(Anthony Gell, Piatkus, £12.96/£6.99 e-book)
There are so many books being published on leadership that it makes the market for whimsical romantic novels look positively moribund. Whether that’s indicative of the fact we all want to be leaders, or a damning judgment on the quality of those in charge, is a moot point. Gell, a British management guru and regular on the speaking circuit, boldly claims to have written the “definitive resource” on the topic, curating the collected wisdom of CEOs, thinkers and psychologists across 38 fast-moving chapters.
The roll call he’s assembled might just about justify the hyperbole: from Terry Leahy and Stuart Rose to Tom Peters and Daniel Goleman, some of the biggest names in business make appearances here, though some are more fleeting than others. But does that add up to anything groundbreaking?
The big idea
Leaders enable themselves first and others later, a bit like the protocol for fitting oxygen masks to small children on aeroplanes. But they are fundamentally unselfish: as Richard Branson points out to Gell, that’s why Facebook asks its staff “does Facebook care about you?”
Altruism is just the first of many qualities Gell outlines. As Southwest Airlines’ founder Herb Kelleher tells him, leaders go and get things done rather than fiddling about with a ‘strategy’. From Greg Dyke, he learns the power of being one of the people – never walk past the receptionist without saying hello, says the former BBC man – while Microsoft’s Philippa Snare shows him how leaders begat future leaders by uncovering the passions of their team.
There are acute observations among the relentless barrage of ideas: from the overlooked importance of customer experience to the way being enthusiastic when you speak can obviate the need for a costly vocal coach. Gell focuses a lot on the day-to-day execution of business as well as the big ideas. But some of the most intriguing insight comes via Goleman, who liberally sprinkles neuroscience wisdom.
Does it work?
Inevitably, the most powerful parts of the book come when Gell lets leaders speak, and The Book of Leadership arguably would benefit from more of it. The author’s own voice can be overly matey and occasionally grating. In places, the message can be simplistic (“to achieve your goals, you should never be non-committal”) and if you’re looking to define the best model of leadership, you’d be better off elsewhere: by turns, Gell and his cohorts urge us to be collaborative, visible, consensual, charismatic and quiet. It’s best, perhaps, to let the book wash over you rather than see it as definitive – somewhere inside, there’s a nugget that will speak directly to you.