Official Review: Leading Change From Within

[teacher_jane1]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Leading Change From Within" by Brian Strobel.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Leading Change from Within by Brian Strobel is a book about leadership. The book focuses primarily on developing leaders within organizations and companies. Strobel begins the book with the assertion that change is inevitable and the best way to manage the stresses that come with change is to lead the change, instead of simply waiting for it.

The book is geared specifically towards middle managers, and gives practical, thoughtful advice on developing management skills to lead and frame change within an organization. Strobel writes that change coming from middle managers avoids the two main problems with change: change from the top down, which can be dictatorial, and change from the bottom up, which can be chaotic. Change from the middle can be purposeful, forward-thinking, and organized.

Strobel insists that leadership is not simply something that occurs at work, and that developing leadership skills requires introspection and reflection on one’s personal strengths and weaknesses. He has an extensive section on the importance of beliefs and values, personality assessments, and knowing one’s own leadership philosophy. Strobel’s approach to leadership starts in knowledge, both of oneself and of the organization. He advises people to hold up a mirror to themselves, then learn as much as they can about the systems in place in their workplace. After making their leadership philosophy clear to the people both above and below them, Strobel says it’s time to begin making value-adding changes.

This book is jammed with helpful diagrams, anecdotes, and practical thought-exercises to make the concepts on the page make sense. It’s a thoughtful book about dealing with an inevitable part of life—change—that focuses on equipping people to deal progressively with change, and to make sure that as much change as possible adds value to the organization, instead of detracting. It’s an optimistic and accessible book. Strobel has clearly done extensive research and study in the area of organizational management, as he frequently references other books and studies to compare and contrast with the content of his book.

I give this book 4 out of 4 stars. Anyone who has a position of responsibility in an organization would benefit from this book, especially if they’re frustrated. The book has a broader appeal, also, because of Strobel’s core conviction that change starts close to home. Anyone who sees inefficiencies or gaps in the way their community, their church, or their school runs would enjoy this book as well! They might find that after reading it, they’ve done more than make their organization a better place; they’ve probably become a better person as well.

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Leading Change From Within
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[amybo82]

I just finished a leadership training course through a professional development opportunity at my workplace. I think this book would be great to reinforce a lot of the things I learned in the course, as well as to teach me something new! This is a very good review! Thanks for sharing.

[teacher_jane1]

You really should read the book. It was jammed with fascinating stuff that I just couldn't cram into the review. I'll definitely go back to this one again and again. It would be great to revisit the concepts in this book periodically throughout one's professional life.

[Rachaelamb1]

Sounds like a great book! Thanks for reviewing.

[teacher_jane1]

Absolutely! Check it out if you're in any kind of management