Pivot Points: Five Decisions Every Successful Leader Must Make

by Julia Tang Peters

Pivoting For Pace-Setting Leaders
In the sea of leadership advice, Julia Tang Peters' Pivot Points stands out like a beacon.  Through the stories of five inspiring and approachable leaders, this engaging read brings alive the role of pivotal decisions that turn ordinary careers into leadership journeys.    Take a rare look into the on-the-job process of bringing together the science of management and the art of leadership, and get useful insights for turning the inevitable pivot points of careers into fortuitous decisions that prove pivotal. 
  
With a self-diagnostic questionnaire based on the book's unique framework, you'll be able to identify warning signs of complacency and drifting as well as ways to continuously connect with your passion to fulfill your aspirations.   Pivot Points will guide you in the processes of knowing when and how to make these difficult decisions and finding your own path to exceptional results. Gain practical insights from this valuable aid for professional development of high achievers in every career stage.

Genres: Business

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2014

Reviews

[Kevin Archer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The self appraisal and decision making analysis are worth the read in and of themselves.
They assist in a impactful path towards personal clarity.

[Chantel · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read. It's good to learn about leaders that aren't often spotlighted and who have had unique journeys.

[Juergen John Roscher · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book from a Goodreads’ Giveaway. As in all of my reviews, I rate a book according to its information, relevancy, and quality for non-fiction and interest and entertainment for fiction, regardless of how I obtained the book. Thank you to author and Goodreads for giving me this book.

This book focuses on five decisions the author suggests that all successful leaders must make. It gives an overview of each of these critical decisions so the reader has a fundamental understanding of each. Then the author goes through the careers of several successful leaders and analyzes how each of them knowingly or unknowingly made the decisions during vital points in their career. Here is a brief summary of the five decisions:

1. Launching – A commitment to gain mastery of specialized skill – to do more than your job
2. Turning point – A decision to act upon an important opportunity or problem – move in a bold new direction
3. Tipping Point – A point where you break through a fundamental barrier – usually involves significant risk
4. Recommitment – focus on purpose driven leadership and sharpen the vision – moving the goal line further out
5. Letting go – Facilitates new sustainable leadership

I liked learning about the five decisions the author proposes successful leaders makes during their career. I don’t think leaders set down and purposely make each of these decisions but the decisions are a natural byproduct of most successful leaders’ careers.

I found some of the individuals that the author highlighted interesting but others less so.

My desire for this book was to help me in my career and I am not sure that a book like this aids me in my career since there are not concrete fundamental things recommended by the author to do. It is more of a big picture view of key points in your career that you most likely don’t recognize until you look back over a period of many years.