Book Summaries

by L. David Marquet 

• The leader–leader philosophy is different from the leader–follower model. The leader–leader philosophy empowers others to lead.

• Leadership is not something that some people have and other people do not. It is within every human and we all must do our best to lead well.

• What is your commitment like? 

• When was the last time you walked around to hear the good, bad, and ugly about your management?

• Does leadership in the organization take control or give control?

• Are your people trying to achieve excellence or just avoid mistakes?

• Do you take more time critiquing errors than celebrating success?

• Do you work at minimizing errors without making it the focus of your organization?

• Allow others to give input and make decisions. Ask what they think. Instead of asking you something, let them say, “I intend to” and you can accept or not. This will turn passive workers into active leaders. 

• In the leader–leader concept, you should discuss and act before giving an order. This is much harder than the leader–follower concept where the leader just tells someone what to do.

• Control without competence is chaos.

• Stop briefing and start certifying.

• Do the guiding principles in your organization help people to make decisions?

• Are your guiding principles known and understood by others?

• Give immediate recognition, do not wait.

• Do you want obedience or effectiveness?

• Build a culture that has a questioning attitude instead of blind obedience.

• Don’t think short-term, think long-term.

• Specify goals, not methods.

By Adam Grant 

• Learn to rethink. Let go of old knowledge and opinions, and be willing to learn.  

• You live in a changing world, therefore, you must discern what to think and what to rethink. 

• The smarter you are, the harder it is to question yourself and rethink.

• In the preacher mode, questioning your thinking is translated as a lack of weakness, but in the scientific mode, questioning your thinking is translated as a way to discover truth.

• The purpose is not to stop your thinking but to accelerate your rethinking. 

• Too many times, we have just enough information to be confident, but we are not right.

• The antidote for not being stuck on Mount Stupid is humility.

• Arrogance is the confidence of ignorance.

• Arrogance blinds us from our weaknesses. 

• Being wrong doesn’t need to depress you — see it as you discovered something. 

• If you’re insecure, you make fun of others. 

• If you don’t change your mind frequently, you’re going to be wrong a lot. 

• It doesn’t matter whose fault it is, it’s your responsibility to fix it. 

by Dr. Kevin Leman and Bill Pentak 

1. Alw

   by Dr. Kevin Leman and Bill Pentak (summary by Jeffrey Bush)

   1. Always know the condition of your flock. 
   • • • • • • You can’t manage what you don’t know. 
             • Many focus on their projects and not their people. 
             • It’s the people that get the work done. 
             • You help the flock one individual at a time, not by the group. 
             • Know what is impacting them and keep up with them. 
             • You should genuinely care for those you work with. 
   2. Discover the SHAPE of your sheep. 
   • • • • • • Strengths (what are they good at). 
             • Heart (what are they passionate about). 
             • Attitude (people with a can-do attitude. Negative attitude hurt others). 
             • Personality (put each person in a position where personality fits). 
             • Experiences (to understand a person, know their experiences of past, working with others, etc.). 
             • Who you choose will make the job easier or harder. 
   3. Help your sheep identify with you. 
   • • • • • • When a shepherd tags a sheep. 
             • The mark you put on the people that work for you — a good mark of a leader is to not think for the people, integrity, authentic, trustworthy, and compassion. 
             • You must get up close and personal. 
             • For great leaders, leadership is not just professional, it is personal. 
   4. Make your pasture a safe place. 
   • • • • • • A flock cannot be productive If it does not get the rest and nourishment it needs. 
             • It must be free of fear and secure of predators. 
             • You keep people secure and free from fear by keeping them informed. 
             • Keep them from rivalry, and keep them from pests (small irritations). 
             • The shepherd must be visible. 
             • Don’t let problems fester. 
   5. The staff of direction. 
   • • • • • • The staff represents responsibility. 
             • Lead the sheep instead of being a barking dog. 
             • Point the way by getting in front of them. 
             • The staff helps rescue stray sheep. 
             • Help people get out of trouble. 
   6. The rod of correction. 
   • • • • • • You have to know when to use it, and use it wisely. 
             • The rod is to use against predators. 
             • Discipline is not to harm but to keep from harm. 
   7. The heart of the shepherd. 
   • • • • • • There is a cost for leading. 
             • Great leadership is hard work and if you’re not willing to pay the price, those you lead will have to pay it. 
             • What distinguishes a great leader from an ordinary leader is your heart for the people. 
             • If you give your sheep halfhearted leadership, they will follow you halfheartedly.
   ays know the condition of your flock. 

• • • • • • You can’t manage what you don’t know. 
          • Many focus on their projects and not their people. 
          • It’s the people that get the work done. 
          • You help the flock one individual at a time, not by the group. 
          • Know what is impacting them and keep up with them. 
          • You should genuinely care for those you work with. 

2. Discover the SHAPE of your sheep. 

• • • • • • Strengths (what are they good at). 
          • Heart (what are they passionate about). 
          • Attitude (people with a can-do attitude. Negative attitude hurt others). 
          • Personality (put each person in a position where personality fits). 
          • Experiences (to understand a person, know their experiences of past, working with others, etc.). 
          • Who you choose will make the job easier or harder. 

3. Help your sheep identify with you. 

• • • • • • When a shepherd tags a sheep. 
          • The mark you put on the people that work for you — a good mark of a leader is to not think for the people, integrity, authentic, trustworthy, and compassion. 
          • You must get up close and personal. 
          • For great leaders, leadership is not just professional, it is personal. 

4. Make your pasture a safe place. 

• • • • • • A flock cannot be productive If it does not get the rest and nourishment it needs. 
          • It must be free of fear and secure of predators. 
          • You keep people secure and free from fear by keeping them informed. 
          • Keep them from rivalry, and keep them from pests (small irritations). 
          • The shepherd must be visible. 
          • Don’t let problems fester. 

5. The staff of direction. 

• • • • • • The staff represents responsibility. 
          • Lead the sheep instead of being a barking dog. 
          • Point the way by getting in front of them. 
          • The staff helps rescue stray sheep. 
          • Help people get out of trouble. 

6. The rod of correction. 

• • • • • • You have to know when to use it, and use it wisely. 
          • The rod is to use against predators. 
          • Discipline is not to harm but to keep from harm. 

7. The heart of the shepherd. 

• • • • • • There is a cost for leading. 
          • Great leadership is hard work and if you’re not willing to pay the price, those you lead will have to pay it. 
          • What distinguishes a great leader from an ordinary leader is your heart for the people. 
          • If you give your sheep halfhearted leadership, they will follow you halfheartedly.

by Zoe McKey

• Everyone is gifted, but some have never opened their package. 

• You can become your best self in some area. 

• The successful man is the average man that is focused.

• Success happens by expanding your horizon in many areas.

• There’s no difference between a pessimistic idle person and an optimistic idle person. Laziness kills both.

• There’s something magical about deadlines. Once a deadline is set, you work to finish and execute.

• Most things we believe are impossible in life have not even been attempted.

• There’s no such thing as impossible. Impossible is a lack of focus, action, and self conviction.

• It’s not who you are that keeps you held back, it is who you are not.

• Negatives will drive your desires down.

• Everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but the growth occurs while climbing it. 

• The race will get boring, but you must continue if you’re going to reach the goal. 

• People don’t succeed because they are weak in one of three areas: focus, will power, and clear goal setting. 

• To improve self control, you have to analyze why you lost it. 

• Distractions are bumps in the road. You must be careful because there’s not enough time to keep changing the tires. 

• It seems like the world moves out of the way when you know where you’re going.