Leadership is Like Sex: "Becoming a Technical Leader" by Gerald M. Weinberg
Published 1986.
“Over the years, the biggest lesson we have learned from our workshops is that becoming a leader is not something that happens to you, but something that you do.”
“Leadership is like sex. Many people have trouble discussing the subject, but it never fails to arouse intense interest and feelings.”
The essays in the book:
What is leadership anyway?
Models of leadership style
A problem-solving style
How leaders develop
But I can’t because.
The three great obstacles to innovation
A tool for developing self-awareness
Developing idea power
The vision
The first great obstacle to motivating others
The second great obstacle to motivating others
The problem of helping others
Learning to be a motivator
Where power comes from
Power imperfection and congruence
Gaining organizational power
Effective organizational problem-solving teams
Obstacles to effective organizing
Learning to be an organizer
How you will be graded as a leader
Passing your own leadership tests
A personal plan for change
Finding time to change
Finding support for change
I lead an IT Business Unit for almost 8 years (in a SAP R/3 environment). Some of what Weinberg talks about resonated with me. Weinberg’s approach is as much about therapy and self-help as leadership. The best part of it is when Weinberg explores the reasons why he’s even writing the book at all. “Introspection” is the keyword here and I agree with it. If one wants to be a leader, one has to be visualize it. It seems bullshit, but it really works. I can vouch for it... It’s not a snake oil pitch…
The rest of this review can be found elsewhere.
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