Bootstrap Leadership
Bootstrap Leadership
50 Ways to Break Out, Take Charge, and Move Up
Edition: 1
Pages: 320
Publication Date: 03 May, 2010
Available in all formats
EPUB
ISBN:
9781605098289
PDF
ISBN:
9781605093475
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Leadership coach, consultant, and keynote speaker Steve Arneson, named one of the country's top 25 leadership coaches by Leadership Excellence Magazine, helps aspiring leaders overcome cutbacks in corporate training and "pull themselves up" the leadership ladder in 50 practical, tested tips.
Description
Leadership coach, consultant, and keynote speaker Steve Arneson, named one of the country's top 25 leadership coaches by Leadership Excellence Magazine, helps aspiring leaders overcome cutbacks in corporate training and "pull themselves up" the leadership ladder in 50 practical, tested tips.
Table of contents
- Cover Page
- Title Page
- Copyright Page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Foreword
- Preface
- Introduction
- Part One How Are You Showing Up as a Leader?
- Part Two Add Something New to Your Game
- Part Three Get Curious about the World Around You
- Part Four Step Out of Your Comfort Zone
- Part Five It’s Not about You
- Where Do You Go From Here?
- Figures
- Notes
- Acknowledgments
- Index
- About the Author
Review quote
“Steve Arneson knows what it takes to get the most out of your crew. His sensible and empowering advice is right for any leader navigating rough seas or calm.”
-D. Michael Abrashoff, author of It's Your Ship and CEO of Grassroots Leadership
“This book provides some of the best advice out there on personal leadership development today-useful, concise and powerful.”
-Kevin D. Wilde, Vice President for Organizational Effectiveness and Chief Learning Officer, General Mills
“This is a remarkable book. It is smart, practical, and inspiring. Don't miss this one!”
-Linda Dunkel, President and CEO, Interaction Associates
“A refreshingly simple approach to leadership development-if you want to take your game to another level, Bootstrap Leadership will show you the way.”
-Tom Mathews, Executive Vice President, Human Resources, Time Warner Cable
“This unique book provides a road map for all the hard work you have to do on your own-and let's face it, only you can truly raise your game as a leader.”
-Ted Forbes, President and CEO, Darden School Foundation
-D. Michael Abrashoff, author of It's Your Ship and CEO of Grassroots Leadership
“This book provides some of the best advice out there on personal leadership development today-useful, concise and powerful.”
-Kevin D. Wilde, Vice President for Organizational Effectiveness and Chief Learning Officer, General Mills
“This is a remarkable book. It is smart, practical, and inspiring. Don't miss this one!”
-Linda Dunkel, President and CEO, Interaction Associates
“A refreshingly simple approach to leadership development-if you want to take your game to another level, Bootstrap Leadership will show you the way.”
-Tom Mathews, Executive Vice President, Human Resources, Time Warner Cable
“This unique book provides a road map for all the hard work you have to do on your own-and let's face it, only you can truly raise your game as a leader.”
-Ted Forbes, President and CEO, Darden School Foundation
Excerpt
Introduction
CONGRATULATIONS ON THE DECISION to develop yourself into a more effective leader! You are about to embark on an exciting journey, one that will reward you with more knowledge, improved skills, and enhanced maturity as a leader. By picking up this book, you've decided to take charge of your own leadership development and, in the process, create your own personalized learning agenda. Given today's economic climate and pace of change, you can't wait for the organization to bring leadership training to you; you have to be willing to work on your own game. You can't rely solely on your boss for coaching and mentoring; you need to take charge of your own growth as a leader. And you certainly can't take just one class a year and consider that your development plan. No, you need a broader, deeper learning strategy and a customized plan of action. In short, you need to pull yourself up by your own bootstraps. And you need to do it now.
If You're Not Moving Forward, You're Moving Backward
We are living in extraordinary times. The world is becoming more complicated every day, and we are becoming increasingly reliant on one key ingredient, at all levels of business and society, to help us make sense of the complexities. That critical factor is leadership. Whether it's the relentless march of technology, global competitiveness, sustainability, or innovation, strong leadership has never been in greater demand. But you know this, because you're living it. You're on the front lines-connecting with customers, reducing costs, creating green strategies, and motivating and inspiring your employees. If you're a leader (at any level) in an organization today-whether a large or small company, a professional services firm, a school, or a nonprofit or government agency-you must continue to learn and grow or you won't keep up. No matter where you are, if you don't take charge of your development, who will?
Make no mistake: It's competitive out there, and one of the ways to stay ahead of the competition is to constantly develop your skills. Think of it this way: How would you like to come to work tomorrow with the same skills you had ten years ago? Most of us wouldn't last a day! As you're well aware, right behind you are plenty of bright, aggressive managers who would love to move up and take your place. If you're not willing to evolve as a leader, they certainly are. So what's it going to be?
The fact is, if you manage people or have a leadership role in your organization, you have to constantly add new capabilities to your toolkit. This isn't about maintaining the status quo anymore-things have changed. This is about you staying ahead of the curve and developing your leadership skills so you'll be ready for challenges that you haven't even dreamed of yet. This is about taking control of your own development and establishing your own leadership brand-one that says: “I care about becoming a better leader.”
What's Your Legacy?
Why lead at all? What's so remarkable about being a leader? There are many ways to contribute in this world that have nothing to do with leading people. While that's true, there's something magical about being the driving force that helps a group of people accomplish something extraordinary. My philosophy on leadership is that it's all about the people, not the task. Yes, you're trying to get stuff done; that's why the team or organization exists. But leaders don't lead buildings or computer systems or budgets; they lead people. For me, leadership is about helping others to be the best they can be.
In my coaching practice, I often pose this question to senior executives: “What do you want your legacy to be?” It's a popular question, yet many leaders struggle to answer it. Generally, if they have a response, it's something along the lines of, “Someone who got things done and took care of his people along the way.” OK, that's a pretty good answer. But unless you've invented something pretty amazing or orchestrated a big merger, no one's going to remember your specific results; what they will remember is what it felt like to work with you. Don't believe me? What were you working on five years ago this month? How about two years ago? Does that brilliant spreadsheet or PowerPoint presentation jump right to mind? How about this one: Who was your boss two years ago? Who was on your team two years ago? Easier to remember, yes? The fact is, most people will remember your leadership in visceral terms (what it felt like to work for you) rather than a list of your specific accomplishments.
Here's an illustration of what I mean. When I facilitate leadership development programs, I ask the participants to go through a “best boss/worst boss” exercise. I put the participants in small groups and ask them to share stories about the best boss they have ever had and how these leaders made them feel. Their answers are almost all about personal connections; how the boss challenged, coached, empowered, and enabled them to succeed. You can feel the positive energy in the room as people share stories of bosses who helped them grow and develop. The mood shifts, though, when they share stories of the worst boss they ever had; metaphorically, it's like a shadow has been cast over the room. I've heard some really depressing bad boss stories, and they mainly have to do with people being ignored, humiliated, or mistreated by their boss. The common denominator is clear: “They didn't care about me as a person.”
How do you want to be remembered by your direct reports? As one of their best bosses ever, or as the bad punch line in a “worst boss I ever had” story? It's up to you. Are you establishing a compelling vision and creating a winning strategy? Are you setting a high bar for excellence? Are you challenging your people to grow and develop? Are you delegating effectively, so you can spend your time leading as opposed to doing? Are you stretching your leadership across the organization? If the answer is “not as well as I could be,” then read this book. It will help point you in the right direction.
Improve Something Every Day
It is possible to get a little better each day as a leader. If you're willing to put in the time, you really can learn, practice, and apply new skills (or polish established ones) on a consistent basis. Your evolution as a leader never ends; you can always gain more wisdom, patience and maturity. You can always become a better listener or a more effective coach. And the more you grow, the more confidence you'll gain as a leader. As you gain confidence, you'll be willing to keep improving, and that will make you a more effective leader. Growth, confidence, effectiveness-now that's a winning formula that you can get excited about! You can do this; you can take your leadership to a higher level and, in the process, grow and develop your team, too. Start by taking the following self-assessment, and start putting together your own customized leadership development plan!
CONGRATULATIONS ON THE DECISION to develop yourself into a more effective leader! You are about to embark on an exciting journey, one that will reward you with more knowledge, improved skills, and enhanced maturity as a leader. By picking up this book, you've decided to take charge of your own leadership development and, in the process, create your own personalized learning agenda. Given today's economic climate and pace of change, you can't wait for the organization to bring leadership training to you; you have to be willing to work on your own game. You can't rely solely on your boss for coaching and mentoring; you need to take charge of your own growth as a leader. And you certainly can't take just one class a year and consider that your development plan. No, you need a broader, deeper learning strategy and a customized plan of action. In short, you need to pull yourself up by your own bootstraps. And you need to do it now.
If You're Not Moving Forward, You're Moving Backward
We are living in extraordinary times. The world is becoming more complicated every day, and we are becoming increasingly reliant on one key ingredient, at all levels of business and society, to help us make sense of the complexities. That critical factor is leadership. Whether it's the relentless march of technology, global competitiveness, sustainability, or innovation, strong leadership has never been in greater demand. But you know this, because you're living it. You're on the front lines-connecting with customers, reducing costs, creating green strategies, and motivating and inspiring your employees. If you're a leader (at any level) in an organization today-whether a large or small company, a professional services firm, a school, or a nonprofit or government agency-you must continue to learn and grow or you won't keep up. No matter where you are, if you don't take charge of your development, who will?
Make no mistake: It's competitive out there, and one of the ways to stay ahead of the competition is to constantly develop your skills. Think of it this way: How would you like to come to work tomorrow with the same skills you had ten years ago? Most of us wouldn't last a day! As you're well aware, right behind you are plenty of bright, aggressive managers who would love to move up and take your place. If you're not willing to evolve as a leader, they certainly are. So what's it going to be?
The fact is, if you manage people or have a leadership role in your organization, you have to constantly add new capabilities to your toolkit. This isn't about maintaining the status quo anymore-things have changed. This is about you staying ahead of the curve and developing your leadership skills so you'll be ready for challenges that you haven't even dreamed of yet. This is about taking control of your own development and establishing your own leadership brand-one that says: “I care about becoming a better leader.”
What's Your Legacy?
Why lead at all? What's so remarkable about being a leader? There are many ways to contribute in this world that have nothing to do with leading people. While that's true, there's something magical about being the driving force that helps a group of people accomplish something extraordinary. My philosophy on leadership is that it's all about the people, not the task. Yes, you're trying to get stuff done; that's why the team or organization exists. But leaders don't lead buildings or computer systems or budgets; they lead people. For me, leadership is about helping others to be the best they can be.
In my coaching practice, I often pose this question to senior executives: “What do you want your legacy to be?” It's a popular question, yet many leaders struggle to answer it. Generally, if they have a response, it's something along the lines of, “Someone who got things done and took care of his people along the way.” OK, that's a pretty good answer. But unless you've invented something pretty amazing or orchestrated a big merger, no one's going to remember your specific results; what they will remember is what it felt like to work with you. Don't believe me? What were you working on five years ago this month? How about two years ago? Does that brilliant spreadsheet or PowerPoint presentation jump right to mind? How about this one: Who was your boss two years ago? Who was on your team two years ago? Easier to remember, yes? The fact is, most people will remember your leadership in visceral terms (what it felt like to work for you) rather than a list of your specific accomplishments.
Here's an illustration of what I mean. When I facilitate leadership development programs, I ask the participants to go through a “best boss/worst boss” exercise. I put the participants in small groups and ask them to share stories about the best boss they have ever had and how these leaders made them feel. Their answers are almost all about personal connections; how the boss challenged, coached, empowered, and enabled them to succeed. You can feel the positive energy in the room as people share stories of bosses who helped them grow and develop. The mood shifts, though, when they share stories of the worst boss they ever had; metaphorically, it's like a shadow has been cast over the room. I've heard some really depressing bad boss stories, and they mainly have to do with people being ignored, humiliated, or mistreated by their boss. The common denominator is clear: “They didn't care about me as a person.”
How do you want to be remembered by your direct reports? As one of their best bosses ever, or as the bad punch line in a “worst boss I ever had” story? It's up to you. Are you establishing a compelling vision and creating a winning strategy? Are you setting a high bar for excellence? Are you challenging your people to grow and develop? Are you delegating effectively, so you can spend your time leading as opposed to doing? Are you stretching your leadership across the organization? If the answer is “not as well as I could be,” then read this book. It will help point you in the right direction.
Improve Something Every Day
It is possible to get a little better each day as a leader. If you're willing to put in the time, you really can learn, practice, and apply new skills (or polish established ones) on a consistent basis. Your evolution as a leader never ends; you can always gain more wisdom, patience and maturity. You can always become a better listener or a more effective coach. And the more you grow, the more confidence you'll gain as a leader. As you gain confidence, you'll be willing to keep improving, and that will make you a more effective leader. Growth, confidence, effectiveness-now that's a winning formula that you can get excited about! You can do this; you can take your leadership to a higher level and, in the process, grow and develop your team, too. Start by taking the following self-assessment, and start putting together your own customized leadership development plan!
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