What do you think?
Rate this book
Head and Heart: The Art of Modern Leadership
'A timely, actionable book on the virtues that every great leader needs to learn.'ADAM GRANT, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Think Again and host of the TED podcast WorkLifeLeadership is simply a series of moments and every moment gives you the opportunity to leave a positive legacy for those you lead.In this ground-breaking book, award-winning leadership expert and business leader Kirstin Ferguson has written a much needed practical guide for every modern leader. Whether you are the head of one of the largest companies in the world, supervising a small team or guiding your family, it will be your ability to integrate your head and heart that will influence your success in leading others and navigating our complex world.Combining studies from leading thinkers in the field with her own research, and more than three decades of personal experience, Kirstin explains the eight key attributes of a head and heart leader, and provides the tools to measure your own approach. Along the way, she shares her conversations with modern leaders from a broad range of backgrounds whose stories will surprise you, challenge your thinking and inspire you to be the type of leader the world needs today.‘ Head & Heart is one of those books you just know is going to change the world.’KATE JENKINS, Australia’s Sex Discrimination Commissioner‘A long way from the standard corporate leadership book.’MARK SCOTT AO, Vice Chancellor, University of Sydney‘ Head & Heart has joined my favourite leadership books on my bedside table.’PIP MARLOW, CEO, Salesforce Asia Pacific
336 pages, Paperback
Published January 31, 2023
68 people are currently reading
437 people want to read
About the author
Kirstin Ferguson
4 books27 followersDr Kirstin Ferguson is a company director, columnist, keynote speaker and executive coach. Beginning her career as an officer in the Royal Australian Air Force, Kirstin has held roles that have included chief executive officer of an international consulting firm, and acting chair and deputy chair of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. She has sat on boards of both publicly-listed and privately-listed companies for more than a decade.
Kirstin has a PhD in leadership and culture, as well as honours degrees in Law and History. She is an adjunct professor at the Queensland University of Technology Business School, where she was named Outstanding Alumnus of the Year in 2020, and is a Sir Winston Churchill Fellow. She was included on Thinkers50 Radar List in 2021 and shortlisted for the Thinkers50 Distinguished Achievement Award in Leadership.
Kirstin writes a weekly column on leadership and work in the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, and is also a contributor to the Australian Financial Review and Forbes.
Kirstin has a PhD in leadership and culture, as well as honours degrees in Law and History. She is an adjunct professor at the Queensland University of Technology Business School, where she was named Outstanding Alumnus of the Year in 2020, and is a Sir Winston Churchill Fellow. She was included on Thinkers50 Radar List in 2021 and shortlisted for the Thinkers50 Distinguished Achievement Award in Leadership.
Kirstin writes a weekly column on leadership and work in the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, and is also a contributor to the Australian Financial Review and Forbes.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
July 19, 2023
A generic leadership book with some useful parts, but odd examples and a confusing new model ("head and heart leadership").
I read this book as I was fascinated by the new concept of "Head and Heart Leadership". The concept is the author's new way of understanding both the emotional and logical approaches to leadership, grounded in an Australian context. The book is presented as four parts - a grounding in leadership studies, key attributes for heart leadership, key attributes for head leadership, and an approach to integrating these.
The strengths of the books are it's examples. The author uses interviews with Australian leaders from diverse and interesting backgrounds. Tanya Monroe is a particular standout - every interview splice with her input is fascinating.
That said, the book has distinct weaknesses.
First, anecdotes from these interviews are used as examples throughout each chapter, often without any deep analysis of what the person did, or whether it even worked. Examples are presented almost as if we are to take it on faith that they show the concept - and often that's not very clear. Some of the examples are just weird. They don't make sense or support the point the author is making. Some are jarring. Some are short throwaways without further explanation. The author refers in 2-3 places to her air force cadet experience - I'm not sure these are the strongest examples in support
Second, this book introduced you to the "Modern Leader". This term is used over and over, ad nauseam, as attributes of a Modern Leader are defined. We're told that everyone is a Modern Leader, everyone has these attributes. But I'm not convinced this is actually a helpful approach to leadership.
Third, the final part on integration of head and heart has to be the weakest. From the opening example - leadership of King Gustavus Adolphus in the 1650s in Sweden and how it would've been better with head and heart leadership (what!!!?!) - it's a collection of hunches and evidence free assertions that were unpersuasive. If it was meant to show how to integrate head and heart, it didn't - it didn't even refer to the previously discussed attributes. Just repeating "Person X showed head and heart leadership" at the end of each example doesnt make it so!
More fundamentally, I'm not sure this is anything new. There's plenty of ex service personnel repackaging the armed forces version of leadership attributes (John Cantwells Leadership in Action came to mind) that do it in a clearer and more structured way. But they don't claim to understand Modern Leaders. This book does.
New studies of leadership focus on leadership as an emergent behaviour - the unit of focus isn't the leader, it's the leadership demonstrated in action and behaviour (see, for example, Complexity Leadership Theory). The author is so close to this realization in the final chapter, as she concludes "the art of modern leadership is simply knowing what attributes you need and when". This book is not a good guide to those attributes or when they're needed.
I read this book as I was fascinated by the new concept of "Head and Heart Leadership". The concept is the author's new way of understanding both the emotional and logical approaches to leadership, grounded in an Australian context. The book is presented as four parts - a grounding in leadership studies, key attributes for heart leadership, key attributes for head leadership, and an approach to integrating these.
The strengths of the books are it's examples. The author uses interviews with Australian leaders from diverse and interesting backgrounds. Tanya Monroe is a particular standout - every interview splice with her input is fascinating.
That said, the book has distinct weaknesses.
First, anecdotes from these interviews are used as examples throughout each chapter, often without any deep analysis of what the person did, or whether it even worked. Examples are presented almost as if we are to take it on faith that they show the concept - and often that's not very clear. Some of the examples are just weird. They don't make sense or support the point the author is making. Some are jarring. Some are short throwaways without further explanation. The author refers in 2-3 places to her air force cadet experience - I'm not sure these are the strongest examples in support
Second, this book introduced you to the "Modern Leader". This term is used over and over, ad nauseam, as attributes of a Modern Leader are defined. We're told that everyone is a Modern Leader, everyone has these attributes. But I'm not convinced this is actually a helpful approach to leadership.
Third, the final part on integration of head and heart has to be the weakest. From the opening example - leadership of King Gustavus Adolphus in the 1650s in Sweden and how it would've been better with head and heart leadership (what!!!?!) - it's a collection of hunches and evidence free assertions that were unpersuasive. If it was meant to show how to integrate head and heart, it didn't - it didn't even refer to the previously discussed attributes. Just repeating "Person X showed head and heart leadership" at the end of each example doesnt make it so!
More fundamentally, I'm not sure this is anything new. There's plenty of ex service personnel repackaging the armed forces version of leadership attributes (John Cantwells Leadership in Action came to mind) that do it in a clearer and more structured way. But they don't claim to understand Modern Leaders. This book does.
New studies of leadership focus on leadership as an emergent behaviour - the unit of focus isn't the leader, it's the leadership demonstrated in action and behaviour (see, for example, Complexity Leadership Theory). The author is so close to this realization in the final chapter, as she concludes "the art of modern leadership is simply knowing what attributes you need and when". This book is not a good guide to those attributes or when they're needed.
January 25, 2024
What is it?
I've read my share of books on leadership over the years. And somehow, the majority of them have each made some claim to be 'not your typical book on leadership'. As does this one.
The main premise of the book is that traditional views of leadership have been 'head' focussed. Traditional leadership is about power, confidence and reason. In contrast, the author puts forward that what we need today is a combination of 'head and heart leadership'. She lists 8 ways in which she sees this being played out: curiosity, wisdom, perspective, capability, humility, self-awareness, courage and empathy. These form the central 8 chapters of the book. She provides some background on changing views of leadership to begin the book, and closes with a chapter that attempts to illustrate how these 8 attributes all come together.
Ferguson has developed a method for discerning the type of leader you are, according to her characteristics. I can only see that this is an attempt to provide a form of scientific research to back up the claims of her book. Surprisingly then, the book largely reads as a collection of anecdotes, short stories and quotes from various people she has either interviewed or read about.
Who wrote it?
Kirstin Ferguson is 'Australia's award-winning leadership expert'. She appears to have built quite a reputation in this space.
Why I read it
As part of my own development as a leader, I enjoy reading a good book from time to time on the subject. I forget how I came across this one, but it rated very well. And despite my cynicism for 'new ways' of leadership, I'm still very open to hearing new perspectives on the subject.
What I liked
It's an easy read. A few anecdotes were interesting. Ferguson has some helpful things to say early on about the changes that have shifted modern views of leadership. But sadly, there was very little I enjoyed in reading this.
What I didn't
I my opinion, the book is a bit of a mess, and doesn't really achieve the goal it sets out to achieve. Here are a few key faults I found with it.
Most of the book read, to me at least, as painfully obvious advice. I kept waiting for some unique insights, or interesting perspectives, but they never came.
It's quite possible that I am simply too young to fully appreciate what Ferguson says is a radical rethink from the 'old' days. What she advocates for already seems normal to me. Or perhaps my years of reading, thinking and practicing leadership through a Christian lens has made Ferguson' argument seem less earth shattering and mostly, well, obvious. Or maybe it's that I don't have the personality of a 'traditional' leader, so I've never felt an urge or gravity towards such a picture. It's probably a combination of all of the above.
One of Fergusons biggest mistakes is to grossly oversimplify. Ferguson argues that, in modern definitions of leadership, it is not necessary that someone have followers in order to be a leader. In critiquing old definitions of leadership - think your classic 1980's brash, confident, take-no-prisoners charismatic CEO - she says that in this view, there is no room to see "leaders of ideas like Greta Thunberg who do not start with followers and hold no position of authority". She then adds other forms of leadership to build her case that you don't need followers: leaders of movements and those who lead 'at the margins' because of their ethnicity, gender, or sexuality. Ferguson wants to make a case that anyone can be a leader - and in fact is a leader - within their already existing roles and responsibilities. Now, I'm fully on board with that idea. But I think she goes a step too far to say that leaders don't need followers. I would agree if she meant that they don't need formal structures of leadership or official identifiers of followers. But - to pick one of her early illustrations - Greta Thunberg has become a leader not because she spoke up about Earth's changing climate - she is a leader because people listened to her and got behind her. If no-one followed her, she would be ignored and not a leader by any definition.
Similarly, Ferguson speaks of leaders of minority movements as if they have only just begun to be able to exercise leadership in this modern view of leadership. I feel again this is a major oversimplification of the matter. I am curious what she would make of US civil rights leaders in the 1960s, for instance. They had no entitlement to leadership. No recognised position of power But they followed the same path that is taken by every group of humans. Sooner or later, we look to someone to advocate for us in some context, or someone to help a community be cohesive. What she advocates for in a 'modern leader' has already been seen in many leaders and movements of history.
There are two great ironies to the book that I do want to mention.
Firstly, Ferguson goes on at length in the early part of the book to argue that everyone is a leader, and we should push hard against traditional views of leadership - those of people high-up in the business or sporting world, for example. But then the rest of the book is full of stories, quotes and interviews of people who are exclusively in the realm of CEO's, business leaders and sporting champions. She wants to advocate for the 'ordinary' leader, but then undermines the whole thesis by not giving a single 'ordinary' leader a voice throughout the book.
Secondly, the book appears to be the result of some lengthy research that Ferguson has done in the leadership space. There's some information in the appendix that seeks to give credit to the scientific nature of her work. But nothing in the book itself is grounded in anything remotely scientific or research driven. There are only random quotes from someone-or-other saying something about their view of leadership. There's no critique of ideas presented by these people. No assessment as to whether what they say is true, or has seen any measurable success. They are, effectively, meaningly anecdotes that lack any power to convince the reader.
Two final grievances I had with the book: because a number of people receive multiple spaces in the book to express their thoughts on leadership, as a reader you are bombarded with introductions to these characters. For example, Libby Trickett has achieved much as an amazing athlete. But I really tired reading for the umpteenth time that she is "Three-time Olympian and four-time gold medallist Libby Trickett". Many others in the book receive similar treatment.
Religious leadership receives a few brief mentions throughout the book. All negative. Except for the Baha'i faith, which she holds up as a beautiful complement to modern leadership because in this faith, "inclusivity and consensus is deeply valued". I was probably most sensitive to this topic than the average reader of the book, but she certainly came across to me as someone with an axe to grind.
Who should read it?
I would not recommend this book to anyone. If you're looking for a pithy book on leadership, hate most books on leadership, consider yourself in leadership of a minority of some sort, and are a looking for a big hug and affirmation, perhaps this book is for you. Otherwise, I don't think it's worth it.
I've read my share of books on leadership over the years. And somehow, the majority of them have each made some claim to be 'not your typical book on leadership'. As does this one.
The main premise of the book is that traditional views of leadership have been 'head' focussed. Traditional leadership is about power, confidence and reason. In contrast, the author puts forward that what we need today is a combination of 'head and heart leadership'. She lists 8 ways in which she sees this being played out: curiosity, wisdom, perspective, capability, humility, self-awareness, courage and empathy. These form the central 8 chapters of the book. She provides some background on changing views of leadership to begin the book, and closes with a chapter that attempts to illustrate how these 8 attributes all come together.
Ferguson has developed a method for discerning the type of leader you are, according to her characteristics. I can only see that this is an attempt to provide a form of scientific research to back up the claims of her book. Surprisingly then, the book largely reads as a collection of anecdotes, short stories and quotes from various people she has either interviewed or read about.
Who wrote it?
Kirstin Ferguson is 'Australia's award-winning leadership expert'. She appears to have built quite a reputation in this space.
Why I read it
As part of my own development as a leader, I enjoy reading a good book from time to time on the subject. I forget how I came across this one, but it rated very well. And despite my cynicism for 'new ways' of leadership, I'm still very open to hearing new perspectives on the subject.
What I liked
It's an easy read. A few anecdotes were interesting. Ferguson has some helpful things to say early on about the changes that have shifted modern views of leadership. But sadly, there was very little I enjoyed in reading this.
What I didn't
I my opinion, the book is a bit of a mess, and doesn't really achieve the goal it sets out to achieve. Here are a few key faults I found with it.
Most of the book read, to me at least, as painfully obvious advice. I kept waiting for some unique insights, or interesting perspectives, but they never came.
It's quite possible that I am simply too young to fully appreciate what Ferguson says is a radical rethink from the 'old' days. What she advocates for already seems normal to me. Or perhaps my years of reading, thinking and practicing leadership through a Christian lens has made Ferguson' argument seem less earth shattering and mostly, well, obvious. Or maybe it's that I don't have the personality of a 'traditional' leader, so I've never felt an urge or gravity towards such a picture. It's probably a combination of all of the above.
One of Fergusons biggest mistakes is to grossly oversimplify. Ferguson argues that, in modern definitions of leadership, it is not necessary that someone have followers in order to be a leader. In critiquing old definitions of leadership - think your classic 1980's brash, confident, take-no-prisoners charismatic CEO - she says that in this view, there is no room to see "leaders of ideas like Greta Thunberg who do not start with followers and hold no position of authority". She then adds other forms of leadership to build her case that you don't need followers: leaders of movements and those who lead 'at the margins' because of their ethnicity, gender, or sexuality. Ferguson wants to make a case that anyone can be a leader - and in fact is a leader - within their already existing roles and responsibilities. Now, I'm fully on board with that idea. But I think she goes a step too far to say that leaders don't need followers. I would agree if she meant that they don't need formal structures of leadership or official identifiers of followers. But - to pick one of her early illustrations - Greta Thunberg has become a leader not because she spoke up about Earth's changing climate - she is a leader because people listened to her and got behind her. If no-one followed her, she would be ignored and not a leader by any definition.
Similarly, Ferguson speaks of leaders of minority movements as if they have only just begun to be able to exercise leadership in this modern view of leadership. I feel again this is a major oversimplification of the matter. I am curious what she would make of US civil rights leaders in the 1960s, for instance. They had no entitlement to leadership. No recognised position of power But they followed the same path that is taken by every group of humans. Sooner or later, we look to someone to advocate for us in some context, or someone to help a community be cohesive. What she advocates for in a 'modern leader' has already been seen in many leaders and movements of history.
There are two great ironies to the book that I do want to mention.
Firstly, Ferguson goes on at length in the early part of the book to argue that everyone is a leader, and we should push hard against traditional views of leadership - those of people high-up in the business or sporting world, for example. But then the rest of the book is full of stories, quotes and interviews of people who are exclusively in the realm of CEO's, business leaders and sporting champions. She wants to advocate for the 'ordinary' leader, but then undermines the whole thesis by not giving a single 'ordinary' leader a voice throughout the book.
Secondly, the book appears to be the result of some lengthy research that Ferguson has done in the leadership space. There's some information in the appendix that seeks to give credit to the scientific nature of her work. But nothing in the book itself is grounded in anything remotely scientific or research driven. There are only random quotes from someone-or-other saying something about their view of leadership. There's no critique of ideas presented by these people. No assessment as to whether what they say is true, or has seen any measurable success. They are, effectively, meaningly anecdotes that lack any power to convince the reader.
Two final grievances I had with the book: because a number of people receive multiple spaces in the book to express their thoughts on leadership, as a reader you are bombarded with introductions to these characters. For example, Libby Trickett has achieved much as an amazing athlete. But I really tired reading for the umpteenth time that she is "Three-time Olympian and four-time gold medallist Libby Trickett". Many others in the book receive similar treatment.
Religious leadership receives a few brief mentions throughout the book. All negative. Except for the Baha'i faith, which she holds up as a beautiful complement to modern leadership because in this faith, "inclusivity and consensus is deeply valued". I was probably most sensitive to this topic than the average reader of the book, but she certainly came across to me as someone with an axe to grind.
Who should read it?
I would not recommend this book to anyone. If you're looking for a pithy book on leadership, hate most books on leadership, consider yourself in leadership of a minority of some sort, and are a looking for a big hug and affirmation, perhaps this book is for you. Otherwise, I don't think it's worth it.
Read
January 23, 2024- thanks to the author for my surprise (and personalised!) #gifted copy of this book
My feelings for this book are biased, given that I feel profound respect, gratitude, and admiration for Kirstin. She got in touch with me and extended her kindness and support during one of the most chaotic times of my life ... a few days later, her book showed up with the following message:
"Thank you for being the modern leader we need in the world today and for leading with your head & heart." If her gesture and these words do not give you an idea of the sort of person Kirstin is (in case you are a rock), reading this book will do the job. She is a leadership expert who leads by example; I believe it does not get more authentic than this.
However, I must admit I was fearful about what sort of experience I would have with Head & Heart, considering I do not read much about business and leadership, but I should not have worried, as this book is far from being anything but engaging, thought-provoking, encouraging and full of compassion. Yes, you read correctly. It's not what you expect to find in a business book, I know, but this is one embedded with it nonetheless.
As a person with a never-ending thirst for knowledge, I loved learning about all the different ways we can be leaders in our day-to-day lives, regardless of our professions or jobs. The book contains advice, techniques and examples on improving our leadership styles, most of which can also be applied to communication in general, whether with partners, children, colleagues or friends. Honestly, I rarely ever walk away from Non-Fiction books with practical advice I care enough about to attempt to apply in my life, so I am very grateful for Kirstin's approachable and straightforward approach.
Overall, Head & Heart is an informative, captivating and nurturing book about leadership, in and out of the workplace. If you believe that we can all achieve a good balance between curiosity, wisdom, perspective and capability, and humility, self-awareness, courage and empathy, this book is for you—100% recommended.
My feelings for this book are biased, given that I feel profound respect, gratitude, and admiration for Kirstin. She got in touch with me and extended her kindness and support during one of the most chaotic times of my life ... a few days later, her book showed up with the following message:
"Thank you for being the modern leader we need in the world today and for leading with your head & heart." If her gesture and these words do not give you an idea of the sort of person Kirstin is (in case you are a rock), reading this book will do the job. She is a leadership expert who leads by example; I believe it does not get more authentic than this.
However, I must admit I was fearful about what sort of experience I would have with Head & Heart, considering I do not read much about business and leadership, but I should not have worried, as this book is far from being anything but engaging, thought-provoking, encouraging and full of compassion. Yes, you read correctly. It's not what you expect to find in a business book, I know, but this is one embedded with it nonetheless.
As a person with a never-ending thirst for knowledge, I loved learning about all the different ways we can be leaders in our day-to-day lives, regardless of our professions or jobs. The book contains advice, techniques and examples on improving our leadership styles, most of which can also be applied to communication in general, whether with partners, children, colleagues or friends. Honestly, I rarely ever walk away from Non-Fiction books with practical advice I care enough about to attempt to apply in my life, so I am very grateful for Kirstin's approachable and straightforward approach.
Overall, Head & Heart is an informative, captivating and nurturing book about leadership, in and out of the workplace. If you believe that we can all achieve a good balance between curiosity, wisdom, perspective and capability, and humility, self-awareness, courage and empathy, this book is for you—100% recommended.
March 9, 2025
This book packages the idea that a leader can have empathy, self-awareness, courage and humility ('heart' attributes) as a novel idea. It then goes through these and four 'head' attributes, addressing a chapter to arguing why each is important, without saying anything about how to develop these skills or providing any practical advice whatsoever. Instead it provides seemingly endless anecdotal examples from the same 15 or so leaders, all of which effectively say 'I faced a challenge as a leader and I employed X attribute and the outcome was positive'. The book very rarely tells us what these solutions actually looked like - just that they were e.g. showing empathy for someone, or speaking up and being courageous - except in the most superficial of senses (it might for instance say the leader ensured everyone felt heard, or the company took a stand on a political issue). Calling this a practical guide is like calling McDonalds health food.
And as pointed out in one of the reviews below, despite the book containing scientific posturing, it is utterly unscientific. The so-called leader scale developed by its 'research institute' that apparently underpins the claims of the book is based solely on self-reporting in a 24 question survey, from which pseudo-scientific assertions will be made like saying high self-ranking on this attribute correlates to high self-rankings on these other attributes. But so what? It is all self-ranking, and you can slice and dice that 'data' all you want but there is nothing to say that anyone who ranks themselves highly on your scale of self-awareness, wisdom, empathy or any other attribute is perceived that way by the people they lead or anyone else for that matter. It is utterly meaningless.
The only thing that I learnt from reading this book is that in 2023, some people still think that it is 'ground breaking' to suggest that leaders should see their role as supporting their staff to grow and flourish. Not one practical suggestion on how to actually foster the attributes of a 'modern leader' she argues we should be developing. I spent the whole read thinking 'yes but how' and got nothing, it was a total waste of time.
And as pointed out in one of the reviews below, despite the book containing scientific posturing, it is utterly unscientific. The so-called leader scale developed by its 'research institute' that apparently underpins the claims of the book is based solely on self-reporting in a 24 question survey, from which pseudo-scientific assertions will be made like saying high self-ranking on this attribute correlates to high self-rankings on these other attributes. But so what? It is all self-ranking, and you can slice and dice that 'data' all you want but there is nothing to say that anyone who ranks themselves highly on your scale of self-awareness, wisdom, empathy or any other attribute is perceived that way by the people they lead or anyone else for that matter. It is utterly meaningless.
The only thing that I learnt from reading this book is that in 2023, some people still think that it is 'ground breaking' to suggest that leaders should see their role as supporting their staff to grow and flourish. Not one practical suggestion on how to actually foster the attributes of a 'modern leader' she argues we should be developing. I spent the whole read thinking 'yes but how' and got nothing, it was a total waste of time.
October 4, 2023
I’ll start by saying I really enjoyed reading this book. Ever since I heard Hubert Joly mentioning it in one of his posts, the title really resonated with me and I knew I needed to read it.
Kirstin talks about the importance of creating a balance between our heads 🧠 and hearts ❤️ when leading, whether that is in the corporate world, at home with our family or in any other scenario where we can have an impact on others (we’re all leaders, we all have opportunities to have leadership roles).
According to Kirstin, a Modern Leader understands both reason and emotion. Both head and heart are equally important and we need to learn when to use them.
📖 The book highlights head-based and heart-based attributes of modern leadership and develops these attributes in detail with examples and true stories from leaders in different scenarios:
🧠 Head-based attributes:
⭐️ Curiosity
⭐️ Wisdom
⭐️ Perspective
⭐️ Capability
❤️ Heart-based attributes:
⭐️ Humility
⭐️ Self-awareness
⭐️ Courage
⭐️ Empathy
The last part of the book is about integrating our Head and Heart for effective modern leadership. Kirstin also developed a Head & Heart Leader scale and I really encourage everyone reading this review to go to https://lnkd.in/eyHx8Xuj and take this self-assessment tool to understand their balance of head and heart leadership as a first step, and then, read the book 📖 to go deeper into each attribute and develop an action plan.
“Modern leaders serve the people they lead and focus on how to coach others to be successful, rather than being driven by their individual success. Modern leaders understand that when they focus on helping others achieve success, they too are more successful, more trusted and more effective”.
I absolutely loved ❤️ this book; it is a must-read for leaders!
#RecommendedBook #Leadership
Kirstin talks about the importance of creating a balance between our heads 🧠 and hearts ❤️ when leading, whether that is in the corporate world, at home with our family or in any other scenario where we can have an impact on others (we’re all leaders, we all have opportunities to have leadership roles).
According to Kirstin, a Modern Leader understands both reason and emotion. Both head and heart are equally important and we need to learn when to use them.
📖 The book highlights head-based and heart-based attributes of modern leadership and develops these attributes in detail with examples and true stories from leaders in different scenarios:
🧠 Head-based attributes:
⭐️ Curiosity
⭐️ Wisdom
⭐️ Perspective
⭐️ Capability
❤️ Heart-based attributes:
⭐️ Humility
⭐️ Self-awareness
⭐️ Courage
⭐️ Empathy
The last part of the book is about integrating our Head and Heart for effective modern leadership. Kirstin also developed a Head & Heart Leader scale and I really encourage everyone reading this review to go to https://lnkd.in/eyHx8Xuj and take this self-assessment tool to understand their balance of head and heart leadership as a first step, and then, read the book 📖 to go deeper into each attribute and develop an action plan.
“Modern leaders serve the people they lead and focus on how to coach others to be successful, rather than being driven by their individual success. Modern leaders understand that when they focus on helping others achieve success, they too are more successful, more trusted and more effective”.
I absolutely loved ❤️ this book; it is a must-read for leaders!
#RecommendedBook #Leadership
January 30, 2024
In this groundbreaking book, Kirstin Ferguson, an award-winning leadership expert, skillfully explores the essence of leadership as a series of pivotal moments. Her practical guide, enriched by studies and personal experiences spanning three decades, unveils the crucial interplay between intellect and empathy in the modern leader's journey. Through insightful conversations with diverse leaders, Ferguson illuminates the eight key attributes of a head and heart leader, offering readers a compelling roadmap to shape a positive legacy in any leadership role, be it in business or within the family dynamic.
November 28, 2023
Sigh. Ferguson defines leadership based on the roles we play and the skills we exhibit, not the hierarchical position we occupy, but then fails to interview or respect the everyday leaders - all her case studies are CEOs or people in positions of organisational power. There are a few good insights, but there's this fractured logic that underpins the whole discussion.
April 11, 2024
Head & Heart 🎧📖
⭐️⭐️ (2/5)
Key Points:
✅ I enjoyed the chapter regarding ‘Remote Leadership’ and the hybrid working concepts/designs.
❌ I found it read very much as a professional development essay that then morphed into a book. I think the concepts and key points would be better suited for a workshop or interactive lecture instead of an entire book.
⭐️⭐️ (2/5)
Key Points:
✅ I enjoyed the chapter regarding ‘Remote Leadership’ and the hybrid working concepts/designs.
❌ I found it read very much as a professional development essay that then morphed into a book. I think the concepts and key points would be better suited for a workshop or interactive lecture instead of an entire book.
December 20, 2024
A good book if you have never read anything on leadership before. But I didn't necessarily feel that there was anything new or particularly practical in this one.
It was more describing eight characteristics of good leaders - four to do with leading with the head, four to do with leading with the heart.
It was more describing eight characteristics of good leaders - four to do with leading with the head, four to do with leading with the heart.
March 9, 2023
This book exceeded my expectations with some great tips, particularly about heart based leadership. Only 4 stars as I am getting tired of books/leadership models that define a set of characteristics. There is just too many.
April 30, 2023
Kirstin brings together a variety of research into current leadership language. The book is useful in considering how we lead in an increasingly complex & connected yet disconnected world.
June 1, 2023
Nothing really new in this book. Just a lot of feel good one page anecdotes with little substance.
Read
June 18, 2023DNF
July 8, 2023
An excellent book for any modern leader, or any person.
August 27, 2023
Interesting read from a good author (read her first book and enjoy it too). Would definitely recommend as a good read for professional groups.
September 5, 2023
Good book with interesting insight from current leaders. Easy read for anyone interested in developing leadership in the modern workforce.
April 2, 2024
Although I did find this book interesting and a timeless guide for any leader. Not all is applicable to everyone but there is definitely a practical lesson in every chapter. I totally believe that leadership is a series of moments put together for you to have a chance to make the right decision and leave a positive legacy to all who are learning or expecting to learn from you.
February 4, 2024
4.5 stars.
I loved this book and I immediately recommended it to anyone who would listen.
This book encourages us to rethink the types of leaders we need. Its synopsis is pretty spot on: “Through the uncertainty of the past few years, revolving doors of leaders in some governments around the world, and the emergence of leaders that do not fit the traditional mould …, it’s clear that our expectations of leaders across politics, business and even in our families has changed.”
I’m fully supportive of the idea that the concept of ‘leadership’ applies to anyone, not just for people in some designated roles. Having said that, people in the designated leadership roles could benefit greatly from this book.
The concepts outlined are nothing new - I have previously read other books that presented the idea of ‘balanced’ leadership, utilising head and heart (or blue and pink style) to the fullest. However, Dr. Kirstin Ferguson brought across her unique real-world experience working with some prominent leaders and managed to infuse her own style and make this book her own. I loved her self-assessment checklist in each chapter, and the various tips & tricks.
Another highlight for me while reading this was the storytelling style. While this was a work of non-fiction, I really enjoyed the chapter flows and the Malcolm Gladwell-esque of zooming in and out of conversations with the interviewees. Not to mention, it was funny in some places. I actually tabbed a sentence that made me chuckle a bit: “Trust is to capitalism what alcohol is to wedding receptions: a social lubricant.”
If you’re in the mood to read a non-fiction, I’d recommend this for you.
(Thanks to Penguin Australia for a gifted copy in exchange for an honest review)
See my bookstagram review.
I loved this book and I immediately recommended it to anyone who would listen.
This book encourages us to rethink the types of leaders we need. Its synopsis is pretty spot on: “Through the uncertainty of the past few years, revolving doors of leaders in some governments around the world, and the emergence of leaders that do not fit the traditional mould …, it’s clear that our expectations of leaders across politics, business and even in our families has changed.”
I’m fully supportive of the idea that the concept of ‘leadership’ applies to anyone, not just for people in some designated roles. Having said that, people in the designated leadership roles could benefit greatly from this book.
The concepts outlined are nothing new - I have previously read other books that presented the idea of ‘balanced’ leadership, utilising head and heart (or blue and pink style) to the fullest. However, Dr. Kirstin Ferguson brought across her unique real-world experience working with some prominent leaders and managed to infuse her own style and make this book her own. I loved her self-assessment checklist in each chapter, and the various tips & tricks.
Another highlight for me while reading this was the storytelling style. While this was a work of non-fiction, I really enjoyed the chapter flows and the Malcolm Gladwell-esque of zooming in and out of conversations with the interviewees. Not to mention, it was funny in some places. I actually tabbed a sentence that made me chuckle a bit: “Trust is to capitalism what alcohol is to wedding receptions: a social lubricant.”
If you’re in the mood to read a non-fiction, I’d recommend this for you.
(Thanks to Penguin Australia for a gifted copy in exchange for an honest review)
See my bookstagram review.
October 17, 2023
I don't think this book truly discussed the power of 'Head & Heart' leadership. Often the examples and stories given lacked depth in the authors evaluation and how it was a true example of H&H leadership that this book most of the time felt surface level and undercooked.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews