Leading so that People Will Follow

Citation

Barradell, T. (2013), "Leading so that People Will Follow", Industrial and Commercial Training, Vol. 45 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/ict.2013.03745daa.002

Leading so that People Will Follow

Leading so that People Will Follow

Article Type: Bookshelf From: Industrial and Commercial Training, Volume 45, Issue 4

Erika AndersenJossey-Bass (a Wiley Imprint)San Francisco, CA2012205 pagesISBN: 978-1-118-37987-5

Within a few sentences of the start of this book we have the proposition that “We have a deeply wired-in need for leaders who will guide us well and safely; who care more about the success of the enterprise than their own comfort; who call out our best and take full advantage of who we are”. The author, Erika Andersen, describes this as an “ancient, primal group survival mechanism”. She continues that the leadership skills required are “core, timeless attributes”. Although no evidence is presented, let’s go with flow at this stage.

The themes of the book come together from Andersen’s experience in both the corporate world and as a mother. As a mother, she often found herself reading bedtime stories and fairy tales to her young children. She began to notice the consistency of tales from across the world and of the cross-over between the stories and her business experiences. The attributes of the hero in the fairy tale were very often the same ones as she observed in successful business people with whom she worked.

So, after the explanation, the book starts with a composite “fairy tale”. I do not think I am giving much away by saying that the orphaned village lad, from humble upbringings, has various adventures and challenges and, overcoming all the odds, ends up with the beautiful princess.

This is used as the introduction to each of the next six chapters, in which one of the six key leadership attributes is discussed. The first, on farsightedness, is the longest, and sets the pattern for the following five chapters. Farsightedness is exemplified by one of the successful leaders from Anderson’s work with media professionals. Discussion follows, including the importance of the attribute and how to “be it”. We are then invited to assess ourselves against behaviours that demonstrate that we have this attribute.

Andersen extols the reader to keep a notebook as they go through the exercises in the book. She expands upon the behaviours, using further examples either from her own experience or from the general world of business. The chapter is rounded off with a useful summary.

A couple of additions to the patterns to note: the idea of the need to be a “fair witness” (i.e. if you cannot accurately self-assess you may need to ask others to assess you) and the importance of listening. Andersen gives us a “bonus section” at the end of the book – a summary of listening tips from one of her earlier books. She also suggests that the hero (i.e. leader) needs to find wizards, well-wishers and wildcards to help them on their journey to success.

As mentioned, the book is a neatly packaged leadership book, potentially useful for trainers or for the general reader. The attributes of leadership form a fairly standard set; the examples are fine (if US-centric); the suggestions for self-analysis and actions for improvement are sound. I can take or leave the fairy tale, but it does form a vehicle for Andersen to get across her message and it is not overused.

Tony BarradellTony.Barradell@insightpeople.com