![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.blackaby.net\/members\/files\/2010\/11\/truth-150x150.jpg\" "\\"truth\\"")
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(San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2010)<\/em><\/p>\n 197 pgs.<\/em><\/p>\n Kouzes and Posner have written a number of helpful leadership books over the years. Their seminal work is The Leadership Challenge <\/em>which lays out much of their thought. They wrote several other spin offs of this book including, Encouraging the Heart <\/em>which is a helpful book on how to encourage your followers; Credibility <\/em>which looks at leading with integrity; and A Leader\u2019s Legacy <\/em>which is a helpful study of how to lead so you have a lasting impact.<\/p>\n This new book, released in 2010, does not make a new contribution to the field. They acknowledge that after years of writing and speaking that people are always asking them, \u201cWhat\u2019s new\u201d in leadership (xiii). Their conclusion is \u201c. . .\u00a0 the content of leadership <\/em>has not changed much at all\u201d (xv). They acknowledge that even with the emergence of the Millennial Generation into the workforce, the essential role of leadership remains the same. The authors conclude that the same \u201ctruths\u201d concerning leadership they taught two decades ago are the same ones they are teaching around the world today. Thus they have written a summary of ten essential truths of leadership as a basic resource for those wanting to study leadership. Now I like a lot of what Kouzes and Posner say and I have read most if not all of their books, so for me, this book was an unnecessary read. They drew some of the same statistics and illustrations they used in previous works. The value of this book is for someone who has never previously read anything by these authors and who wants to gain a quick summary of their thought. It is also a helpful manual that covers important leadership truths in a more succinct manner than their larger Leadership Challenge.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/em>The ten truths delineated in the book are:<\/p>\n 1.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 You make a difference.<\/p>\n 2.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Credibility is the foundation of leadership.<\/p>\n 3.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Values drive commitment.<\/p>\n 4.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Focusing on the future sets leaders apart.<\/p>\n 5.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 You can\u2019t do it alone.<\/p>\n 6.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Trust rules.<\/p>\n 7.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Challenge is the crucible for greatness.<\/p>\n 8.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 You either lead by example or you don\u2019t lead at all.<\/p>\n 9.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The best leaders are the best learners.<\/p>\n 10.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Leadership is an affair of the heart.<\/p>\n They also reinforce the \u201cFive Practices of Exemplary Leadership\u201d which they first outlined in The Leadership Challenge. <\/em>They are:<\/p>\n 1.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Model the way<\/p>\n 2.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Inspire a shared vision<\/p>\n 3.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Challenge the process<\/p>\n 4.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Enable others to act<\/p>\n 5.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Encourage the heart.<\/p>\n They also refer to an ongoing survey they have taken for years in which they have asked employees what traits they most admired in their bosses. Perennially the most admired trait is \u201chonesty.\u201d<\/p>\n One of the distinctives of Kouzes and Posner\u2019s approach is that they do not have an elitist approach to leadership. They see leadership as something people do at every level of society when they choose to make a positive difference in their world. They share several stories of ordinary people, some quite young, who changed their world by following these ten truths. Much of the current leadership material is aimed at CEOs or top leaders whereas this book seeks to encourage everyone to lead in some fashion.<\/p>\n There are a number of helpful statements in the book.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople won\u2019t willingly follow you until they can see how they share in the future you envision\u201d (20)<\/p>\n \u201cAs a leader, you are expected to have a point of view about the future\u201d (23)<\/p>\n \u201cPeople want to be part of something bigger than themselves\u201d (38)<\/p>\n \u201cYou have to find your own true voice. You cannot speak in someone else\u2019s\u201d (39)<\/p>\n \u201cA positive difference can only be made by a positive leader\u201d (59)<\/p>\n \u201cWhat we have before us are some breathtaking opportunities disguised as insoluble problems\u201d (94)<\/p>\n \u201cTo be a leader you need to make something happen\u201d (98)<\/p>\n \u201cGrit is that firmness of spirit, that unyielding courage that is essential in dealing with challenge\u201d (99)<\/p>\n \u201cLeaders only have only tools at their disposal: what they say and how they act\u201d (107)<\/p>\n \u201cIf you want to be the best leader you can be, you will have to attend to your weaknesses\u201d (132)<\/p>\n Overall this is a helpful book. However, if you have read other books by Kouzes and Posner then you are wiser to invest your resources in material you have not read before.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" [rating:2] (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2010) 197 pgs. Kouzes and Posner have written a number of helpful leadership books over the years. Their seminal work is The Leadership Challenge which lays out much of their thought. They wrote several other spin offs of this book including, Encouraging the Heart which is a helpful book on how … <\/p>\n