What to Ask the Person in the Mirror: Critical Questions for Becoming a More Effective Leader and Reaching Your Potential Kindle Edition

This is a great, highly readable guide to becoming a better leader and manager, from someone who led major businesses at Goldman Sachs, has consulted with CEOs of companies in many different industries, and is now a professor of management at the Harvard Business School.From setting priorities, managing your time, succession planning, and providing feedback up and down the organization, this is a practical, "how-to" guide to managaging an organization of any size.Robert Steven Kaplan provides concrete examples of leadership and management problems form his own experience with manufacturing companies, professional servcies firms, invstment management organizations, and many others. Some require minor adjustments in style, others require a major change in attitude and style on the part of the leader. Many, but not all, have positive outcomes.The author recognizes that multiple different leadership styles can be successful. This is not a "do-it-my-way" prescription, but a series of questions and tasks to improve as a leader.In the end, Mr. Kaplan argues, the core task of a leader is to figure out what you believe and then have the courage to act on those beliefs. He also emphasizes that for leadership to be effective, the people inside the organization must have a fundamental belief that the system will treat them, and everyone else, fairly.

As I read this book, I found myself nodding in agreement, occasionally thinking, "that's obvious," and then - wow! - the far less obvious becomes apparent as the author shows, with clarity and no jargon, how the various elements of his advice fit together to profoundly empower us as leaders. Quite often, the truth of what Kaplan says made me wince, but in the same way as honest advice from a close friend is sometimes painful, but it is the advice which helps us grow, overcome our shortcomings, and become more powerful. Whether you are a CEO or a more junior leader, the advice here helps you think about issues, and how to confront those issues to great advantage. My guess is that this will become a classic because the author's thinking is so profound and based on such fundamental truths. The Sam Waltons and Tom Watsons and Steve Jobses of business, i.e., the most successful business leaders of all time, instinctively do what Kaplan lays out - - but what a huge help it is to have Kaplan there to articulate it all so incredibly clearly.

Read this book with a note pad and pen by your side . It has great references that you may want to revisit and having good notes will prove to be most valuable.

I plan to send copies to several business leaders I know. So often as leaders, we get caught up in the daily fire fighting and operational minutia that we fail to step back to make sure our time is spent effectively working toward achieving our vision be it for our businesses or ourselves. This book is full of practical questions to ask and easy steps to take that can make a signifcant impact on our effectiveness as leaders. My most significant take away has been to carefully select only 4-5 Key Priorities related to achieving your vision then to look at where you are spending your time on a daily basis. If the vast majority of your time is not spent on those Key priorities, how can you expect to get where you want to go. A seemingly simple approach, but how many of us actually consistently apply it?

A very through guide and experiential book about the leadership traits needed to evaluate and define your own leadership style

I bought this book because it was required reading for a promotion test. Its written pretty well and the concepts are useful, but the information really isn't anything new or innovative. On the bright side, it arrived very quickly and gave me plenty of time to read it before the test!

Excellent book and guidelines for any business executive who inspires be a better leader and make a better place to work.

Must read for anyone who wants to maximize his leadership capabilities!

Chegou antes do prazo definido e o conteúdo é muito bom para reflexão.

Second book I'm reading by Robert Kaplan and have found both to be completely game-changing. (the other one is called "What you're really meant to do"). This one is a must-read for all managers who are learning the ropes of running teams and companies and (I assume) is also a great guide for experienced leaders too to ensure they continue growing.The book is concise and well-written - at no point you are thinking that what's being said could be said in a much shorter format. All advice is actionable and coupled up with case studies that illustrate how the theory works in practice. I have personally implemented some advice from this book and have seen fantastic results.Steve Kaplan must truly be one of the wisest people in business and I love his fairly structured, but not overly theoretical and scientific approach to what ultimately is an art of good management. Could NOT recommend his work more.

Very good read... useful for new age leaders

One of the best leadership books I have ever read. Practical and pragmatic advice that provided clarity and direction to our organization that was Impactful. Provides a framework and tools that leaders can implement into their organizations that can become transformational.

Qu’est-ce qui distingue les grands leaders ? Est-ce un instinct naturel pour trouver les bonnes réponses face à un problème ? Ou un talent et un charisme innés, assortis d’une confiance en soi à toute épreuve ? Rien de tout cela, nous répond l’auteur, coach et professeur de management à l’université d’Harvard. Ce qui distingue les leaders d’exception, c’est avant tout la capacité à prendre du recul et remettre en question ses pratiques et ses convictions, en particulier en période d’incertitude ou de découragement.Loin d’avoir toutes les réponses, le leader authentique est celui qui a le courage de se poser les bonnes questions. Pour faciliter cette prise de recul, l’auteur définit un processus en sept étapes constituant chacune un domaine de leadership clé, sur lequel le dirigeant est invité à s’auto-questionner : définir une vision et des priorités stratégiques pour son entreprise ; allouer son temps en fonction de ces priorités ; donner et recevoir du feedback ; développer les talents clés pour préparer la relève ; aligner son modèle organisationnel sur les besoins clés de l’entreprise ; diriger par l’exemple ; et enfin atteindre tout son potentiel. Chacun de ces domaines de développement est appuyé par des cas concrets, des exercices à pratiquer et des questions clés à se poser.Sans être révolutionnaire dans son propos, cet ouvrage est un guide pratique précieux pour tout dirigeant souhaitant renforcer son leadership.