What do you think?
Rate this book
The High Impact Leader
Based on research by the Gallup Leadership Institute, a proven program for developing valuable leadership ability, both in yourself and in others Extensive research has identified specific traits that transform average individuals into authoritative, influential, and "authentic" leaders. These authentic leaders learn from the mistakes and successes of themselves and others and build a positive strength initiative within their organizations. In The High Impact Leader , Gallup veterans Bruce Avolio and Fred Luthans show you what you can do to develop and leverage your own leadership strengths into positive, lasting improvement for both yourself and your organization. Their findings combined with examples of wellknown leaders in action--such as Howard Schultz, of Starbucks, and Microsoft's Bill Gates--provide guidelines for accelerating leadership development in any environment. Building on Gallup's innovative "positive strengths" initiative, this results-driven book
- GenresLeadership
Hardcover
First published July 19, 2005
1 person is currently reading
52 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 24, 2015
The High Impact Leader: Moments Matter in Accelerating Authentic Leadership Development, written by Bruce J. Avolio and Fred Luthans; based on research from the Gallup Leadership Institute
A review by Remat Chinggisi
“In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock.” — Thomas Jefferson (Excerpted from the book, page number 1)
The prime objective of this research based book is to develop readers’ Authentic Leadership Development, which has been referred to as ALD. The Book entitled as The High Impact Leader: Moments Matter in Accelerating Authentic Leadership Development, has been written by collaborative writers and leading scholars in leadership Dr Bruce J. Avolio and Dr Fred Luthans. Bruce J. Avolio, Ph.D., is director of Gallup Leadership Institute and serving as senior scientist. A chaired professor of leadership at the University of Nebraska, B.J. Avolio consults with various giant companies around the world and serves on the editorial boards of several top academic and professional journals. He is the author of Transformational and Charismatic Leadership and Leadership Development in Balance: Made/Born. Fred Luthans, Ph.D., is a senior scientist with Gallup and a distinguished chaired professor of management at the University of Nebraska. The former president of National Academy of Management and member of the Academy’s Hall of Fame, Luthans has written over 150 articles and several textbooks, and is the editor or coeditor of a number of academic and professional journals. (Biography of the writers is excerpted from back flap of the book)
Started the book with dedication and gratitude to their wives, children, other family members, friends, teachers, colleagues and students who provided the authors “moments that matter” to their life development, the collaborative writers included a total of 10 chapters in the book apart from its preface and introduction. The coauthors have explained step-by-step process guideline to facilitate and accelerate life programmes of readers through increasing self-awareness and understanding triggering moments which lead towards ALD. The book has made sincere efforts to involve and engage readers through daily life experiences in ALD journey.
Written and published in mid-2005, seasoned leadership scholars Avolio and Luthans have developed and written this book on the basis of previous research conducted by Gallup Leadership Institute where the authors are serving as senior scientists. They have given the readers very practicable and possible guidelines, and realistic and workable outlook towards approaching and attaining ALD in their lives.
The authors have given a number of practical examples of successful politicians, business tycoons, military generals, managerial leaders, heads of states, noble prize winners and their leadership qualities which led to their success. The triggering moments that brought changes in lives of successful leaders might be either positive or negative, but suggested the readers to take such moments as lesson positively aimed at developing their ALD. Through feasible examples of daily lives of successful leaders, the Gallup Institute’s senior scientists have provided readers deep insight how to achieve ALD. They suggested the readers to bring their future to the present by envisioning the future and making the present.
The book has constituted strategies and formulated plans through chapter-wise, the process of ALD, how to alter and convert ordinary outputs into success in any level of life particularly in one’s professional life. The book summarizes this step-by-step process how to bring the future to present, provides results of national poll, 100 years of research on leadership interventions and development, map of ALD, the link between actual-self and possible-self, psychological capital, and discussed what constitutes sustainable and veritable performance. This step-by-step process gives readers to apply easily in their personal lives and improve their ALD in order to become successful leaders in their respective organizations.
The book has also provided immense assets and instruments which are accessible by visiting, browsing and navigating various concerned websites relating to topics under discussion aimed to measure one’s leadership development progress. Addresses of these websites have been given regarding the concerned topic and process under discussion in each chapter and readers are suggested to visit the websites for measuring their leadership progress and participating in different leadership polls.
The High Impact Leader has summarized and conceptualized beautifully one’s self. The authors have explained “actual-self” as who you are and “possible-self” what you intend to become and can become. They ask the readers to develop self-discipline in order to move to one’s possible self and learn from others in this regard.
One major interesting part of the book is devoted on relationship of ALD and PsyCap — psychological capital. The coauthors state that where traditionally economic or financial capital be simply defined as “what you have”, human capital “what you know”, social capital is made up of relationships and networks of contacts, friends and familiarities while psychological capital or PsyCap has evolved from both the positive psychological movement and positive organizational behavior. PsyCap — an intangible assets —moves beyond the human, economic/financial and social capitals of a leaders lives. The book has devoted one chapter on relationship between ALD and PsyCap. The term PsyCap is not available in any dictionary, but it is innovation of the authors who urge readers to apply the term by “out of the box and unconventional thinking”.
Apart from triggering moments that matter, possible-self, bringing future to the present and PsyCap in one’s authentic leadership development, the Gallup scientists-cum-authors have discussed in detail about self-awareness and taking right fork in the road, and sustainable and veritable performance as an end goal of ALD. The book has also covered many other important areas which help readers to improve their leadership competency. These significant areas of debate included as hereunder;
First, to turn even one’s negative experiences into positive leadership moments.
Second, the role of self-sacrifice and born versus made leaders issue.
Third, the root of leadership development is self-awareness and other components of ALD like self-regulation, self-discipline and self-development.
Fourth, the book explains about learning from others aimed to improve one’s authentic leadership development.
Fifth, preparing for a challenge and owning the challenge to cope with it.
Sixth, ALD and veritable performance with particular reference to life example of business tycoon, Mr Warren Buffet, who built Berkshire Hathaway over the years into the most successful investment vehicle in the history.
Seventh, development strategies and rules which help to guide readers for developing their authentic leadership qualities.
And among other areas, bringing of changes in one’s life can change others around him/her in his/her organization and so forth.
The book, The High Impact Leader, is a proven framework and proven methods for re-structuring one’s preferred way and carrying out his/her authentic leadership development plan. The authors have designed the book in such manner as it involves readers in practical leadership development in their personal lives as well as organizations.
Leadership veterans Avolio and Luthans in The High Impact Leader have done a great job for improving one’s authentic leadership qualities. The book facilitates massively readers by explaining key points with examples and special references to lives of successful leaders in politics, business, military and managerial organizations. Besides, the book also assists readers by italicizing main points, and providing Leadership Notes and summarizing significant points in end of each chapter.
Leadership scholars Avolio and Luthans started arguments in book, The High Impact Leader, without explaining and defining the term leader or leadership, its kinds, theories and approaches. Moreover, the coauthors have sometimes argued and prolonged discussion unnecessarily with lengthy examples of various businessmen. However, the collaborative authors have written the book with easily understandable language by employing simple standard words and phrases rather than using bombastic and verbosity. The Gallup Institute’s veterans have chosen short and simple words instead of stodgy and long words which facilitate extremely readers to pick easily the technical ideas discussed and go ahead. They have communicated their ideas in simple style of writing and explained technical jargons as readers do not need to search the meanings of technical terms in dictionary. Readers who use English as second language feel agreeable to be involved directly in reading the book, understanding and picking the ideas discussed. The book, nonetheless, is written impartially and objectively as the coauthors have given positive life examples of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussain, charismatic Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat and poll result on Kuwaiti people’s opinion towards US, despite the fact that one of the authors belongs to Jewish community. Lastly, it is strongly suggested that all officers, irrespective of their groups and cadres, ought to go through this book in order to develop their authentic leadership.
“The High Impact Leader takes you beyond static and inflexible leadership ‘rules’ to help you develop hands-on leadership skills within the unpredictable, often chaotic framework of everyday life. This results-based examination features wide-ranging research and examples of how real-world leadership has developed over the past century. It details a program for accelerating your authentic leadership development that is realistic and achievable, for individuals in virtually any personal or professional environment,” excerpted from back cover of the book.
A review by Remat Chinggisi
“In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock.” — Thomas Jefferson (Excerpted from the book, page number 1)
The prime objective of this research based book is to develop readers’ Authentic Leadership Development, which has been referred to as ALD. The Book entitled as The High Impact Leader: Moments Matter in Accelerating Authentic Leadership Development, has been written by collaborative writers and leading scholars in leadership Dr Bruce J. Avolio and Dr Fred Luthans. Bruce J. Avolio, Ph.D., is director of Gallup Leadership Institute and serving as senior scientist. A chaired professor of leadership at the University of Nebraska, B.J. Avolio consults with various giant companies around the world and serves on the editorial boards of several top academic and professional journals. He is the author of Transformational and Charismatic Leadership and Leadership Development in Balance: Made/Born. Fred Luthans, Ph.D., is a senior scientist with Gallup and a distinguished chaired professor of management at the University of Nebraska. The former president of National Academy of Management and member of the Academy’s Hall of Fame, Luthans has written over 150 articles and several textbooks, and is the editor or coeditor of a number of academic and professional journals. (Biography of the writers is excerpted from back flap of the book)
Started the book with dedication and gratitude to their wives, children, other family members, friends, teachers, colleagues and students who provided the authors “moments that matter” to their life development, the collaborative writers included a total of 10 chapters in the book apart from its preface and introduction. The coauthors have explained step-by-step process guideline to facilitate and accelerate life programmes of readers through increasing self-awareness and understanding triggering moments which lead towards ALD. The book has made sincere efforts to involve and engage readers through daily life experiences in ALD journey.
Written and published in mid-2005, seasoned leadership scholars Avolio and Luthans have developed and written this book on the basis of previous research conducted by Gallup Leadership Institute where the authors are serving as senior scientists. They have given the readers very practicable and possible guidelines, and realistic and workable outlook towards approaching and attaining ALD in their lives.
The authors have given a number of practical examples of successful politicians, business tycoons, military generals, managerial leaders, heads of states, noble prize winners and their leadership qualities which led to their success. The triggering moments that brought changes in lives of successful leaders might be either positive or negative, but suggested the readers to take such moments as lesson positively aimed at developing their ALD. Through feasible examples of daily lives of successful leaders, the Gallup Institute’s senior scientists have provided readers deep insight how to achieve ALD. They suggested the readers to bring their future to the present by envisioning the future and making the present.
The book has constituted strategies and formulated plans through chapter-wise, the process of ALD, how to alter and convert ordinary outputs into success in any level of life particularly in one’s professional life. The book summarizes this step-by-step process how to bring the future to present, provides results of national poll, 100 years of research on leadership interventions and development, map of ALD, the link between actual-self and possible-self, psychological capital, and discussed what constitutes sustainable and veritable performance. This step-by-step process gives readers to apply easily in their personal lives and improve their ALD in order to become successful leaders in their respective organizations.
The book has also provided immense assets and instruments which are accessible by visiting, browsing and navigating various concerned websites relating to topics under discussion aimed to measure one’s leadership development progress. Addresses of these websites have been given regarding the concerned topic and process under discussion in each chapter and readers are suggested to visit the websites for measuring their leadership progress and participating in different leadership polls.
The High Impact Leader has summarized and conceptualized beautifully one’s self. The authors have explained “actual-self” as who you are and “possible-self” what you intend to become and can become. They ask the readers to develop self-discipline in order to move to one’s possible self and learn from others in this regard.
One major interesting part of the book is devoted on relationship of ALD and PsyCap — psychological capital. The coauthors state that where traditionally economic or financial capital be simply defined as “what you have”, human capital “what you know”, social capital is made up of relationships and networks of contacts, friends and familiarities while psychological capital or PsyCap has evolved from both the positive psychological movement and positive organizational behavior. PsyCap — an intangible assets —moves beyond the human, economic/financial and social capitals of a leaders lives. The book has devoted one chapter on relationship between ALD and PsyCap. The term PsyCap is not available in any dictionary, but it is innovation of the authors who urge readers to apply the term by “out of the box and unconventional thinking”.
Apart from triggering moments that matter, possible-self, bringing future to the present and PsyCap in one’s authentic leadership development, the Gallup scientists-cum-authors have discussed in detail about self-awareness and taking right fork in the road, and sustainable and veritable performance as an end goal of ALD. The book has also covered many other important areas which help readers to improve their leadership competency. These significant areas of debate included as hereunder;
First, to turn even one’s negative experiences into positive leadership moments.
Second, the role of self-sacrifice and born versus made leaders issue.
Third, the root of leadership development is self-awareness and other components of ALD like self-regulation, self-discipline and self-development.
Fourth, the book explains about learning from others aimed to improve one’s authentic leadership development.
Fifth, preparing for a challenge and owning the challenge to cope with it.
Sixth, ALD and veritable performance with particular reference to life example of business tycoon, Mr Warren Buffet, who built Berkshire Hathaway over the years into the most successful investment vehicle in the history.
Seventh, development strategies and rules which help to guide readers for developing their authentic leadership qualities.
And among other areas, bringing of changes in one’s life can change others around him/her in his/her organization and so forth.
The book, The High Impact Leader, is a proven framework and proven methods for re-structuring one’s preferred way and carrying out his/her authentic leadership development plan. The authors have designed the book in such manner as it involves readers in practical leadership development in their personal lives as well as organizations.
Leadership veterans Avolio and Luthans in The High Impact Leader have done a great job for improving one’s authentic leadership qualities. The book facilitates massively readers by explaining key points with examples and special references to lives of successful leaders in politics, business, military and managerial organizations. Besides, the book also assists readers by italicizing main points, and providing Leadership Notes and summarizing significant points in end of each chapter.
Leadership scholars Avolio and Luthans started arguments in book, The High Impact Leader, without explaining and defining the term leader or leadership, its kinds, theories and approaches. Moreover, the coauthors have sometimes argued and prolonged discussion unnecessarily with lengthy examples of various businessmen. However, the collaborative authors have written the book with easily understandable language by employing simple standard words and phrases rather than using bombastic and verbosity. The Gallup Institute’s veterans have chosen short and simple words instead of stodgy and long words which facilitate extremely readers to pick easily the technical ideas discussed and go ahead. They have communicated their ideas in simple style of writing and explained technical jargons as readers do not need to search the meanings of technical terms in dictionary. Readers who use English as second language feel agreeable to be involved directly in reading the book, understanding and picking the ideas discussed. The book, nonetheless, is written impartially and objectively as the coauthors have given positive life examples of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussain, charismatic Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat and poll result on Kuwaiti people’s opinion towards US, despite the fact that one of the authors belongs to Jewish community. Lastly, it is strongly suggested that all officers, irrespective of their groups and cadres, ought to go through this book in order to develop their authentic leadership.
“The High Impact Leader takes you beyond static and inflexible leadership ‘rules’ to help you develop hands-on leadership skills within the unpredictable, often chaotic framework of everyday life. This results-based examination features wide-ranging research and examples of how real-world leadership has developed over the past century. It details a program for accelerating your authentic leadership development that is realistic and achievable, for individuals in virtually any personal or professional environment,” excerpted from back cover of the book.
August 8, 2011
While the concepts and ideas at first seem positive, it was difficult for me to distinguish it from other leadership books available on the market.
I don't think I'm the best person to review a text like this, but for what it's worth, I wouldn't have this as one's sole text about leadership. I also think it would be of more use for those with some working experience. For me, I did not get much out of it but I suspect that is more due to my person circumstance rather than of the book's failings.
I don't think I'm the best person to review a text like this, but for what it's worth, I wouldn't have this as one's sole text about leadership. I also think it would be of more use for those with some working experience. For me, I did not get much out of it but I suspect that is more due to my person circumstance rather than of the book's failings.
January 5, 2013
What differentiates this book from others on the topic is its grounding in research. While others express opinions and tell stories to illustrate platitudes, this book explores psychology and offers exercises that accelerate leadership development--a central tenet of the book is that development can be hastened with intentionality and moving from strength and examples of previous success. A must for serious students of leadership.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews