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

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

by Cy Wakeman
Released September 2010
Publisher(s): Jossey-Bass
ISBN: 9780470613504

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Book description

Leadership strategies grounded in reality and focused on results

Recent polls show that 71% of workers think about quitting their jobs every day. That number would be shocking-if people actually were quitting. Worse, they go to work, punching time clocks and collecting pay checks, while completely checked out emotionally. In Reality-Based Leadership, expert Fast Company blogger Cy Wakeman reveals how to be the kind of leader who changes the way people think about and perceive their circumstances-one who deals with the facts, clarifies roles, gives clear and direct feedback, and insists that everyone do the same-without drama or defensiveness. Filled with dynamic examples, innovative tools, and diagnostic tests, this book shows you how to become a Reality-Based Leader, revealing how to:

  • Uncover destructive thought patterns with yourself and others

  • Diffuse drama and lead the person in front of you

  • Stop managing and start leading, empowering others to focus on facts and think for themselves

Equipped with a facts-based, confident approach, you will free yourself from the frustrations you face at work and transform yourself into a Reality-Based Leader, with the ability to liberate and inspire others.

--This text refers to theKindle Editionedition.

Table of contents

  1. Copyright
  2. FOREWORD
  3. INTRODUCTION: Calling All Leaders
    1. Part One: Find Peace at Work
    2. Part Two: Restore Sanity to the Workplace
    3. Part Three: Lead Your Team to Results
  4. I. Find Peace at Work
    1. 1. You Are the Source of Your Suffering—and That's the Good News
      1. 1.1. Suffering Is Optional: Stop Arguing with Reality
      2. 1.2. Learned Helplessness: Putting On the Shackles
      3. 1.3. Personal Accountability in the Pursuit of Happiness
    2. 2. If You Argue with Reality, You Lose (but Only 100 Percent of the Time): How to Heal Your Relationship with Reality
      1. 2.1. Event
      2. 2.2. Thinking
      3. 2.3. Feeling
      4. 2.4. Action
      5. 2.5. Results
      6. 2.6. Respond to the Facts, Not to the Story
      7. 2.7. Professional Courtesy: Give Others the Benefit of the Doubt
      8. 2.8. Your World Is a Projection of You
    3. 3. Would You Rather Be Right, or Wildly Successful?
      1. 3.1. Ego: Not to Be Confused with Confidence
      2. 3.2. Ego Motivation Masquerading as Selflessness
      3. 3.3. Work to Be Successful Rather Than Right
        1. 3.3.1. Depersonalize Your Work Environment
        2. 3.3.2. Rid Yourself of Defense
        3. 3.3.3. Aim for Common Ground, Not Knee-Jerk Criticism
      4. 3.4. When Things Go Wrong . . .
      5. 3.5. Learn and Grow from Feedback, Especially If It's Negative
  5. II. Restore Sanity to the Workplace
    1. 4. Lead First, Manage Second
      1. 4.1. Over-Managing and Under-Leading
      2. 4.2. Six Principles for Leading First, Managing Second
        1. 4.2.1. Principle 1: Resist the Urge to Add More Value
        2. 4.2.2. Principle 2: Coach the Person in Front of You
        3. 4.2.3. Principle 3: Work on Confidence First, and Competence Will Follow
        4. 4.2.4. Principle 4: Forget Logistics and Focus Instead on Hearts and Minds
        5. 4.2.5. Principle 5: Allow People to Move Fully into Their Roles
        6. 4.2.6. Principle 6: Disregard Any and All Attempts at Emotional Blackmail
      3. 4.3. Empowerment Without Accountability Is Chaos
      4. 4.4. A Radical Approach: Survey for Accountability
    2. 5. Play Favorites: Work with the Willing!
      1. 5.1. Playing Favorites Is Fair Game
      2. 5.2. Identify the Visionaries
      3. 5.3. Redirect Your Focus
      4. 5.4. Compensate Value, Not Effort
      5. 5.5. Lack of Feedback Is the Root Cause of All Employee Issues
      6. 5.6. Dealing with Resistance
    3. 6. Change Is a Fact of Life—Get Over It! How to Bullet-Proof Your Employees
      1. 6.1. Three Core Competencies That Make People Bullet-Proof
        1. 6.1.1. Competency 1: The Ability to Respond to Adversity
        2. 6.1.2. Competency 2: A Profound Commitment to Succeed in Spite of the Facts
          1. 6.1.2.1. Negative Brainstorming
          2. 6.1.2.2. Competency Comes After Confidence
        3. 6.1.3. Competency 3: The Will to Resolve and Move Through Conflict Very Quickly
      2. 6.2. Three Common Mistakes to Avoid
        1. 6.2.1. Mistake 1: Lying
        2. 6.2.2. Mistake 2: Trying to Reason with Anger
        3. 6.2.3. Mistake 3: Dropping Support
      3. 6.3. Best Practices in Times of Crisis
        1. 6.3.1. Dealing with Impending Layoffs
        2. 6.3.2. Dealing with Emergencies and Disasters
  6. III. Lead Your Team to Results
    1. 7. Opinions No Longer Count—Actions Do!
      1. 7.1. Limiting Beliefs That Hold You Back
        1. 7.1.1. Limiting Belief 1: Everyone's Opinion Counts
        2. 7.1.2. Limiting Belief 2: Great Results Can Only Come from Perfect Plans
        3. 7.1.3. Limiting Belief 3: Accepting Accountability for Failures Leads to a Loss of Credibility
        4. 7.1.4. Limiting Belief 4: There Is No I in Team
        5. 7.1.5. Limiting Belief 5: "Don't Bring Me a Problem Without Also Coming Armed with a Solution!"
        6. 7.1.6. Limiting Belief 6: There Is No Such Thing as a Stupid Question
        7. 7.1.7. Limiting Belief 7: In a Downturn, It's Best to Hold Back and Wait for Clarity Before You Act
    2. 8. Stop Judging and Start Helping: The Golden Rule of Teamwork
      1. 8.1. Ambiguity Is the Source of All Conflict
        1. 8.1.1. Ambiguity About Goals
        2. 8.1.2. Ambiguity About Roles and Procedures
      2. 8.2. Delegation Is Vital to Good Leadership
      3. 8.3. Challenge People to Find the Lesson
      4. 8.4. Get Real, Step Up, Redirect
    3. The Reality-Based Leader's Manifesto
  7. IV. Appendixes
    1. A. Alignment Survey
    2. B. Self-Test: Managing Versus Leading
    3. C. Feedback Frame
  8. NOTES
    1. C.1. Introduction
    2. C.2. Chapter One
    3. C.3. Chapter Five
    4. C.4. Chapter Seven
    5. C.5. Chapter Eight
  9. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  10. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Product information

  • Title: Reality-Based Leadership: Ditch the Drama, Restore Sanity to the Workplace, and Turn Excuses into Results
  • Author(s): Cy Wakeman
  • Release date: September 2010
  • Publisher(s): Jossey-Bass
  • ISBN: 9780470613504