25 Best Ways to Become a Better Leader
Practical Ways to Lead Yourself, Inspire Others and Make a Positive Difference
Becoming a Better Leader
Better leadership is not built from a single technique. It develops through the way a leader understands themselves, relates to people, makes decisions, handles difficult situations, builds trust, learns from experience and thinks about the consequences of their leadership.
25 Best Ways to Become a Better Leader brings these dimensions together in a practical framework of 25 leadership practices. The book moves from leading yourself, through relationships and people development, to decision-making, teamwork, change and the longer-term question of what leadership ultimately leaves behind.
Designed for emerging managers, experienced leaders, executives and professionals, the book connects practical leadership development with psychology, leadership and organisational research, case examples, reflective practice and ways of applying the ideas in everyday organisational life.
The 25 Ways
The book is organised around 25 practical leadership practices that move from self-leadership and relationships through to teams, decision-making, change and longer-term impact.
- Know Yourself Before You Lead Others
- Lead From Values and Integrity
- Manage Yourself Before You Manage Others
- Keep Learning From Experience
- Listen Before You Lead
- Communicate With Clarity
- Build Trust Through What You Do
- Lead With Empathy and Respect
- Influence Rather Than Simply Instruct
- Give People Purpose and Direction
- Bring Out the Best in People
- Give Useful Feedback
- Delegate Responsibility and Empower People
- Have the Difficult Conversation
- Make Better Decisions
- Lead Fairly — Especially When Decisions Are Difficult
- Create Accountability Without Creating Fear
- Turn Conflict Into Constructive Dialogue
- Build Collaboration, Not Silos
- Focus on What Matters Most
- Think Beyond the Immediate Problem
- Adapt and Lead Through Change
- Create a Culture Where People Can Speak Up
- Lead With Confidence and Humility
- Leave Things Better Than You Found Them
From Personal Leadership to Lasting Impact
The ten-chapter journey begins with self-awareness, values and self-management, then develops listening, communication, trust, influence, feedback, empowerment and the ability to handle difficult conversations. It goes on to examine decision-making, fairness, accountability, collaboration, psychological safety, priorities, systems thinking and leading through change before concluding with the question at the heart of Way 25: how can leadership leave people, organisations and the future better than it found them?
Putting Better Leadership Into Practice
Leadership Practices
Practical ways of strengthening how you lead yourself, relate to others, develop people, make decisions, build teams and lead forward.
Leadership Affirmations
A complementary set of behaviourally grounded statements designed to reinforce the leadership qualities and practices explored throughout the book.
Team Discussion Guide
A practical discussion format for leadership teams to examine which Ways matter most, where development is needed and how the ideas can be applied together.
Your Personal Leadership Practice
The book also includes a personal leadership practice built around the 25 leadership affirmations. Readers are invited to identify the ten statements that most closely describe the leader they most need to become now and use them as a focused practice for reinforcing attention, intention and behaviour.
The aim is not to substitute positive statements for leadership development. It is to help keep personally important leadership intentions readily available while the reader continues the more demanding work of reflection, practice, feedback and behavioural change.
Help Us Make Version 2 Better
This first edition is designed as a complete, research-informed leadership guide in its own right. At the same time, leadership is learned in organisations as well as from books. Readers, executives, managers and leadership teams are therefore invited to consider which of the 25 Ways resonate most strongly, which could be improved, and what important leadership practices they believe deserve greater attention.
Worthwhile insights from practice can help inform future development of the book and the wider Executive & Leadership Development Series.
Executive & Leadership Development
25 Best Ways to Become a Better Leader is Book One of the 25 Best Ways — Executive & Leadership Development Series. The opening collection also includes books on communicating as a leader, making better decisions, leading high-performing teams, negotiating for what you want and leading for a sustainable future.
Published by WLUPR.COM
Whole Life Universal Publications & Recordings