The Work of Leaders: How Vision, Alignment, and Execution Will Change the Way You Lead

by Julie Straw, Barry Davis, Mark Scullard

Praise for The Work of Leaders " The Work of Leaders is a bright gem of a book. In a crystal clear and to-the-point style, the authors make leadership instantly accessible with a memorable model, rock solid fundamentals, original research, compelling stories, and highly practical tips for putting the principles to immediate use. There are invaluable lessons on every page, and you'll enjoy discovering each one. We highly recommend The Work of Leaders to anyone who aspires to make extraordinary things happen in organizations." --JIM KOUZES & BARRY POSNER, authors of the bestselling The Leadership Challenge (R)"Clear, distinctive, intuitive, and deeply researched, The Work of Leaders gives every reader not only several 'a-ha!' moments, but smart, meaningful suggestions for changing the way we all lead." --ELAINE BIECH, author of The Business of Consulting"The authors have indeed done their homework! Their combined expertise and engaging writing gives their readers a one-stop shop for understanding and improving the way we lead. Bravo!" --BEVERLY KAYE, coauthor of Love 'Em or Lose 'Em" The Work of Leaders shows you how to create a thriving organization by setting a vision and then collaborating with your people to guide your company to success. It is the strategic tool you need to move your business forward, with imaginative writing and a practical approach you can use right away." --TOM MCKEE, CEO, The Ken Blanchard Companies"Anyone who is in a leadership position or is responsible for evaluating leaders should make this book a must-read. Collectively, the book's authors are unique in their knowledge, background and ability, which is what distinguishes this great piece of work from others of its kind." --SIDNEY FELTENSTEIN, former CEO, Yorkshire Global Restaurants

Genres: Leadership, Business, Professional Development, Nonfiction, Buisness

240 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 8, 2013

Reviews

[Kaitlin Carroll]

No one even kissed in this book. BORING.

[Shirley Lee]

I've facilitated many team meetings where vision, goals, and deployment plans were made, as well as participating in change management projects. After reading this book, I saw many of the concepts I have shared with leaders in the past explained in a concise and clear way. I highly recommend reading the book if you are a leader looking to update the path your company or department is taking. Or if you are planning to implement a major change, consider this book as part of champion/sponsor training. The book covers the VAE model used in "The Work of Leaders" program.

VAE stands for Vision, Alignment, and Execution - which are the 3 sections the book is broken into. The section on Vision is a must read before writing a new corporate vision or deploying a change initiative. During change management training I do an exercise to find out why most changes fail. The result always shows lack of communication and poor planning/execution as the major factors. That is what the other 2 sections of this book cover. The section on Alignment is basically about open and clear communication. This was one of the best compilations I've read on crafting clear communications and designing around the audience I have read in a long time. The Execution section isn't as in-depth of a planning guide as I would have liked to have seen. Instead, this last section provides very good insights as to why a strategy for deployment is necessary for success.

[Roberta]

A quick easy read with a usable and useful leadership framework - vision, alignment, execution. Easier to read than Kouzes and Posner's The Leadership Challenge, but they complement one another. This one is good because they research bits that not everyone reads are all at the back, while research is woven throughout in KP.

Vision = Inspire a Share Vision, Model the Way
Alignment = Enable Others to Act, Celebrate the Heart
Execute = Challenge the Process

is a fit, though there are others ways to line the practices up.

[Susan W]

The beginning was awful...too repetitive and waste my time. It gets better and has some seriously great stuff.

[Steve Brown]

Please note that my reviews aren't really review, they are more like my cliff notes that I take while reading books.

How Vision, Alignment, and Execution will Change the Way you lead

Vision, Alignment, and Execution (VAE) are the model this team teaches and uses.

Leaders need to focus on all three in order to be successful.
Interestingly, their perception of themselves is very different from that of the people they are leading

Vision - imagine an improved future state that the group will create
Alignment- getting everyone to understand and commit to the same direction
Execution - ensure the conditions are present to turn the vision into reality


Vision
helps us stand out from competitors
provides purpose
drives the creation of goals

Answer Patrick Lencionci's Six Critical Questions from the book "The Advantage"
Why do we exist?
How do we behave?
What do we do?
How will we succeed?
What is the most important, right now?
Who must do what?

Test your assumptions

Alignment
Clarity be straightforward and transparent
Explaining Rationale - this is particularly important during times of uncertainty.
Find the headline - a key phase people can walk away with

Execution
Thomas Edison said, "Vision without Execution is Hallucination"

Championing Execution is a sign of a leader's commitment (they didn't just run off to the next shiny object)
Championing Execution assures the development of concrete strategies
Championing Execution gives people a sense of Achievement

Leaders at all levels need to execute.
Momentum, being driven is key, so you need to push forward to ensure execution
Model the Way - don't ask others to work harder than you. Work hard to show them it's important

Structure - Wile E Coyote - failed because his plans lacked rigor. He didn't understand all the variables.
he didn't test his assumptions, etc.

Tips for feedback
Create a culture of candor and trust by acknowledging your own mistakes
have regular dialogue about what isn't working
focus on the problems, not the people
acknowledge contributions
be sincere in your praise
keep up to date on progress and contributions

[Kristine]

I read quite a few leadership and management books for work and most have a few nuggets of wisdom hidden among the dreck (and don't even get me started on their tendency to use "parables"!). This one was definitely better than most. It was brief and to the point, spared me any attempt to fictionalize, and seemed well-researched and grounded. You could certainly argue that none of it is earth-shattering, but I doubt any leadership book is at this point. Added points for a wide range of references (creating whirlpools in round aboveground pools -- a favorite childhood pastime -- and Wile E. Coyote both got mentions) and some great quotes (my favorite: "There are basically two types of people. People who accomplish things, and people who claim to have accomplished things. The first group is less crowded". - Mark Twain).

[Aaron Mikulsky]

I really enjoyed The Work of Leaders. Thanks Julie! It's simple yet powerful. The book provides many wonderful tips and pragmatic ideals. To summarize:

Vision, Alignment, and Execution (VAE) are the model this team teaches and uses. Leaders need to focus on all three in order to be successful. Interestingly, their perception of themselves is very different from that of the people they are leading.

Vision - imagine an improved future state that the group will create.
Alignment - getting everyone to understand and commit to the same direction.
Execution - ensure the conditions are present to turn the vision into reality.

Vision
Helps us stand out from competitors.
Provides purpose.
Drives the creation of goals.

The book also discusses Patrick Lencionci's Six Critical Questions from another great book, The Advantage.

Alignment
Clarity - be straightforward and transparent.
Explaining Rationale - this is particularly important during times of uncertainty.
Find the headline - a key phase people can walk away with.

Execution
Championing Execution is a sign of a leader's commitment (they didn't just run off to the next shiny object).
Championing Execution assures the development of concrete strategies.
Championing Execution gives people a sense of Achievement.
Leaders at all levels need to execute.
Momentum - Being driven is key, so you need to push forward to ensure execution.
Model the Way - Don't ask others to work harder than you. Work hard to show them it's important.
Structure - Wile E Coyote failed because his plans lacked rigor. He didn't understand all the variables. He didn't test his assumptions, etc.
Thomas Edison said, “Vision without Execution is Hallucination.”

I found these tips for feedback as great reminders (that too few leaders practice):
Create a culture of candor and trust by acknowledging your own mistakes.
Have regular dialogue about what isn't working.
Focus on the problems, not the people.
Acknowledge contributions.
Be sincere in your praise.
Keep up-to-date on progress and contributions.

[David Knapp]

This was a reread from a few years ago - before I had a goodreads account. I'm facilitating an Everything DiSC: Work of Leaders session on Wednesday, so I decided to refresh myself on the training's theoretical foundation by reading this again.

I'm glad I did.

This is one of those rare leadership books that's actually entertaining and easy to read. (Brene Brown could take some pointers from it!) The co-authors do a good job of introducing readers to the VAE model of leadership with a balance of humor/readability and meaningful content.

For those of you who've never heard of it, the VAE model is an acronym for Vision, Alignment, and Execution. Each of these three leadership components is then broken down into three main drivers, which are then further broken down into two key leadership behaviors for each driver. While this may sound confusing, it's actually very straightforward due to the authors' ability to write in an easy-to-read, conversational style. (They saved the geeky, academic style for the Appendices - something I wish more nonfiction authors would do.)

And Appendix B is pure gold. In it, the authors share actual (albeit "scrubbed") comments folks shared about their workplace leaders. Here are just a few nuggets from that list:

* "The only thing I have learned from him is how to avoid him."
* "If there was a big chalkboard with "YOU'RE LATE" "HURRY UP" "WHY ISN'T THIS DONE?"
written on it, it would save them time in repetition. We could just refer to the board."
* "WE ARE ADULTS AND THE WOOP-WOOP DOES NOT MAKE US PERFORM BETTER."
* "She is like poison in the office."
* "Stop throwing my shoes in the woods." [WTF???]

Anyway, I enjoyed this reread and look forward to facilitating the Work of Leaders training again.

[Michael Belcher]

The Inscape authors conducted a sound scholastic study of leader performance yet presented it in a soft-science manner based primarily on secondary sources. The Vision - Align - Execute leadership model holds merit and is memorable. However, this is an enlightening read from your next 2-hour flight, but not an instructional book for your reference library.

[Meng Tan]

Powerful in its simplicity and brevity. I read this quickly (lightning loan), without time to dwell on the concepts, so I'll be waiting for the chance to read it a second time. Appendix B, feedback outtakes, is a total hoot!

[Patrick]

Easy to read and understand. Made me realise even more how much some of the bosses I had in the past were such bad leaders. I think this book can easily help leaders improve their skills with clear and straight forward steps and tips.

[Deborah Degner]

3.7 rating. I liked this book and the research behind it…..a good compilation of a ton of leadership knowledge. As a coach, I appreciate this structure for client use. It is more like a guide or textbook though and straightforward vs entertaining/inspiring.

[Anita]

Excellent review of leadership literature. Hits all the greats! Solid research- backed, VAE framework: Vision, Alignment & Execution. Wish it had more inspirational anecdotes. Notably missing more contemporary, yet crucial aspects of leadership including vulnerability.

[SIMRAN SINGH]

Excellent Leadership Concepts

Very crisp yet wide coverage of practicable points to improve Leadership qualities. I wish I had came across this book earlier in my life. Equally useful for practicing leaders, trainers and consultants.

[Catherine Huang]

A easy read and a good summary. But not a whole lot of new insights.

[Amy]

Despite many great reviews, I didn’t find this book very useful. It felt like Leadership 101 with little guidance that felt new, especially helpful, or energizing.

[Joanne]

An interesting read to help remind leaders or potential leaders aspects of their behaviors to tweak to become more effective.

[Wesley C.]

Quick easy read yet full of applicable and practical steps you can implement in any level of leadership.

[Melissa]

Straight forward, quick read, practical advice.

[Antonio Sacin]

Great work, good to keep as reference.

[Matt]

What I love about this book is how simple it made our process of understanding where issues arise and what we need to work on.

[Emily Balte]

3.75 rounded up

[Kelly Maguire]

Easy read, confirmed a lot of my own thinking on how to plan and execute a vision.

[Todd]

Take 30 years of leadership research and distill it down to three easy to understand tasks of vision, alignment, and execution in under 200 pages. Perfect.

[Ted Phillips]

Very good tools to help you see you strong points and week points and how you can improve to be a better leader.