I love devouring books in the holiday season and I always carefully consider the books I purchase or ask for as gifts. Here are my top recommendations for leadership and management books. There are some old titles and some new ones, but they are all indispensable reads and should inform and inspire you.
1. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People – Stephen R. Covey
This was one of the first leadership and management books I ever read and since that first encounter, I have not stopped going back to it. Full of practical wisdom, the book takes you on a journey; setting a foundation that helps you win at a personal level before providing you with the tools you need to flourish as a leader. If you have not read this book yet then redeem yourself this Christmas and get a copy! The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People – UK The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People – US
2. Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don’t – Jim Collins
3. The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You – John C. Maxwell
John C. Maxwell is a prolific writer and there are several excellent books that I could list here but this is perhaps his classic work. His straightforward can-do approach to leadership is very appealing and his simple definition of leadership as ‘influence’ demonstrates that we are all leaders at some level and therefore should seek to develop our character and hone our skills to become the best leaders we can be. 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership – UK The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You – US
4. Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion – Robert B. Cialdini
Compelling and persuasive in its own right, Robert Cialdini’s famous work is a touchstone for people in marketing but considering Maxwell’s definition of leadership (that leadership is influence) this book is essential reading for every leader and manager. I guarantee that it will change the way you communicate and you will never see a sales pitch in the same way again! Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion – UK Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion (Collins Business Essentials) – US
5. The Decision Book: Fifty Models for Strategic Thinking – Mikael Krogerus and Roman Tschäppeler
This fantastic resource was a new purchase for me in 2012. The book may fit in your pocket but don’t let that fool you, it is a veritable treasure trove. It is made all the more attractive because the material is presented in simple, easy to access chunks so you can work your way through or just dip in whenever you need. Whether you decide to stash the book in your top drawer at work or keep it on your bedside table, make sure it is close to hand for when you want inspiration. The Decision Book: Fifty Models for Strategic Thinking – UK The Decision Book: 50 Models for Strategic Thinking – US
6. Making It All Work: Winning at the Game of Work and the Business of Life – David Allen
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If you want the right answers you have to start with the right questions
About The Right Questions
The Right Questions is for people who want greater clarity, purpose and success. There is a wealth of resources to boost your effectiveness in achieving goals, your leadership of yourself and others, and your decision-making.
Wherever you are on your journey, I hope that you find information on this site to help you on the next leg of your quest. Even if that is just the inspiration to take one small step in the right direction, then that is a success. If you can take pleasure in learning and travelling as you go, then so much the better.
I love to serve people, helping them unlock their potential, empowering them as leaders, and assisting them in achieving their goals. Please get in touch and let me know how I can support you!
When we set ourselves a goal, we want to stick to it. Equally, as a leader or manager, you have to effectively delegate tasks in order for your team to perform well and to achieve your aim.
But this is simpler in theory than in practice. Often a leader’s’ experience is that – even when you think you have delegated something effectively – you still encounter problems. People may keep coming back and bugging you with questions, or alternatively the task is not done on time, or the job is not completed to the right standard.
To help avoid these issues we can use the acronym ‘SMART’ when delegating work. SMART stands for:
Specific,
Measurable,
Attainable,
Relevant and
Time-bound.
This method is accredited to George T. Doran (who first described a version of the acronym in the November 1981 edition of Management Review) and since then the method has evolved to encompass various adaptations of the acronym including having an E (for evaluate) and an extra R (for re-evaluate) to create ‘SMARTER’ goals.
Let’s look at each one in more detail.
What a SMART or SMARTER task actually means
S – Specific
When you give someone a goal it needs to be specific. It needs to be clearly defined and unambiguous. Whether it is a large mission or a smaller task you need to express what success looks like.
Specific is the most useful word here but you could also substitute ‘significant’ or ‘stretching’ in here if you want to make a task more aspirational (such as a ‘BHAG’ – Big Hairy Audacious Goal – promoted by Jim Collins in Good to Great) or use it as a reminder to keep things ‘simple’ or ‘sustainable’.
M – Measurable
Next, the task needs to be measureable. In other words, it needs to be possible to track the progress of completion of the goal. If the task is a big one you might need to break it down into separate activities and set milestones to help monitor progress.
Having specified the goal and broken it down to measure it you have the fundamentals of a plan.
A – Attainable
It is good for goals to stretch us but the ‘A’ here makes us ensure that the task is attainable. We can be bold but the task needs to be achievable. A task can stretch a person or a team (this is healthy) but if you are asking the impossible of someone, it will quickly become de-motivational. As a leader, you set goals to help people grow, not to set them up for failure.
Therefore by asking this question we also consider whether the person in question is properly equipped and supported to achieve the task. If it is our goal then we need to reflect upon our readiness. As a manager, we should be checking that whoever we delegate to has the right training and resources to complete their work.
R – Relevant
The task needs to be relevant to the vision of the team or organisation. Ask yourself, does this piece of work take you a step closer to achieving your overall mission? It is in line with your values? If not you may need to redefine the task.
The work also needs to be relevant to the person you are delegating to. Are they the best person for the job? Is it part of their role and job description? Do they have the relevant skills and experience? Will they be developed by this task?
T – Time Dependent
Having to create a timeline makes you properly assess how long a piece of work should take. Considering time also makes you evaluate your priorities and any dependencies that one task may have upon another.
Deadlines also help to keep people accountable for finishing and stop a piece of work dragging on endlessly. The time element, as with everything else, should be set in agreement with the person you are delegating to so that you all ‘contract in’ to the parameters for the work.
E – Evaluate
Adding in the ‘E’ of ‘Evaluate’ is useful as it brings in the discipline of reviewing how well work has been done. It gives the opportunity for feedback; praise, constructive criticism and learning on behalf of the manager and worker.
For a larger goal you might want to consider these evaluation steps and plan them in along with your overall deadline. Make evaluation time dependent too.
R – Re-evaluate
Decision making and learning happen in a cycle. We recognise this by adding the re-evaluation step here. Re-evaluation is a continuation of the learning from the ‘Evaluate’ phase. Once you have identified lessons at the evaluation phase these should be incorporated in the next stage of the activity. This gives the opportunity to learn and improve as the task progresses.
For example, the first time around the deadline might not have been achieved or the person may have needed more support to achieve the goal. Once the task has been re-set and re-started then the results can be re-evaluated to identify improvement.
Set SMART goals and SMARTER tasks
Setting SMART goals helps us ensure that goals are actually achieved. It helps take the goal from an idea to a plan that we have committed to.
Equally the SMARTER approach provides a useful checklist and process by which both a manager and employee can agree upon the parameters for a task and be accountable for its outcome. Setting SMARTER tasks helps to build in the reviewing and learning from goals that if often forgotten or neglected.
So what is your next goal or task? Apply the SMART or model and make sure it happens!
If you want the right answers you have to start with the right questions
About The Right Questions
The Right Questions is for people who want greater clarity, purpose and success. There is a wealth of resources to boost your effectiveness in achieving goals, your leadership of yourself and others, and your decision-making.
Wherever you are on your journey, I hope that you find information on this site to help you on the next leg of your quest. Even if that is just the inspiration to take one small step in the right direction, then that is a success. If you can take pleasure in learning and travelling as you go, then so much the better.
I love to serve people, helping them unlock their potential, empowering them as leaders, and assisting them in achieving their goals. Please get in touch and let me know how I can support you!