Truth About Being a Leader, The

When it comes to effective leadership, everyone has an opinion. But you don’t need opinions: you need proven, real-world solutions, based on facts and evidence. That’s what The Truth About Being a Leader delivers: high-power leadership techniques you can use every day, whether you lead one person or 100,000.   Dr. Karen Otazo has spent more than 20 years coaching executives in virtually every type of organization. She’s worked personally with more than 2,000 individuals, from interns to CEOs. Now, drawing on hundreds of secret leadership feedback reports, she reveals what actually works—and doesn’t work— when it comes to being a great leader.   You’ll find simple, easy-to-use techniques for smoothly assuming new leadership roles...honing your style...maximizing your impact...crafting a vision, shaping strategies, and getting buy-in... using power wisely...handling tough coaching and feedback sessions...avoiding leadership pitfalls... strengthening key leadership relationships...inspiring people, building world-class teams, and achieving outstanding results.   Prepare for the toughest challenges of leadership Widen your “mental bandwidth” in seven key areas   Get beyond the numbers Learn how to use all your resources, tangible and intangible   Sharpen your vision, and communicate it crisply Engage, motivate, and inspire all your audiences   Don’t let stress impact your performance Manage your stress, manage your energy   Use power wisely, and choose your battles Apply the right touch: not too light, not too heavy-handed   Grow your people, grow your team Develop outstanding people, achieve outstanding results   Leaders aren’t born, they’re made... and you can make yourself a great leader, starting today! This book’s 52 proven leadership principles and bite-size, easy-to-use techniques that work!  

Table of Contents:
Foreword  xiii Introduction  xix   PART I: THE TRUTH ABOUT ASSUMING A LEADERSHIP POSITION  1   TRUTH 1         More-Responsible Roles Require More Mental “Bandwidth”  3 TRUTH 2         Inheriting an Assistant Requires Reeducation  6 TRUTH 3         Staffing Your Leadership Office: Your Assistant Plays a Vital Role  10 TRUTH 4         The Gaps in Your Work Habits Show Up When You Move Up  14 TRUTH 5         The Truth About Effective Leadership Styles  21 TRUTH 6         Soft-Spoken Leadership Requires Stamina  23 TRUTH 7         Bullshit Makes Good Fertilizer–Just Watch Your Step  26 TRUTH 8         Player/Coach Is a Tricky Role, So Make Sure That You Do Both Well  29 TRUTH 9         Caring Leaders Treat Their Teams Like Family  32 TRUTH 10       Innovation Requires Preparation  35   PART III: THE TRUTH ABOUT WHAT YOU SAY AS A LEADER  39   TRUTH 11       Match Your Leadership Message to Your Audience  41 TRUTH 12       Impactful Leaders Speak Simply  44 TRUTH 13       Sound Bites Need to Sizzle  47 TRUTH 14       Your Tone of Voice Should Command Attention  50 TRUTH 15       Names Matter to People, So Get Them Right  53 TRUTH 16       “Coming Attractions” Get Others Tuned in to Your Message  57   PART IV: THE TRUTH ABOUT LEADERSHIP VISION  61   TRUTH 17       What’s the Big Idea? Bring Your Guiding Rules into Everyday Organizational Life  63 TRUTH 18       Stories Help Make Change Clear  67 TRUTH 19       Playing Out the Tape Helps Others Prepare for the Future  70 TRUTH 20       Leaders Frame the Discussion  3   PART V: THE TRUTH ABOUT LEADERSHIP PRESENCE AND POWER  77   TRUTH 21       A Leader Is Always “On”  79 TRUTH 22       Choose Your Battles Carefully  82 TRUTH 23       Your Stress Ripples Across the Organization  85 TRUTH 24       Let Your Energy Be Like Fine Champagne–Not Too Bubbly or Flat  89 TRUTH 25       You Need to “Read” Like a Leader in the Blink of an Eye  92 TRUTH 26       Good Leadership Is the Wise Use of Power  96   PART VI THE TRUTH ABOUT GETTING THINGS DONE  101 TRUTH 27       Often the Best Decision Is Empowering Someone Else to Decide  103 TRUTH 28       Adjust Your Leadership Style to Fit the Employee  106 TRUTH 29       No Good Deed Goes Unpunished  109 TRUTH 30       The Structure Is Not the Organization, Just as the Map Is Not the Territory  112 TRUTH 31       Coming in from the Outside? Pay Your Dues!  115 TRUTH 32       Delegation Is a Confidence Game  119   PART VII: THE TRUTH ABOUT MOTIVATING AND INSPIRING YOUR TEAM  123   TRUTH 33       Questions Unite; Answers Divide  125 TRUTH 34       Feedback Is the Best Kind of Criticism  128 TRUTH 35       You Have More Than the Carrot and the Stick  131 TRUTH 36       Quick Coaching Keeps Your Team on Course  134 TRUTH 37       Little Things Mean a Lot  136   PART VIII: THE TRUTH ABOUT MOLDING YOUR TEAM  139   TRUTH 38       A Leader Cares Passionately About Developing People  141 TRUTH 39       Succession Planning Ensures Your Bench Strength 144 TRUTH 40       Your Team Is Key to Your Success, So Vet Them Well  149 TRUTH 41       Dedicate Your Coaching Time Where It Does the Most Good  152 TRUTH 42       Awkward Discussions Are Tough; Play Offense, Not Defense  155   PART IX: THE TRUTH ABOUT YOUR LEADERSHIP REPUTATION  159   TRUTH 43       Ideas Come Across Differently with Different Media  161 TRUTH 44       You Can’t Hide the Sun with Your Hand: Be Honest  165 TRUTH 45       Spouses and Partners Must Be on Their Best Behavior  169 TRUTH 46       You Don’t Get Your Meat Where You Get Your Potatoes  173 TRUTH 47       Don’t Get Tangled in the Grapevine  176   PART X: THE TRUTH ABOUT YOUR CONNECTIONS  179   TRUTH 48       You Can’t Microwave Your Leadership Relationships  181 TRUTH 49       Your Network Is Your Lifeline to Influence and Information  185 TRUTH 50       Peers and Power Are a Potent Mix  188 TRUTH 51       It’s Lonely at the Top; Keep It That Way  191 TRUTH 52       Trust and Loyalty Are Long-Term Goals  194   References  199

About the Author :
Dr. Karen Otazo is a global executive coach and thinking partner for executives in multinational organizations as well as a leader of seminars for groups interested in maximizing their potential at work. More than 25 years of working in the U.S., China, India, Indonesia, Hong Kong, the UK, the Netherlands, France, Belgium, and Singapore, have given her a broad perspective on the challenges facing executives in companies of all sizes from boutique consulting firms or start-up nonprofits to global corporations, joint ventures, and strategic alliances.   Her results-oriented approach has enabled her to build a blue chip client list that includes Ahold, AlliedSignal, American National Can, Amgen, ARCO, Avery Dennison, BankBoston, Booz Allen Hamilton, Central London Partnership, Chase Bank, Colgate-Palmolive, Colliers, CSFB, Digital, The Economist Group, FMC, Skanska Gammon Construction, General Electric, GlobalOne, Global Marine, Goldman Sachs, Hongkong Land, IBM, Ikea, Jardine Matheson, Lehman Brothers, Marks & Spencer, Motorola, Pixelpark (Bertelsmann), Readers Digest, Schindler, Sprint International, Syngenta, Time/Fortune International, and Vodafone. Many assignments have drawn on her experience with trans-national subsidiaries, joint ventures, and alliances.   Dr. Otazo is author of The Truth About Managing Your Career.