Books on leadership

CMI regards leadership as an aspect of management that all managers need to display.  How that is manifested will depend upon the level within an organisation and the specific functional role. 

Good leaders and leadership can make a positive difference to a business’s performance and be vital as the economy emerges from recession.

 Here are some recent books from our management library to help you.  They are available for loan to CMI members.  Email us with your membership details and your postal address. to bookloans@managers.org.uk

And if you are interested in the latest thinking on management the CMI Management Book of the Year is worth a look at www.managementbookoftheyear.org.uk

Leadership plain and simple, Steve Radcliffe, Harlow, Pearson Education, 2010 The author’s model of leadership is presented. This is based around three key steps: 'future', which focuses on personal goals and ambitions; 'engage', which considers how to engage with others through building relationships; and 'deliver', which looks at how to deliver results and make things happen. Practical advice to help readers at all levels in organisations to develop their leadership ability and achieve their aims is provided. The book is written in an accessible style, key points are highlighted and summaries and quotations are included.

 Walking with tigers, Frank Furness, London, Piatkus, 2009        Success secrets gathered from top business leaders are shared in this book which is filled with proven and practical techniques and advice. Insights are presented on success in business and in life. The key elements of business success are broken down and each element is illustrated with stories, case studies and examples. The distinguishing features and habits of the top 20% of business leaders who achieve, no matter what the circumstances are investigated.

Leading in times of crisis, David L Dotlich, Peter C Cairo, Stephen H Rhinesmith, San Francisco Calif., Jossey Bass, 2009            It is claimed that today's leaders face unprecedented uncertainty, cost or performance pressures, and regulatory requirements. The authors draw on research and interviews with CEOs and senior executives to highlight a need for a new approach to leadership. They present their own ideas on 'whole leadership' as a practical model that encourages leaders to act in three areas that are described as essential for a future business: to rethink the business (or business model), connect with stakeholders and 'live the values'. Part One focuses on the challenge of the 'perfect storm' of complexity, diversity and uncertainty; part two is about navigating the three 'waves' of complexity, diversity and uncertainty; and part three is on developing whole leaders and teams. 

Clear leadership, Gervase R Bushe, Mountain View Calif., Davies Black, 2009     A shift from command and control in organisations towards more collaborative management structures began in the 1980s and 1990s and led to the development of a range of new organisational structures such as cross functional team working, de-layered organisations and networked organisations. However, these have not lived up to their promise and it has proved difficult to sustain collaborative working in organisations. The author suggests that this is largely due to what he calls ‘interpersonal mush’. The clear leadership model is presented as a set of leadership skills that can be used to address this problem and which addresses the two problems of collaborative working involving the nature of experience and sense making. The skills of clear leadership: self-awareness, descriptiveness, curiosity and appreciation are introduced and described.

All you need to know about leadership and the eleven roles of the leader, George Krasker, Bloomington Ind., Author House, 2008      Aimed at leaders, the author explores various different facets of leadership which include: the value of leadership; leadership styles; power and authority; and followership. Leadership behaviour is also explored and is presented as eleven distinct roles. These include the challenger; the transformer; the communicator; the delegator; the self-manager; and the coach. Further leadership attributes are discussed in addition. A distinction is made between the concept of management and leadership, as well a consideration of leadership myths, and the notion of leadership within the home. Styles of leadership are examined in relation to decision making and problem solving.