Product Description

CEOs, presidents, professors, politicians and religious leaders describe the best advice they received that most helped them become effective leaders.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1156196 in Books
• Published on: 2006-04
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 136 pages

Customer Reviews

Priceless Advice from 137 Top Leaders and Leadership Experts
Just this week, I got a nice e-mail from a 20 year-old college student who wanted to know what books I wished I had read when I was his age. As I answered his question (the Bible), I thought about how incredibly useful it would be to ask similar questions of those who are knowledgeable in various fields. That reminded me of Leadership--Best Advice I Ever Got.

Paul B. Thornton was inspired to develop this book after reading an article called "The Best Advice I Ever Got" in the March 21, 2005 issue of Fortune magazine. He contacted many leaders and leadership experts to find out their answers. Then, he compiled 137 responses in this fine book.

The advice in the book addresses important topics like:

1. What do you stand for?
2. What are your core values?
3. What is your mission?
4. What is your vision?
5. What is the best way to communicate?
6. What is the best way to influence others?
7. How can you enhance your presence?
8. What is a good leadership style for you?

Mr. Thornton kicks off the book with a definition of what leadership is: "Leadership is the process of helping individuals, teams, and organizations become more and achieve more than they ever thought possible."

"Leaders help people become more . . .
Confident
Principled
Knowledgeable
Skilled
Passionate
Determined
Integrated
Balanced

Leaders help people achieve more than success!"

To lead, he suggests that you have to have ideas, conviction, courage, confidence, decisiveness, connection skills, good communication talents, passion, enthusiasm, persuasiveness and an ability to execute.

Business CEOs quoted in the book include:

William H. Swanson, Raytheon
Klaus Kleinfeld, Siemens
Richard J. Faubert, AmberWave Systems
Anne Mulcahy, Xerox
Cordia Harrington, Tennessee Bun Company

Well-known authors quoted in the book include:

Bill Jensen, Simplicity
Robert Sutton, The Knowing-Doing Gap
Marshall Goldberg, The Art and Practice of Leadership Coaching
Margaret Wheatley, Leadership and the New Science
David Cottrell, Monday Morning Leadership
Oren Harari, The Leadership Secrets of Colin Powell
Ken Shelton, ghostwriter of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

The list is also seasoned with deans, people who have founded non-profit organizations, leadership coaches, sports coaches, professors and ordinary people with extraordinary insights.

In Part Three, Mr. Thornton summarizes his own advice on all of these areas to integrate the individual lessons.

Filled with enough epiphanies to transform almost every life on Earth, I highly recommend that you read, re-read and apply what you learn from this remarkable resource!