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Leadership is Tough: What Great Leaders Do Differently
374 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 19, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 7, 2026
I'm a postdoctoral researcher, and leadership books usually don't speak to my world. The lab isn't a corporation, my team is a rotating cast of grad students, and most advice in this genre assumes a hierarchy I don't have.
This one translated. Kelly and Stark describe leadership as responsibility without full control, decisions made with incomplete information, accountability for outcomes you can't fully dictate. That's research. That's mentoring someone through a failed experiment. That's choosing which project to push when funding is uncertain.
What stuck with me: trust is built through patterns, not moments. Hard conversations don't get easier by waiting. Protecting your own capacity is part of the job. I'll come back to this as I move toward running my own lab.
This one translated. Kelly and Stark describe leadership as responsibility without full control, decisions made with incomplete information, accountability for outcomes you can't fully dictate. That's research. That's mentoring someone through a failed experiment. That's choosing which project to push when funding is uncertain.
What stuck with me: trust is built through patterns, not moments. Hard conversations don't get easier by waiting. Protecting your own capacity is part of the job. I'll come back to this as I move toward running my own lab.
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August 10, 2026MWSA Review
I have been an avid consumer of business management books, courses, and seminars/webinars since the late 1980s, and this is by far one of the best leadership books I have come across.
The title is the main premise of the book. It gives in-depth discussion, guidance, and perspectives on the whole spectrum of leadership, including the really tough topics, like requiring accountability and building trust, that most other authors shy away from.
The book is comprehensive, and each chapter has key points highlighted throughout, with an extensive listing of “Key Takeaways” and “Reflection Questions” at the end of each chapter. Most chapters are "stand alone" and this would be a good reference book to refer back to as particular situations arise.
Of note is the discussion on the challenges posed by hybrid and remote work in the post-COVID workplace across various topics. The impacts of AI, as they relate in the current day, are also covered. The topic of the ever-constant and ever-accelerating “pressure cooker” change environment is extremely well covered, including from the perspectives of management, employees, and peers.
Finally, some great advice and insight is offered for individuals facing, as managers, competing priorities, demands from stakeholders, and the pervasive volatility of today’s business world.
This book will be of great interest to anyone in management functions, and especially anyone entering into a leadership or supervisory role. It is equally applicable across general business, military, and nonprofit environments
Review by Terry Lloyd
I have been an avid consumer of business management books, courses, and seminars/webinars since the late 1980s, and this is by far one of the best leadership books I have come across.
The title is the main premise of the book. It gives in-depth discussion, guidance, and perspectives on the whole spectrum of leadership, including the really tough topics, like requiring accountability and building trust, that most other authors shy away from.
The book is comprehensive, and each chapter has key points highlighted throughout, with an extensive listing of “Key Takeaways” and “Reflection Questions” at the end of each chapter. Most chapters are "stand alone" and this would be a good reference book to refer back to as particular situations arise.
Of note is the discussion on the challenges posed by hybrid and remote work in the post-COVID workplace across various topics. The impacts of AI, as they relate in the current day, are also covered. The topic of the ever-constant and ever-accelerating “pressure cooker” change environment is extremely well covered, including from the perspectives of management, employees, and peers.
Finally, some great advice and insight is offered for individuals facing, as managers, competing priorities, demands from stakeholders, and the pervasive volatility of today’s business world.
This book will be of great interest to anyone in management functions, and especially anyone entering into a leadership or supervisory role. It is equally applicable across general business, military, and nonprofit environments
Review by Terry Lloyd
May 27, 2026
Loved it!
"Leadership Is Tough" is a fantastic book. A must read for anyone in a leadership position or supervisory role. As interesting as informative.
"Leadership Is Tough" is a fantastic book. A must read for anyone in a leadership position or supervisory role. As interesting as informative.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews