You Don't Need a TITLE To Be a Leader
by Mark Sanborn
Published by Currency Doubleday
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Reviewed by Bob Pike CSP, CPAE-Speakers Hall of Fame
Leaders get things done. And in this book, Mark Sanborn, a past president of the National Speakers Association and a member of the Speakers Hall of Fame, shows how everyone can get things done.
His opening story of understanding the motivation for behavior makes an impact. One person wanted assurance that successfully completing a task would lead to a significant reward: a desired title.
The other was willing to take the task on because it added value and made a difference. Both equally qualified, but the motivation or heart of one made the difference. The one willing to serve got the opportunity and the rewards that followed.
Leadership is influence, and through powerful stories, Sanborn shows how to develop the power of self-mastery, focus, relating to others, persuasion, execution, and giving. The strategies are simple, but the stories help create the emotional connection in one's own life to master the principles personally.
Sanborn also demonstrates the mastery of power phrases and comparisons. At least three times in the book the reader will wonder which column they most fall in. For example, when looking at communication Sanborn makes these comparisons:
Other tell -- Leaders sell
Others impress -- Leaders influence
Others try to be heard -- Leaders seek to be understood
Others explain -- Leaders energize
Others inform -- Leaders inspire
Others relay facts -- Leaders tell stories
So, where are you and I--and where do we want to be?
Armchair Interviews says: For the reader who wants to be a leader, a person of influence, this book is must reading.