The World's Best Book Summaries
What are some of the biggest leadership weaknesses? How can you avoid them to more effectively manage your company and increase its success? Leadership weaknesses range from being egotistical to being in denial, and almost all of the most common ones have to do with having a fixed mindset. Learn why even the biggest names in business fail when they demonstrate these leadership weaknesses.
Motivation is a well-acknowledged aspect of good management. What are Simon Sinek’s views on motivation? Does he have any thoughts on how to increase motivation in employees and inspire a team? We’ll cover Simon Sinek’s thoughts on motivation, from his book Start with Why. Then we’ll look at how success can actually be detrimental to an organization’s motivation, and how to keep motivation alive and your company on track.
What are Simon Sinek’s views on leadership? What does he think is the most important element of good leadership? Simon Sinek’s views on leadership center around establishing trust. We’ll cover why Simon Sinek believes good leadership creates trust within the business, and how to establish the trust necessary to be a great leader. Here’s Simon Sinek on leadership from his book Start With Why.
How did Lou Gerstner of IBM turn the company around? What key factors made Lou Gerstner one of the most successful CEOs in the world? Lou Gerstner was the CEO of IBM from 1993 to 2002. He took over IBM at the request of the board of directors, who realized the company was in trouble, and turned the company around. We’ll cover the lessons Lou Gerstner can teach you about leadership and the most important qualities for a successful leader.
What can we learn from the ousted CEO of Scott Paper? How did Albert Dunlap’s fixed mindset hold his company back, and how can the rest of us avoid his mistakes? Albert Dunlap is the former executive of Scott Paper. He considered himself a hero and savior of struggling companies. We’ll briefly cover Albert Dunlap’s career at Scott Paper and examine why a fixed mindset is a bad quality in a leader. We’ll also look at the advantages of hiring with an eye for growth rather than talent.
How did Jack Welch of GE become one of the most successful CEOs in the world? What can we learn from Jack Welch’s growth mindset? Jack Welch was the chairman and CEO of General Electric from 1981 to 2001. His growth mindset helped increase the value of GE by 4,000%. We’ll cover the three lessons about leadership we can learn from Jack Welch of General Electric, and how these lessons are all tied to having a growth mindset.
What are the most common “bad boss” characteristics? Why are they so common? What do they have to do with having a fixed mindset? And are you guilty of any of these bad boss characteristics? We’ll cover the five most common bad boss characteristics to help you learn from the mistakes of other leaders (and perhaps feel better about the foibles of your own boss).
Helping employees deal with change in the workplace can be a tough challenge. It’s a truism that no one likes change, and people tend to panic. How do you help employees cope with change? An important role of managers is to lead employees who are uncertain about or fearful of change by painting a picture of success they can get excited about. (In other words, “Picture the new cheese,” from the parable Who Moved My Cheese.) We’ll cover the advice of the parable of change, Who Moved My Cheese, and look at how to more easily help employees deal with
What are the causes of groupthink? How is groupthink related to having a fixed mindset? Is there any way to avoid or prevent groupthink? Groupthink is a term popularized in the 1970s for situations where everyone thinks alike. No one disagrees, raises issues, or criticizes. A drawback of a fixed mindset in CEOs and organizations is groupthink. It can lead to disastrous decisions. Learn why, and if there’s any way to avoid groupthink.
What are the characteristics of a good leader? What are the qualities of a great leader? We’ll cover the most essential characteristics of a good leader and discuss how they’re all tied to having a growth mindset. From Jim Collins’s Good to Great and Carol Dweck’s Mindset.