Leadership 2.0

Summary (from the publisher): Sharing discoveries from a groundbreaking study that separated the leadership skills that get results from those that are inconsequential or harmful, Leadership 2.0 introduces a new paradigm of leadership.

A passcode provides online access to the self-assessment edition of the bestselling 360° Refined™ leadership test. 360° Refined™ will show you where your leadership skills stand today and what you can do to begin maximizing them immediately. Your test results will:

- Reveal your scores for all 22 core and adaptive leadership skills.
- Reveal the specific behaviors responsible for your scores.
- Pinpoint which of the book’s 100+ leadership strategies will increase your leadership skills the most.

In today’s fast-paced world of competitive workplaces and turbulent economic conditions, each of us is searching for effective tools that can help us adapt and strike out ahead of the pack.

Leadership 2.0 delivers a step-by-step program for increasing 22 core and adaptive leadership skills. Core leadership skills (those that get people into leadership positions) will sharpen your saw, and adaptive leadership skills (those that set great leaders apart) will make you into the leader you’ve always wanted to be.

Review: This is another book that I read for work and is another example of a read that requires the reader to really be motivated to want to improve to get anything out of the text. I would describe this more as a manual or guide for success than a book to read straight through. Leadership 2.0 is broken up into multiple sections, each on a different leadership strategy. Each section ends with real world examples of two people who demonstrate the particular strategy, and two who fail to do so and what their coworkers have to say about it. 

This book, like a similar book I read called Strengthsfinder 2.0, features a one use code in the book to take an online quiz to determine your strengths and weaknesses as a leader. I did enjoy taking the test, and found it to be accurate, yet I resent that I cannot lend my book to someone else. Each person must purchase their own copy in order to take advantage of the quiz. It seemed like a less than subtle way to fleece readers.

I do like some of the lessons learned from this book - anyone can learn to be a leader and, unlike IQ, everyone is capable of improving their Emotional Intelligence. Yet much of it seemed too common sense to be helpful or groundbreaking - have integrity, treat everyone fairly, communicate openly and honestly, listen to others, etc. I suppose these are all good reminders, and I did like the real life examples, yet I did expect more from this book than it really had to give.

Stars: 2