Book Review: 9 Things a Leader Must Do

Book Review: 9 Things a Leader Must Do

The Premise: Good Leaders are all alike

There is this Premise of a book, that a good leader have similar habits and characteristics. This allows them to solve problem efficiently and effectively. They are confident in their ability, and have achieve success in their area of interest. The book has lots of parables and stories, and I keep thinking, "Isn't there a more efficient way to tell these qualities?" But if you can handle the stories, then you're in for a treat because the characteristics and qualities that makes good leaders are well explained in the book.

The Goal: Follow Your Dream!

The first assumption, or premise, is that you can follow your dream. If you don't have the talent to achieve it, then you can develop it. Little is explained in how to exactly do that, but from my personal experience, it is true that if you don't have the proper talent, then you can develop it. It may take years, but you certainly can develop it. The book also have this assumption that you know what your True Dream is. There's a line in there that guards you against mistaking Jealousy as Dream, but on the whole, it is light on the subject. As it is a thin book, I can understand the author chose not to elaborate on it. 

Another thing to worry about is the presence of negative factor and/or people. These are the kind of people who would dominate you and steer you away from your dreams. In other words, they tell you to give up on your dreams. The book advises you to steer away from such people. I believe that is wise. You need to stay away from negative people, and create your own positive environment. 

The author didn't mince words. He titled the chapter "Yank the Diseased Tooth."

The Future

The book advise that you should live out the future today. Choices that you make today will affect your future, and of all the possible futures, you should choose the rosy ones. The ones where you life happily, having achieving your dreams. I concur with that sentiment. The best part? It's not that difficult activity to do.

Generally speaking, all you have to do is extrapolation. If you do a little bit now, and a lot later, what will happen? Also, the book mention something about "War Games", which is basically a "What If?" scenarios. Good leaders habitually seek the worst possible outcome and then do something to avoid it. Keep doing that, and the worst outcome won't happen to them. I think that's good advice. 

The author, as usual, didn't say it outright, but illustrates the point with stories and parables.

The Present

The stories are intermingled both with author's experiences and those of the Bible. If you're okay with that, then you're in for a treat. Have an open mind as to where knowledge comes from, and you will be amply rewarded. The parable of the ants advise that you should have patience and take things one step at at time. That's a very good advice. Do what little you can today, and avoid the burdensome task tomorrow! I think the story perfectly matches the advice.

The Leader

The book explains different characteristics of good leadership. Love, hate, pride, etc. The author believes that as creatures of God, we are destined to have those characteristics, but advises to apply those properly. Love to give. Hate to steal. Proud of life. By parceling the proper destination for each emotion, we can manage our life well.

Certainly, there are more to it, and the book explains the situations and conditions in deeper explorations. The book ends with 12 steps to applying the 9 things. Find wisdom in others, Add structures, Fear not failures nor impediments. Put Your Goals on Paper. And Pray! Honestly, I was surprised to see the advice of writing down your goals. I believe it is necessary, but the book hasn't hinted it so far, so it comes as a surprise at the end.

The Conclusion

The book is full of wisdom and knowledge, but these things do not come easy. I think there are good lessons in there, but to have the most benefits to you, you need to read and re-read the book, pondering about different interpretations and possibilities. A lot of good advice, even important ones, are frequently just one sentence. They're there, but oh so easily missed!

My suggestion is to use this book as a guide, and supplement the good advice given here elsewhere. This book belongs to the recommended section, with advisory of having to re-read the book from time to time.