Leadership insights, thoughts from lived experiences and readings
Last week I finished The Attributes: 25 Hidden Drivers of Optimal Performance by retired Navy SEAL commander Rich Diviney. In this thought provoking book, Rich argues the difference between Skills and Attributes in humans. Skills can be taught but attributes are more inherent and show up under conditions of uncertainty, challenge and stress. I recommend reading this book for anyone in… Continue reading The Attributes by Rich Diviney
I finished Liminal Thinking: Create the Change You Want by Changing the Way You Think by Dave Gray. Liminal thinking is the art of creating change by understanding, shaping and reframing beliefs. It is the in-between space that defines two things while at the same time being neither one nor the other. In this book the author talks about… Continue reading Liminal Thinking by Dave Gray
I finished Servant Leadership in Action: How You Can Achieve Great Relationships and Results by Ken Blanchard and Renee Broadwell yesterday. This is a collection of 42 essays from different leaders and coaches organized in 6 parts. Fundamentals of Servant LeadershipElements of Servant LeadershipLessons in Servant LeadershipExemplars of Servant LeadershipPutting Servant Leadership to WorkServant Leadership Turnarounds Some… Continue reading Servant Leadership in Action by Ken Blanchard
Last week I finished The Art of Leadership: Small Things, Done Well by Michael Lopp. I read his Managing Humans recently and joined his leadership channel in slack that has more than 15 thousand members. In 30 articles borrowed from his long running blog Rands in Response and divided equality for line managers, directors and executives in topics, he tells us… Continue reading The Art of Leadership by Michael Lopp
Last week I finished another of Patrick Lencioni's book - The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive: A Leadership Fable. In this early book (written even before Five Dysfunctions of a Team) the author emphasizes on why organizational health is the ultimate differentiator between a successful and failed business as well as how to achieve that. Organizational health… Continue reading The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive by Patrick Lencioni
This week I finished The Secret: What Great Leaders Know and Do by Ken Blanchard and Mark Miller. I was interested to read this book as I recently read Mark Miller's The Heat of Leadership and The Secret of Teams. I am also a big fan of Ken Blanchard's One Minute Manager. This a fantastic business fable involving a struggling leader Debbie Brewster discovering… Continue reading The Secret: What Great Leaders Know and Do by Ken Blanchard and Mark Miller
I finished another good business fable last week, The Heart of Leadership: Becoming a Leader People Want to Follow by Mark Miller. This is an amazing leadership book that I strongly recommend. It was very fitting that Patrick Lencioni wrote the forward of this book. In this business fable the author talks about foundational leadership characters. Characters, which… Continue reading The Heart of Leadership by Mark Miller
I am very keen in deepening my understanding about engineering leadership for fast growing tech companies. This is very relevant to my current company where I am working as a Sr Engineering Manager. I often share my thoughts, new learnings, leadership puzzles that is confusing me currently in my social media networks. As a result… Continue reading Good Leadership and Management Books
Earlier this week I finished another good book from Management Guru Patrick Lencioni - The Five Temptations of a CEO: A Leadership Fable. In his customary style, Patrick brings out the inner conflicts of the CEO of a San Francisco based company which many struggling CEOs experience. A temptation may be understood as a personal moral failure that… Continue reading The Five Temptations of a CEO by Patrick Lencioni
Yesterday I finished First, Break All The Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman from Gallup Organization. This is a good book that managers at different levels should read. This may turn out to be a bit heavy for entry level managers but may be not. The reason I mention it… Continue reading Book Review: First, Break All The Rules by Marcus Buckingham
Today I finished Ashlee Vance's biography Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future. Needless to say, it's fascinating and thought-provoking. In this biography, the author remained true to his readers and didn't let Elon control the content. He interviewed Musk regularly along with people close to Elon to present the reader an… Continue reading Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance
A leader is best when people barely know he exists. Of a good leader, who talks little, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say, “We did this ourselves". - Quote from Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu
Thoughts & Moments 