Reality-Based Leadership Ditch the Drama, Restore Sanity to the Workplace, and Turn Excuses into Results

by Wakeman, Cy; Winget, Larry

• ISBN13: 9780470613504
• ISBN10: 0470613505
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2010-09-21
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass

Summary

"To change business and to change our country, we need a radical new approach to leadership. Most books promise that, but RealityBased Leadership actually delivers that approach. I have read hundreds of books about leadership over the years and this is the best of the bunch for sure!"-Larry Winget, television personality and author of Shut Up, Stop Whining, and Get a Life and It's Called Work for a Reason!Here's a reality check: times are challenging, but challenging times are not the root of the problem. Most people are surviving at work, maybe even getting the occasional promotion or raise, but if you ask them, they're uninspired, and not getting the results they would like. A Gallup poll showed that 68% of employees seriously consider quitting their jobs every day. That may sound like a crazy number-and it would be if they were actually quitting. The truth is much worse: they're continuing to report to work and collect a paycheck, but mentally (and emotionally) they are clocked out.The future belongs to the kind of leaders who are able to change the way people think and perceive their circumstances, the kind of leaders who engage hearts and minds. But before you can be that kind of leader, you have to change your own mind. Most people feel stressed at work because they spend the majority of their time, usually unconsciously, reacting against their circumstances instead of moving forward productively, without time'wasting, morale killing defenses, excuses, or complaints. These days, circumstances leave a lot to be desired, but that is no reason to suffer. You have a choice.Every leader is 10 courageous decisions away from extraordinary success, and the first is the decision to stop holding on to strategies that are no longer producing results. With real'life examples, sample dialogues, case studies, and innovative tools and diagnostic tests, the book will show you how to become a Reality'Based Leader in three steps. In Part One, How to Find Peace at Work, you will learn how to interrupt the habitual, largely unconscious thought patterns that rob you of your peace of mind, how to re'train your brain and reclaim your calm once and for all. In Part Two, Returning Sanity to the Workplace, we'll explore how to apply these concepts with other people-those you lead, or just interact with, at the office.Sanity comes when you stop arguing with reality and start focusing on results. But if you really want to be effective, you can't do it alone: you have to take your team with you. In Part Three, Returning Results to the Workplace, you will learn specific strategies to apply when working with teams, to break through their resistance, conflicts, and excuses and solve long'standing problems. These changes will not be effortless to make, but they will free you from the frustrations and barriers you face at work and transform you into a Reality'Based Leader, with the ability to liberate and inspire others.

Author Biography

Cy Wakeman is a dynamic, well-respected, national keynote speaker, workshop facilitator, and trainer who helps individuals and organizations achieve stellarresults. Cy's background combines four successfulbusiness start-ups with 18 years working and consulting in manufacturing, banking, government, high-tech,and healthcare. She is also an expert blogger forFastCompany.com.

Table of Contents

Foreward	p. xi
Introduction: Calling All Leaders	p. 1
Find Peace at Work	p. 7
You Are the Source of Your Suffering-and That's the Good News	p. 9
If You Argue with Reality, You Lose (but Only 100 Percent of the Time)	p. 19
Would You Rather Be Right, or Wildly Successful?	p. 35
Restore Sanity to The Workplace	p. 47
Lead First, Manage Second	p. 49
Play Favorites: Work with the Willing!	p. 69
Change Is a Fact of Life-Get Over It! How to Bullet-Proof Your Employees	p. 83
Lead Your Team to Results	p. 103
Opinions No Longer Count-Actions Do!	p. 105
Stop Judging and Start Helping: The Golden Rule of Teamwork	p. 125
Conclusion: The Reality-Based Leader's Manifesto	p. 141
Appendixes	p. 145
Alignment Survey	p. 147
Self-Test: Managing Versus Leading	p. 149
Feedback Frame	p. 153
Notes	p. 155
Acknowledgments	p. 157
About The Author	p. 161
Index	p. 163
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