The Burden of Command

by John B. Edwards

The Burden of Command is a short primer or handbook regarding successful strategies with specific tactics for use in leadership, supervision, and management in today’s public and private sector workplace. The book uses an introduction to open and five chapters, each identified as a particular burden or requirement for anyone appointed to a position of supervision as a guide to shape their conduct and plot their course to develop the necessary skill sets for effective and meaningful job performance. The epilogue ties everything together with the latest research in support of the strategies implemented. Two case studies and a reading list complete the book’s goal of providing new and seasoned supervisors with a “tool chest” of management tools to perform proactive maintenance, problem repairs, and high performance enhancements in the leader’s personal repertoire.The book uses practical applications, detailed lists, and specific examples in each chapter to explain how and why the book’s methods are important and useful. This book is a result of the author’s many years of practical experience and many interactive classes with hundreds of supervisors across the country. It is a very unique and useful book, easily understood with an interesting and important angle of view for modern leadership expectations. It provides objective insight and promotes best practices for anyone given leadership authority over others.

197 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 24, 2014

Reviews

[Alex Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was gifted BURDEN OF COMMAND; a new job that I landed meant that I would be a leadership position of sorts. To be honest, I hadn't really thought much of it. I just assumed that, as a leader (or manager, or commander, or however you want to think of it), I would just be doing what I've always done, but this time, I'd just tell others what to do. It's easy to think of promotions that way: that our new jobs will require more of the same skills/talents/know-how that our old job did.

But that's not really how it works. Or, it's not really how it works if you want to be an effective leader.

Whatever job you had before, you'll still need to know that stuff, but as a leader, you'll need a new skillset. And a new mindset. BURDEN OF COMMAND is all about the mindset needed to be an effective leader: the communication, the self-awareness, the attitude. Perhaps the most interesting thing about the book lies in its title. When we think of command or leadership, we often think of it as a source of privilege. Author John B. Edwards' approach is that leadership, if you want to do it well, is tough. It's a burden. It's a burden, but it's a rewarding load to carry.

BURDEN OF COMMAND is at its best when it is at its most informal. Edwards' stories from the field are fun and interesting, but they're just as useful as anything else in the book. One of the points Edwards raises in the book is the usefulness of storytelling: as both a relationship-builder and a pedagogical tool. It's not surprising then that his use of stories both endears the book to the reader while providing thoughtful lessons. It's one of the many tools I'll be using in my new job to make myself more effective.

Recommended for anyone taking a position where they will be responsible for others' actions. If you're new to a leadership job, or if you're looking to hone your existing toolbox of skills, BURDEN OF COMMAND is an incredibly useful resource.

[James Trixler · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the book was good, the info contained in it is well written about in many other books. There were chapters that could have been contained in a couple paragraphs instead of many pages. It seemed lacking in examples of how the author used the ideas.

Would I recommend to someone to read, sure, if they were not well versed in leadership books. Most people would instead get more from Jocko Willink’s books, which all get 5/5 from me.