Every year, millions of managers and supervisors get promoted into management positions without learning how to successfully lead a team. As a result, many of them find themselves at the top of the corporate ladder while lacking the requisite training to lead. And even for those who have been leaders for a while, they may not truly understand why building their skills as managers should be their number one priority.
Aimed primarily at helping first-line supervisors and mid-level managers overcome leadership challenges, “My Battlefield, Your Office” is a senior-management must read. This book can also help up-and-coming managers who are taking on an increasing amount of responsibility where strong leadership skills are necessary.
Author Justin Constantine, a Marine lieutenant colonel who led a team of Marines in Iraq, shares invaluable lessons that are critical to surviving and succeeding, both on the frontline and in the workplace. His biggest personal challenge was overcoming an injury that should have killed him: a calamitous gunshot wound to the head by an enemy sniper in Iraq.
We all experience adversity in our lives, at home, as leaders in our communities and in the workplace. Constantine’s Marine training helped him survive and thrive and he shares these survival tips in “My Battlefield, Your Office.” Through frontline analogies and specific personal experiences, Constantine translates the leadership skills he gained in the Marine Corps and while on the frontline into everyday language business leaders can understand.
“My Battlefield, Your Office” includes 15 impactful and easy-to-read chapters. Each section focuses on specific leadership skills and leaves the reader with key takeaways by laying out five guiding principles: 1) Why taking care of your team should be your number one priority; 2) Defining what it means to lead from the front; 3) How change means opportunity; 4) Why it’s okay to ask for help; and 5) Why taking responsibility for your actions is key.
This is one of the best books I have read on all aspects of leadership. This book offers current and aspiring managers a fresh perspective on leadership and what It takes to become an effective leader in your organization. I fully recommend this book to other readers who are interested in professional development and want to be more effective leaders. Justin’s personal story is incredible, but his focus on continual growth is what really resonated with me.
Justin has an amazing personal story of overcoming adversity (he was shot in the head by an Iraqi sniper and lives to tell the tale), but, in terms of content I can't say I learnt anything from this book. Regardless, he is an inspired and inspiring man.