What's Holding You Back?: 10 Bold Steps that Define Gutsy Leaders

ISBN: 0470639016

Author: Herbold, Robert J.

Condition: New

Quit hiding from tough decisions and learn to confront them head-onWhy do managers at all levels sacrifice corporate success by shying away from making the tough decisions? What's Holding You Back? reveals exactly why managers often hesitate to confront difficult issues-whether it's the absence of a perfect solution, the knowledge that no decision will please everyone, etc.-and, most importantly, how they can overcome these common managerial obstacles to maximize their company's success. What's Holding You Back? elucidates the ten core principles of confident leadership, outlining proven tactics by which managers can confront their inner wimp and highlight their inner courage. Features dynamic real-world examples from Apple, Microsoft, Porsche, IBM, Merck, Canon, Sony, Whirlpool, IDEO, Tesco, P&G, Target, 3M, and more Pinpoints the corporate failures that can result from hesitant or self-conscious organizations, and what managers can do to avoid them Clearly delineates how managers can cultivate and deliver accountable and decisive leadership, even during the toughest dilemmasWhat's Holding You Back? proves that practicing gutsy leadership is the key to operational and innovative excellence in the workplaceQ&A with Author Bob HerboldAuthor Bob Herbold What is this book about?With tough decisions, there is typically no ideal solution, only less-than-optimal options, each of which will disappoint some group of people. Whether its a lack of useful data or the need for a long-term perspective, these challenges often cause managers to delay. They want to avoid conflict. They worry too much about their careers. Sometimes they become very defensive and simply dig in and protect their current turf. Whats Holding You Back? discusses these human behaviors and provides managers with ten principles that constitute the kind of courageous leadership that generates greatly improved operational and innovative performance.Is it a question of changing ones personality?No. Everyone has their own style and mode of operation. Some are gregarious and some arent. Some are very analytical and some are very empirical. Some have tons of charisma and other little. The bold steps we discuss in the book dont depend on style; they focus on what you need to do, not how you do it.How can someone become a courageous leader?This book provides ten principles that you and your team should discuss regularly and grade yourselves on how you are doing. Employees who jump at the chance to implement these principles should be rewarded, and those who dont should be held back or moved to other assignments. As a leader, you are creating a culture based on ten simple, bold principles that are virtually guaranteed to lead to progress.Which is the most important principle?The first one: Develop a demanding game plan to confront reality. Being objective about the current state of things is the cornerstone of gutsy leadership. What are the things you clearly need to improve? Most managers, especially if they have been in their job for a while, convince themselves they are doing good work. Hence, what is the need for change? Why the urgency to do things differently? The great leader creates a culture that says, we are never done improving. We always need to look for the weak link and the new idea.Once I have a plan, what then?The other nine principles deal with various aspects of staffing, operational efficiency and effectiveness, and innovation. In leading the implementation of the plan, you need to clean up any sloppiness, duplication, complexity, and bureaucracy in the organization and demand accountability and decisiveness, not consensus. Innovation is spawned by seeking out key inflection points in technology and in your customers behavior (be they internal or external customers). Fresh ideas should be rewarded with public recognition.You mention staffing; why is it so critical?Whats Holding You Back? is all about change and the need to jump