Leadership Isn't For Cowards: How to Drive Performance by Challenging People and Confronting Problems

Leadership Isn't For Cowards: How to Drive Performance by Challenging People and Confronting Problems

by Mike Staver
Released June 2012
Publisher(s): Wiley
ISBN: 9781118240236

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Book description

A no-nonsense guide to driving performance while still maintaining a great place to work

Leadership Isn't For Cowards offers straightforward steps to leading courageously and practical tips for driving performance. Courageous leadership means toughening your approach by being rigorous in the application of your values through the company culture. It means confronting and challenging people, and not letting them get away with being less than you know they can be. The path to courageous leadership has six components: Accept Your Current Circumstances, Take Responsibility, Take Action, Acknowledge Progress, Commit to Lifelong Learning, and Kindle Relationships. These manageable steps include:

  • Identify the area in your business or life where a gap exists between your current reality and your desired reality

  • Align yourself with a person or a group of people who can commit to holding you accountable for closing the gap

  • Make a specific commitment to the outcome(s) you want and assign dates to them

With courageous leadership, you'll create a culture and a mindset that encourages and demands excellence! Follow these steps to bring out the best in your employees and lead your company to significant success.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Contents
  3. Title
  4. Copyright
  5. Acknowledgments
  6. Section 1: You are Messing with People’s Lives
    1. Chapter 1: Do You Know What You Are Doing?
    2. Chapter 2: How Much of an Impact Are You Really Having?
    3. Chapter 3: Are You a Coward?
    4. Chapter 4: Is Culture Overrated?
    5. Attack
  7. Section 2: Accept Your Circumstances
    1. Chapter 5: How Great Is Denial?
    2. Chapter 6: What Are You Pretending Not to Know?
    3. Chapter 7: Are You Honest?
      1. Factual Accuracy
      2. Usefulness for the Listener
      3. Constructive Delivery
    4. Chapter 8: What Is Real?
    5. Chapter 9: Where Is Your Focus?
  8. Section 3: Take Action
    1. Chapter 10: Are You Good at Analyzing?
    2. Chapter 11: When Are You Ready?
    3. Chapter 12: How Present Are You?
    4. Chapter 13: Do You Remember a Time when You Hesitated and Lost?
    5. Chapter 14: Are You In, or Aren’t You?
  9. Section 4: Take Responsibility
    1. Chapter 15: Want to Responsibly Scare Some People?
    2. Chapter 16: How Much Blame Can You Take?
    3. Chapter 17: What Difference Do You Make?
    4. Chapter 18: What Kinds of Responsibility Are You Taking?
      1. Choices
      2. Attitudes and Mindsets
      3. Performance
    5. Chapter 19: Are You Truly Free?
  10. Section 5: Acknowledge Progress
    1. Chapter 20: How Goal-Driven Are You?
    2. Chapter 21: Are You Too Harsh?
    3. Chapter 22: Are You an Over-Recognizer?
      1. Gushing
      2. Fake Recognition
      3. Failure to Recognize the Right People
    4. Chapter 23: What, When, and How?
    5. Chapter 24: Are You about Effort or Achievement?
  11. Section 6: Commit to New Habits
    1. Chapter 25: Just How Much Accountability Can One Person Stand?
    2. Chapter 26: Do You Need to Be Committed?
      1. Solving Problems Independently
      2. Communicating Powerfully
      3. Playing Well with Others
    3. Chapter 27: Just How Different Are You?
    4. Chapter 28: What’s That Weight on Your Back?
  12. Section 7: Kindle
    1. Chapter 29: Is It Really Just an e-Reader?
    2. Chapter 30: How Are You Feeling?
    3. Chapter 31: Did You Seriously Think That Would Work?
    4. Chapter 32: Do You Ever Notice?
    5. Chapter 33: Ever Given Birth?
  13. Section 8: Now What?
    1. Chapter 34: Do You Want To?
    2. Chapter 35: Are You Willing?
      1. High-Gain Activity
    3. Chapter 36: Can You Please Just Get On With It?
  14. Index

Product information

  • Title: Leadership Isn't For Cowards: How to Drive Performance by Challenging People and Confronting Problems
  • Author(s): Mike Staver
  • Release date: June 2012
  • Publisher(s): Wiley
  • ISBN: 9781118240236