Leadership Off the Wall
Paul Thornton
Reviewed by admin Mon 21 Feb 11
 Bob's Rating:
There are thousands of books on leadership out there, so here’s another one! But, this one is different. In Leadership Off the Wall, author Paul Thornton has hit on of the real secret of success – great ideas are simple.
The book is simple, and short (52 pages), yet it has all the best leadership advice one could get from reading and summarising all those other leadership texts. Thornton’s idea is to condense leadership to seven key concepts. Where the simplicity comes in is that these core concepts are illustrated by quotes various leaders have on their walls – and how they use these in their leadership roles every day.
The chapters are short – only a few pages each – starting with an introductory paragraph about the concept (e.g. “Communicate Big Ideas”) and then quotes various leaders use to guide their thinking and actions.
Everyone who reads this book will find a favourite quote or two that resonates. Mine are:
“At least I now know that if the boss is a jerk, I have only myself to blame.” Deborah (Donaldson) Chamberlain, owner and president, Donaldson Media & Marketing Services, LLC,
“Leaders are known for the questions they ask, not the answers they give.” - sign on the office wall of Steve Arneson, Ph.D.
Every manager should read this book. The beauty of it is, that every manager CAN read this book – there are no excuses! Highly recommended for anyone who needs to take a leadership role in his or her life.
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