Launching a Leadership Revolution: Mastering the Five Levels of Influence
by Chris Brady & Orrin Woodward
Published by Warner Business Books
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Reviewed by Al Olsen
Launching a Leadership Revolution is a fast-paced, easy-to-read book on how to be a better leader. This is a great resource for anyone wondering if he or she is a leader, or wanting to learn how to be a better leader. These authors are extremely well-read, judging by the sources they pulled from in writing this book. There were quotes from Scripture and popular singer/song writer Jimmy Buffett; there were quotes from current authors like Andy Stanley and Zig Ziglar, and ancient philosophers Seneca and Socrates. The bibliography for the book is eight pages!
The book is roughly divided up into two parts. The first four chapters lay a solid foundation defining what a leader is; what a leader brings; what a leader does; and how a leader grows personally. By answering these aspects about leadership, Brady and Woodward then encourage the reader to join them in going up the five levels of influence that a leader can have. Each level is built upon the principles learned in the level below. The leader’s sphere of influence also goes from an addition model or a one-on-one relationship in level two, to a “mathematical description that can only be called a revolution” for a level five leader, where the leader develops leaders who develop other leaders.
Much of the book is written in short segments, so someone who would like to “redeem” his/her time and has only a few minutes could get something of value. I appreciated that aspect of the book. The authors also ended most of the chapters with a short historical sketch on various people, like the New England Patriots’ quarterback Tom Brady, or President Theodore Roosevelt.
Many times the authors talked about a good leader as one who desires to learn. One very memorable quote from the book:
“As the saying goes, ‘You don’t know what you don’t know.’ Additionally, what we do know we gradually forget. So if we don’t know what we don’t know and we’re forgetting what we do know, it would probably be a good thing to continue learning. That way we would at least know something!”
Armchair Interviews says: Recommended for leaders of all ages and levels.
Author’s Web site: http://www.ChristopherJamesBrady.com