Note: The following review is of a leadership book that I requested from Harvard Business Review Press, which they kindly sent me.
”Leadership on the Line: Staying Alive through the Dangers of Leading” by Ronald A. Heifetz and Marty Linksy is a book that urges you to seize opportunities for leadership on an ongoing basis, in your everyday life and working environment.
More written like a novel and a page-turner than a "dry and technical" manual, the book discusses the beauty of leadership and its importance, but at the same time highlights some of the common pitfalls that a leader or manager should look out for, especially in times of great change.
Below are some of the many key points that the book covers of which I took to heart.
1. Look out for clues in your working environment
With lots of different case studies from the area of business and politics, the authors describe how to look for clues in your working environment to get a clear sense of when to push forward or when to pull back. These are clues that otherwise might go unnoticed and get missed entirely or simply being overlooked by a leader that finds himself/herself in a demanding work situation.
2. Observe your closest allies and take note of the signals
To me, the book paints the picture of a work place that is like a living organism, an organization when experiencing too much pressure and strain in one area, risks of breaking apart in a whole different part. Things can quickly take a turn for the worse when someone who's taking on a leadership position doesn't notice the worrisome signals coming from their closest allies due to the pressure they themselves are experiencing in conjunction with the work of change.
Here, the authors do a great job of shedding the light on something that otherwise can result in major negative consequences for someone who's in the forefront.
3. How to reduce the risk of getting emotionally injured
Another important part the authors bring to surface, is how to avoid getting emotionally injured when leading. Just by changing how you, as a leader or manager, interpret the reactions and feedback you’re receiving from your team and colleagues can save you lots of unnecessary emotional pain – here Ronald A. Heifetz and Marty Linksy provide a great deal of information on how to do that, drawing from their wealth of experiences working for themselves and with others.
4. Leadership isn't a one-person operation
An aspect in regard to leadership the book covers is that leading isn’t a one-person operation. Instead, it is of significant importance to seek out and have allies, but also to seek out and work closely together with your opposition. For leaders, these are crucial steps for navigating through the sometimes harsh waters they find themselves in.
5. Delegate – put the work where it belongs
A good trait of a leader, the authors tell us, is knowing when to step back and delegate in some work related situations and let those involved take full ownership – to put the work where it belongs so as to avoid the recurrence of the issue and instead get sustainable results and achieve progress.
In closing – a great investment
The book makes for lots of reflection besides gifting you with valuable tools for making your work as a leader a more fulfilling one.
”Leadership on the Line: Staying Alive through the Dangers of Leading” is well worth your time and investment if leadership is something you’re already involved with or aspiring to explore.
Like the authors tell us – there are opportunities for leadership presenting themselves every day in every walk of life. You just have to seize them!