The Leadership Pill

I read “The Leadership Pill” by Ken Blanchard and Marc Muchnick today. This book had been floating around the supervisor truck for a bit now and I have been meaning to read it but different projects kept getting in the way. So today I set aside an hour in my schedule and tore through it.

Like all current leadership related books this one covered a lot of things that are common sense. Some of these return to the Franklin Covey 7 Habits principles.

The summary of it is this: (paraphrased from the book itself)

Integrity

  • Be the person that you want others to be
  • Matching your values to your goals builds trust
  • Make what you say the same as what you do, this gives you the most potential to build respect and trust

Partnership

  • “The key to effective leadership is the relationship you build with you team.”
  • “Sharing the big picture puts everyone on the same page.”
  • “Its easier to get up the hill when you climb it together.”

Affirmation

  • Praise is the easiest way to let people know they are appreciated.
  • Each of us has the power to recognize the goodness in others
  • You will go a lot further if you stop to refuel.

Perfecting the Blend

  • People will think for themselves when you quit doing it for them.
  • Leadership is the process of getting everyone to the place they are supposed to go.
  • The highest achievement as a leader is winning the respect and trust of your team.

So this basically restates 5 of the 7 Habits from the Franklin Covey literature.

  1. Be proactive.
  2. Synergize
  3. Begin with the end in mind.
  4. Sharpen the Saw.

Now these are not exactly the same because “The Leadership Pill” is mainly extrinsic, while the 7 Habits are both intrinsic and extrinsic. I believe that “The Leadership Pill” would better compare to “Principle Centered Leadership” but that is still waiting for me on the shelf.

Overall this was a good; easy read that I would recommend to anyone in a leadership position.