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Reality-Based Leadership: Ditch the Drama, Restore Sanity to the Workplace, and Turn Excuses into Results
John Wiley and Sons Ltd, Oct 2010, Pages: 190
Leadership strategies grounded in reality and focused on results
Recent polls show that 71% of workers think about quitting their jobs every day. That number would be shocking-if people actually were quitting. Worse, they go to work, punching time clocks and collecting pay checks, while completely checked out emotionally. In Reality-Based Leadership, expert Fast Company blogger Cy Wakeman reveals how to be the kind of leader who changes the way people think about and perceive their circumstances-one who deals with the facts, clarifies roles, gives clear and direct feedback, and insists that everyone do the same-without drama or defensiveness. Filled with dynamic examples, innovative tools, and diagnostic tests, this book shows you how to become a Reality-Based Leader, revealing how to:
Uncover destructive thought patterns with yourself and others
- Diffuse drama and lead the person in front of you
- Stop managing and start leading, empowering others to focus on facts and think for themselves
Equipped with a facts-based, confident approach, you will free yourself from the frustrations you face at work and transform yourself into a Reality-Based Leader, with the ability to liberate and inspire others
To change business and to change our country, we need a radical new approach to leadership. Most books promise that, but Reality-Based Leadership actually delivers that approach. I have read hundreds of books about leadership over the years and this is the best of the bunch for sure!'Larry Winget, television personality and author of Shut Up, Stop Whining, and Get a Life and It's Called Work for a Reason!
Heres a reality check: times are challenging, but challenging times are not the root of the problem. Most people are surviving at work, maybe even getting the occasional promotion or raise, but if you ask them, theyre uninspired, and not getting the results they would like. A Gallup poll showed that 68% of employees seriously consider quitting their jobs every day. That may sound like a crazy numberand it would be if they were actually quitting. The truth is much worse: theyre continuing to report to work and collect a paycheck, but mentally (and emotionally) they are clocked out.
The future belongs to the kind of leaders who are able to change the way people think and perceive their circumstances, the kind of leaders who engage hearts and minds. But before you can be that kind of leader, you have to change your own mind. Most people feel stressed at work because they spend the majority of their time, usually unconsciously, reacting against their circumstances instead of moving forward productively, without timewasting, morale killing defenses, excuses, or complaints. These days, circumstances leave a lot to be desired, but that is no reason to suffer. You have a choice.
Every leader is 10 courageous decisions away from extraordinary success, and the first is the decision to stop holding on to strategies that are no longer producing results. With reallife examples, sample dialogues, case studies, and innovative tools and diagnostic tests, the book will show you how to become a RealityBased Leader in three steps. In Part One, How to Find Peace at Work, you will learn how to interrupt the habitual, largely unconscious thought patterns that rob you of your peace of mind, how to retrain your brain and reclaim your calm once and for all. In Part Two, Returning Sanity to the Workplace, well explore how to apply these concepts with other peoplethose you lead, or just interact with, at the office. Sanity comes when you stop arguing with reality and start focusing on results. But if you really want to be effective, you cant do it alone: you have to take your team with you. In Part Three, Returning Results to the Workplace, you will learn specific strategies to apply when working with teams, to break through their resistance, conflicts, and excuses and solve longstanding problems. These changes will not be effortless to make, but they will free you from the frustrations and barriers you face at work and transform you into a RealityBased Leader, with the ability to liberate and inspire others.
Reviews:
“One of the rare few outstanding business books…I loved it”
—From the Foreword by Larry Winget, author, It’s Called Work for a Reason!
“Cy Wakeman deftly shows how Reality-Based Leaders embrace personal accountability—and empower others to do the same. This is a dynamic, winning book that all leaders and managers looking to make their organizations outstanding should read!”
—John G. Miller, author, QBQ! The Question Behind the Question and Outstanding!
“I haven’t been so moved by a business thinker and visionary in years. Cy Wakeman’s message has been heard before – that to truly succeed and grow, we have to check our egos at the door. But never has this counter-intuitive insight been so compellingly argued as in this terrific book.”
—Doug Smith, CEO, Ervin and Smith Advertising and Public Relations
“Cy Wakeman’s approach to Reality-Based Leadership is practical, relevant and exactly what today’s leaders really need. This is definitely a must-read for every success-oriented leader and manager.”
—Jeff A. Hurt, CEO, Southwest Credit
“Cy Wakeman is a brilliant story-teller and coach. She has a profound ability to tell a story that makes you laugh while at the same time cutting through your defenses to help you recognize your need to change. I have worked with Cy for years, and the lessons in this book have helped me create better organizations and a better me.”
—Jason Lauritsen, vice president, Human Resources, Union Bank and Trust Company
“You can’t afford to lead your organization without this book in hand! Cy Wakeman writes with candor, humor and unconventional wisdom about how we can be wildly successful.”
—Amy Dorn Kopelan, president, Bedlam Entertainment Inc, and coauthor, I Didn’t See It Coming!
“Cy Wakeman’s book delivers a powerful message. The bottom line- this is required reading for all leaders!”
—Russ Olson, President and CEO, Liberty Bank
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