With the recent passings of J.D. Salinger and Howard Zinn, a recent table conversation among work colleagues turned to the impact of these two iconic authors’ works. We were not alone. In fact, MPR’s NewsQ question of the day asked listeners “What book changed your life?”
As I approached my entry here on Leadership and Community this question got me thinking about the myriad of leadership books. What is the leadership book that changed my life? It’s a hard question having read a good number and probably forgetting plenty more.
There is one that always comes back to mind: Leadership on the Line: Staying Alive Through the Dangers of Leading by Ronald A. Heifetz and Marty Linsky.
When I read Leadership on the Line several years ago, it was inspirational. Heifetz and Linsky use compelling stories of leaders from all walks of life in their various walks in life to describe the challenges of courageous leadership. However, looking back, my reading was mostly an intellectual exercise—almost as an observer of leaders and acts of leadership. It was the first time I had heard the metaphor “getting on the balcony” which almost seems commonplace in organizational management and leadership circles today. And yet, still a hard thing to often do.
Heifetz and Linsky astutely point out that with courageous leadership and adaptive change comes conflict and loss. Now, as an organizational leader, I recognize and appreciate the depth of these two emotions, which are certainly heightened as our organizations, levels of government, and communities struggle with change presented by our economic, social and political realities. A time that calls for courageous leaders and adaptive leadership at all levels.
Did Leadership on the Line change my life? That might be a high bar for a leadership book to vault, but it has become one to read and re-read. (Their latest The Practice of Adaptive Leadership is also in my cue.) I would suspect others come to mind for you and much as they do me, such as John Gardner’s On Leadership, Jim Collins’ Good to Great or Margaret Wheatley’s Leadership and the New Science, and the list goes on.
Let’s get a dialogue going about our bookshelves. Share your answers: what leadership book changed your life?
If I’m completely honest, the answer is 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. While it may get ripped for its simplicity, since reading that book I have scheduled weekly planning meetings with myself and have carried the same brown binder around town. As I reflected on your blog, I realized that I read this book about 15 years ago. This hasn’t been a flash in the pan, but truly a long-term practice. It didn’t change the way I think so much as it changed the way I prioritized my time—and life.