Review by Molz_20 -- The Leading Man

[Molz_20]

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Leading Man" by Stephen J. Blakesley.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Stephen J. Blakesley is a business executive who seeks to highlight essential skills needed to become a successful leader. In his non-fiction book, The Leading Man, he makes it clear that he has no intention of giving a new definition to a word “leadership” but rather he wants to simplify the ones that already exists. The definition he gives goes like this; leadership is “The process of influencing followers to join in the pursuit of a commonly held objective.”According to him for a leader to be able to influence his or her followers, it is important to communicate your vision clearly and know how to motivate them. He then points out it will be a challenge if one does not command a presence because no one will be interested in hearing what you have got to say.

Self-awareness seems to be the theme throughout this book. The author highlights the fact that a leader will have to be aware of where they are before embarking on the journey to being exceptional. And this journey is not going to be without obstacles but a leader must always find a “silver lining.”Based on his experience and research, there are six essential skills namely, presence, vision, communication, motivation, crediting, and emotional intelligence. One of these skills he believes it is crucial if one is going to be able to sustain leadership role. Do you have any idea which one could it be? The author unpacks the skills in detail including the most important one in this book and how you can use them to continually improve yourself in order to be exceptional.

I like and agree with the notion that there is value in lifting others up despite their mistakes. It is through those mistakes our true potential can be discovered and can excel in whatever we pursue. The book is well-edited. I have spotted no errors. The cover of the book is perfectly designed. Its simplicity makes it easy to tell just from the image that the book is about leadership.

This is a step-by-step instructional book that is easy to follow and understand. The young and upcoming professionals who intend to master the role of leadership will benefit from reading this book. Ordinary individuals and entrepreneurs who want to improve their leadership style can also read the book. Those who don’t like to read might appreciate the fact that they can be able to go through this book in one sitting because it is short. The downside is that there are topics I feel the author did not do justice to them such as, how the pitch of your voice impacts your ability or potential to earn money. It would have been interesting to hear how that works.

Based on the other books about leadership that I have read, this one is not elaborative enough as a result it lacked clarity on some topics. It left me yearning for more and therefore it deserves 3 out of 4. As for the topic of Amygdala Hijacking, I did not like it at all, maybe it is because I did not understand its relevance in one becoming a great leader. I would have preferred if he wrote more about moods. Overall the book is a great read with lots of educational information.

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The Leading Man
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[Saint Bruno]

Thanks for the detailed and insightful review. However, I don't think I want to read this book now.