. "In todays̕ turbulent world, effective leadership at every level of an organization is essential. Leadership is not only about motivating people, it is also about providing clear goals and a sense of purpose that everyone in the organization buys into. One of the few books on leadership that can genuinely be called a 'classic', this pioneering work from leadership expert John Adair has transformed the understanding of how leadership works and how executives can become business leaders. Accessible guidance on exactly what you need to become a leader is presented in the form of a dialogue with a young business executive, who is soon to become a strategic leader. Each fundamental aspect of leadership is exposed and explained in a concise, lucid way.Not Bosses But Leaders will enable you to greatly improve your leadership skills. It is a book that doesnt̕ depend on historical models but springs from the day-to-day realities of management. It is the study of what a leader actually has to do." -- BOOK JACKET John Adair With Peter Reed. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [185]-186).