John C. Maxwell

Packed with lots of good information, "Leadership is the ability to obtain followers" was a key takeaway for me.

The five levels of leadership I found particularly valuable:
1. Position - keyword: rights - people follow you be use they have to.
2. Permission - keyword: relationship - people follow you because they want to.
3. Production - keyword: results - people follow you because of what you have done for the organisation.
4. People development - keyword: reproduction - people follow you because of what you have done for them.
5. Pinnacle level - keyword: respect - people follow you because of who you are and what you represent. This level goes beyond your org and most people don't get to this level.

Some other good pearls of wisdom:
- A good attitude and proactive approach has a large influence to encourages others.
- The best solution to guard against becoming a complainer is to cultivate gratitude.
- Exceed expectations.
- Challenge every assumption. Ask hard questions.
- Adopt a servant leadership approach. Measure your success by how much value you add to others.
- Be clear about your vision; this can help guide you and others. A picture can be useful to better communicate this and a bright future.
- Consistency establishes your reputation. Improvement is possible only through consistent practice. Consistency provides security to others and reinforces your vision and values.

Some portions did drag on a bit but overall I found it to be a worthwhile read.… (more)