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The Leadership Gap: What Gets Between You and Your Greatness
Do people see you as the kind of leader you want to be? Are your strongest leadership qualities getting in the way of your greatness?
After decades of advising and inspiring some of the most eminent chief executives in the world, Lolly Daskal has uncovered a startling pattern: within each leader are powerful abilities that are also hidden impediments to greatness. She's witnessed many highly driven, overachieving leaders rise to prominence fueled by well-honed skill sets, only to falter when the shadow sides of the same skills emerge.
Now Daskal reveals her proven system, which leaders at any level can apply to dramatically improve their results. It begins with identifying your distinctive leadership archetype and recognizing its shadow:
■ The Rebel, driven by confidence, becomes the Imposter, plagued by self-doubt.
■ The Explorer, fueled by intuition, becomes the Exploiter, master of manipulation.
■ The Truth Teller, who embraces candor, becomes the Deceiver, who creates suspicion.
■ The Hero, embodying courage, becomes the Bystander, an outright coward.
■ The Inventor, brimming with integrity, becomes the Destroyer, who is morally corrupt.
■ The Navigator, trusts and is trusted, becomes the Fixer, endlessly arrogant.
■ The Knight, for whom loyalty is everything, becomes the Mercenary, who is perpetually self-serving.
Using psychology, philosophy, and her own experience, Daskal offers a breakthrough perspective on leadership. She'll take you inside some of the most cloistered boardrooms, let you in on deeply personal conversations with industry leaders, and introduce you to luminaries who've changed the world. Her insights will help you rethink everything you know to become the leader you truly want to be.
After decades of advising and inspiring some of the most eminent chief executives in the world, Lolly Daskal has uncovered a startling pattern: within each leader are powerful abilities that are also hidden impediments to greatness. She's witnessed many highly driven, overachieving leaders rise to prominence fueled by well-honed skill sets, only to falter when the shadow sides of the same skills emerge.
Now Daskal reveals her proven system, which leaders at any level can apply to dramatically improve their results. It begins with identifying your distinctive leadership archetype and recognizing its shadow:
■ The Rebel, driven by confidence, becomes the Imposter, plagued by self-doubt.
■ The Explorer, fueled by intuition, becomes the Exploiter, master of manipulation.
■ The Truth Teller, who embraces candor, becomes the Deceiver, who creates suspicion.
■ The Hero, embodying courage, becomes the Bystander, an outright coward.
■ The Inventor, brimming with integrity, becomes the Destroyer, who is morally corrupt.
■ The Navigator, trusts and is trusted, becomes the Fixer, endlessly arrogant.
■ The Knight, for whom loyalty is everything, becomes the Mercenary, who is perpetually self-serving.
Using psychology, philosophy, and her own experience, Daskal offers a breakthrough perspective on leadership. She'll take you inside some of the most cloistered boardrooms, let you in on deeply personal conversations with industry leaders, and introduce you to luminaries who've changed the world. Her insights will help you rethink everything you know to become the leader you truly want to be.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2017
260 people are currently reading
1410 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 71 reviews
August 18, 2019
Just finished reading 'The Leadership Gap: What Gets Between You and Your Greatness' (2017) by Lolly Daskal. I usually try to avoid business books because of fatigue: most of them reiterate the same points and thus many are becoming redundant. But seeing how this particular book is highly rated on Amazon and Goodreads, and widely praised by other authors, I decided to give this one a try.
Daskal is a leadership consultant who draws inspiration from figures such as Viktor Frankl, Carl Jung and Sun Tzu. Her book 'The Leadership Gap' is the result of her experience in teaching leaders in various industries, and she combines it with the lessons she learned mostly from the three figures above to form a rough framework to identify the different kinds of leaders and their negative respective counterparts. In fact, that's what caught my attention at first: her idea that there are different archetypes of positive leaders such as Rebel, Knight and Hero (and respective negative counterparts) reminds me of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), a comprehensive popular but debatable framework for identifying and understanding different personalities.
Unfortunately, her framework is anything but comprehensive. Whilst it's interesting to read the different archetypes at first, it gradually becomes hazy. How is the Mercenary (self-serving) that different from the Fixer (arrogant)? How is the Hero (courageous) that different from the Rebel (confident)? In fact, how are the archetypes and their negative counterparts even related? How is the Exploiter the opposite of the the Explorer (wouldn't it be more appropriate for it to be the opposite of the Inventor instead?).
The different archetypes seem obvious at first, but after reading the explanation, they seem to be nothing more than arbitrary labels. In fact, the author could've swapped all the archetype names around and I wouldn't think they would be that inappropriate for any result! It's not a framework at all; they're just nice names attached to certain qualities of an ideal leader, of which is not distinctive from one another. Her explanation for what makes a good leader - regardless of the archetype - is straightforward though mundane. The funny (and perhaps disappointing) is, the crux of the book is succinctly summed up in the epilogue, which I think is the only essential reference readers would need to understand this book.
The author's writing on some selected leader archetypes such as Dr. Bennet Omalu and Chef Ono Jiro is interesting to read, and her writing is very concise and easy to read. But that's about it; her contents are run-of-the-mill and her leadership archetypes are random and meaningless. There's nothing really interesting this book offers that teaches readers how to be good leaders; they're all have been mentioned by other books before it. I'm disappointed (though not surprised) by Daskal's book, but at least readers can easily finished reading her book even in just one seating.
Daskal is a leadership consultant who draws inspiration from figures such as Viktor Frankl, Carl Jung and Sun Tzu. Her book 'The Leadership Gap' is the result of her experience in teaching leaders in various industries, and she combines it with the lessons she learned mostly from the three figures above to form a rough framework to identify the different kinds of leaders and their negative respective counterparts. In fact, that's what caught my attention at first: her idea that there are different archetypes of positive leaders such as Rebel, Knight and Hero (and respective negative counterparts) reminds me of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), a comprehensive popular but debatable framework for identifying and understanding different personalities.
Unfortunately, her framework is anything but comprehensive. Whilst it's interesting to read the different archetypes at first, it gradually becomes hazy. How is the Mercenary (self-serving) that different from the Fixer (arrogant)? How is the Hero (courageous) that different from the Rebel (confident)? In fact, how are the archetypes and their negative counterparts even related? How is the Exploiter the opposite of the the Explorer (wouldn't it be more appropriate for it to be the opposite of the Inventor instead?).
The different archetypes seem obvious at first, but after reading the explanation, they seem to be nothing more than arbitrary labels. In fact, the author could've swapped all the archetype names around and I wouldn't think they would be that inappropriate for any result! It's not a framework at all; they're just nice names attached to certain qualities of an ideal leader, of which is not distinctive from one another. Her explanation for what makes a good leader - regardless of the archetype - is straightforward though mundane. The funny (and perhaps disappointing) is, the crux of the book is succinctly summed up in the epilogue, which I think is the only essential reference readers would need to understand this book.
The author's writing on some selected leader archetypes such as Dr. Bennet Omalu and Chef Ono Jiro is interesting to read, and her writing is very concise and easy to read. But that's about it; her contents are run-of-the-mill and her leadership archetypes are random and meaningless. There's nothing really interesting this book offers that teaches readers how to be good leaders; they're all have been mentioned by other books before it. I'm disappointed (though not surprised) by Daskal's book, but at least readers can easily finished reading her book even in just one seating.
May 1, 2017
I really enjoyed Lolly Daskal's book. I have been reading her articles and blog posts on Twitter for years and was excited about reading The Leadership Gap. I was not disappointed. She goes into the seven leadership archetypes and their corresponding evil twins which she calls Leadership Gaps.
Rebel vs Imposter
Explorer vs Exploiter
Truth Teller vs Deceiver
Hero vs fearful Bystander
Inventor vs Destroyer
Navigator vs Fixer
Knight vs Mercenary
Lolly uses her experience as an executive coach to thousands of CEO's around the world to then explain how you can overcome your leadership gaps. Many leadership books talk about what you should do to become a leader but few talk about what you should avoid, such as your leadership gaps. Lolly does both to help you change and reach your greatness.
If you pre-order the book from Lolly Daskal's website www.TheLeadershipGapbook.com you will also receive a free leadership gap assessment. Now I think I will read it one more time!
I received an advanced copy free for an honest and fair review.
Rebel vs Imposter
Explorer vs Exploiter
Truth Teller vs Deceiver
Hero vs fearful Bystander
Inventor vs Destroyer
Navigator vs Fixer
Knight vs Mercenary
Lolly uses her experience as an executive coach to thousands of CEO's around the world to then explain how you can overcome your leadership gaps. Many leadership books talk about what you should do to become a leader but few talk about what you should avoid, such as your leadership gaps. Lolly does both to help you change and reach your greatness.
If you pre-order the book from Lolly Daskal's website www.TheLeadershipGapbook.com you will also receive a free leadership gap assessment. Now I think I will read it one more time!
I received an advanced copy free for an honest and fair review.
May 22, 2018
كثيرة هي الكتب عن القيادة، وأغلبها متشابه المضمون، هذا الكتاب يتناول الموضوع من زاوية جديدة
March 14, 2022
6/10
Lolly Daskal is a well-respected executive coach and public speaker. She works with C-Suite professionals to help make them productive leaders. I’ve listened to her podcast and read some of her writings.
My respect for her led me to reading this book, Leadership Gap.
The basic premise is that there are five leadership archetypes. Each leader falls into one of the archetypes. Though, as she says later in the book, great leaders fall into all of the archetypes (in which case, are they really archetypes?).
The book is good. And I mean that in the true sense of the word. Like going to a restaurant and thinking, “well, the food isn’t great and memorable, it’s also not terrible. It was a decent enough meal that I will probably forget about a year down the road.” That’s this book.
There is nothing ground breaking in it about leadership. I was confused by the archetypes because I assumed that she’s saying everybody needs to fit in one - but I don’t. I see myself in all of them.
It would’ve been great to get a little more insight into leadership but the book keeps it all at a pretty surface level.
I’m not upset that I spent the time to read it, I just don’t know if I’d recommend it above a bunch of other great leadership books.
Lolly Daskal is a well-respected executive coach and public speaker. She works with C-Suite professionals to help make them productive leaders. I’ve listened to her podcast and read some of her writings.
My respect for her led me to reading this book, Leadership Gap.
The basic premise is that there are five leadership archetypes. Each leader falls into one of the archetypes. Though, as she says later in the book, great leaders fall into all of the archetypes (in which case, are they really archetypes?).
The book is good. And I mean that in the true sense of the word. Like going to a restaurant and thinking, “well, the food isn’t great and memorable, it’s also not terrible. It was a decent enough meal that I will probably forget about a year down the road.” That’s this book.
There is nothing ground breaking in it about leadership. I was confused by the archetypes because I assumed that she’s saying everybody needs to fit in one - but I don’t. I see myself in all of them.
It would’ve been great to get a little more insight into leadership but the book keeps it all at a pretty surface level.
I’m not upset that I spent the time to read it, I just don’t know if I’d recommend it above a bunch of other great leadership books.
April 30, 2017
I have read this book and I must say that the best evidence that The Leadership Gap is a great book is that I see myself so clearly in its pages. I also see other leaders I know but the most significant thing is that I see myself in the book. I also see ways that I can fix areas that have been hindering my growth as a leader. The book helps you understand yourself. The book exposes your weak areas but also provides you with a path forward to bridge the gap between what you are and what you should be. Lolly has provided an extraordinary resource for leaders! Preorder a copy at www.theleadershipgapbook.com
June 5, 2017
I really enjoyed this book a lot. It reminded me of Tom Kelley's The Ten Faces of Innovation where Lolly outlines 7 leadership archetypes and their leadership gaps. You'll likely find yourself in more then one of these archetypes at a time or perhaps fluctuating between them. Lolly gives you clear guidance in how these archetypes can help your leadership style and gives clear warnings showing where each style's weaknesses are. A recommended read for anyone in a leadership position—official or unofficial. This book has given me some clear ways to improve as a leader and also helped me appreciate the style of other leaders where I may have easily discounted their style if it was unlike my own.
December 26, 2021
At last I have managed to read Lolly Daskal's book which has been on my TBR list for a while now. She has some insightful stories, her own personal ones and other people's experiences. I hope to draw from these and implement them in my own life and in particular at my work place. They will definitely make a difference.
June 4, 2024
I really enjoyed this book. So many time we hear about the sexy side of leadership and how awesome we are where we are. We do not get a glimpse into the darker side of our leadership styles.
One area I enjoyed is when she breaks down a word with different meanings in different languages. That really pushed me to think outside of the status quo on use of words and definitions.
Again… enjoyed the book immensely and will read again!
One area I enjoyed is when she breaks down a word with different meanings in different languages. That really pushed me to think outside of the status quo on use of words and definitions.
Again… enjoyed the book immensely and will read again!
May 30, 2017
The leadership framework Lolly presents in this book really brought to life the strengths and weaknesses anyone has experienced trying to lead other people. I’m more clear than ever on what I need to improve about myself to reach my full potential, easier said than done but I’m more confident now having read Lolly’s advice.
Here’s why I recommend giving this a read:
1) All leaders face similar challenges. Whether you’re leading a small church group, run your department at work or lead a Fortune 100 business, you’ve got undeniable strengths and weaknesses to be aware of. The weaknesses are your leadership gaps, as Lolly calls them, are directly connected to what makes you a successful leader. The framework for identifying what you have and what you lack as a leader is universal as Lolly has spent one-on-one time with all different types of leaders and chronicled the patterns she’s seen first hand.
2) There’s useful theory in the book about why leaders act they way they do, but most importantly her suggestions are actionable. The multitude of examples of all different types of leaders in the book bring life to each aspect of her framework. Learning how others have triumphed and failed due to their strengths and weaknesses as leaders makes her advice more accessible.
3) I greatly appreciated the simplicity and clarity of the writing used throughout out Lolly’s book too. I’m quickly turned off by business jargon, buzzwords and overly academic language, which was not the case with this read. I’m a fan of conversational books like Lolly’s, where the word-choice and sentence structure is focused on driving home the point of an argument in a smooth and concise way. It was clear from the beginning that it was Lolly’s goal to keep her advice and the leadership framework simple and easy to remember.
If you’re looking to improve as a manager, politician, supervisor, business owner, executive or otherwise, than I highly recommend picking up a copy of the Leadership Gap.
Here’s why I recommend giving this a read:
1) All leaders face similar challenges. Whether you’re leading a small church group, run your department at work or lead a Fortune 100 business, you’ve got undeniable strengths and weaknesses to be aware of. The weaknesses are your leadership gaps, as Lolly calls them, are directly connected to what makes you a successful leader. The framework for identifying what you have and what you lack as a leader is universal as Lolly has spent one-on-one time with all different types of leaders and chronicled the patterns she’s seen first hand.
2) There’s useful theory in the book about why leaders act they way they do, but most importantly her suggestions are actionable. The multitude of examples of all different types of leaders in the book bring life to each aspect of her framework. Learning how others have triumphed and failed due to their strengths and weaknesses as leaders makes her advice more accessible.
3) I greatly appreciated the simplicity and clarity of the writing used throughout out Lolly’s book too. I’m quickly turned off by business jargon, buzzwords and overly academic language, which was not the case with this read. I’m a fan of conversational books like Lolly’s, where the word-choice and sentence structure is focused on driving home the point of an argument in a smooth and concise way. It was clear from the beginning that it was Lolly’s goal to keep her advice and the leadership framework simple and easy to remember.
If you’re looking to improve as a manager, politician, supervisor, business owner, executive or otherwise, than I highly recommend picking up a copy of the Leadership Gap.
August 29, 2019
One major difference between consulting-oriented books, like this one, and research-oriented books is breadth vs depth. Consulting-oriented books typically try to talk about everything briefly in catchy but sometimes vague ways, while research-oriented books typically talk about something very specific in elaborate but sometimes gnawing detail. Coming from a research background, the consulting-oriented approach ultimately does very little for me. That's my bias up front.
I do, however, admire Lolly's consulting experience and what she attempts to offer in this book. I think it's great that individuals with hard earned experience attempt to creatively organize their experiences such as the 'leadership types' and 'leadership gaps' offered in this book. However, I find based on my reading of the leadership literature that we've moved past leadership characteristics a long time ago. This is in large part because relatively stable categories and labels are hard to change once we adopt them and the goal here is to offer some ways that people can improve their leadership. While it may be insightful, if not entertaining, to categorize yourself as a specific leadership character (be it a rebel, explorer, truth teller, hero, inventor, navigator, or knight as Lolly describes) and to identify common gaps (labelled as the exploiter, deceiver, bystander, destroyer, fixer, or mercenary in this book), it's not entirely as productive as we think it could be based on what we know about behaviour change and leadership development. This is potentially a way to get people to start thinking about things, but real change comes from focusing on that which can be changed, such as behaviour and attitudes. That said, some may find this book useful if leadership is a real problem, but there are much more rigorous and empirically supported frameworks for leadership and approaches to leadership development out there.
I do, however, admire Lolly's consulting experience and what she attempts to offer in this book. I think it's great that individuals with hard earned experience attempt to creatively organize their experiences such as the 'leadership types' and 'leadership gaps' offered in this book. However, I find based on my reading of the leadership literature that we've moved past leadership characteristics a long time ago. This is in large part because relatively stable categories and labels are hard to change once we adopt them and the goal here is to offer some ways that people can improve their leadership. While it may be insightful, if not entertaining, to categorize yourself as a specific leadership character (be it a rebel, explorer, truth teller, hero, inventor, navigator, or knight as Lolly describes) and to identify common gaps (labelled as the exploiter, deceiver, bystander, destroyer, fixer, or mercenary in this book), it's not entirely as productive as we think it could be based on what we know about behaviour change and leadership development. This is potentially a way to get people to start thinking about things, but real change comes from focusing on that which can be changed, such as behaviour and attitudes. That said, some may find this book useful if leadership is a real problem, but there are much more rigorous and empirically supported frameworks for leadership and approaches to leadership development out there.
May 22, 2017
Lolly Daskal has an interesting and insightful system of how we lead and the gaps associated with our strongest leadership styles. I now see how I tend to slide into particular gaps during challenging times. I never looked at these archetypes in this way before and it makes me realize there is yin and yang in each one; and awareness is key for me to be better today than I was yesterday. I have read a preview copy and can see how this book can help everyone grow and become a better person no matter what they do in life. I have also noticed how some great leaders got caught in their gap and without awareness, fell from glory. This book has the power to get you to your greatness if you are willing and open to really look at yourself deeply.
July 11, 2019
I haven't read Jung or Jordan Peterson's Maps of Meaning (or any similar works by other author's), but I do follow Peterson and when Daskal mentions that she drew the idea of archetypes from Jung I was very excited for this book. Unfortunately I wasn't convinced that these weren't just arbitrary. I wasn't convinced there was enough evidence to support the archetypes. It all just seemed as though she could have said here are some positive traits I run into and here are some negative traits I run into instead of trying to connect a strength with a weakness.
July 24, 2017
The Leadership Gap is a fantastic read, and a great reference for anyone in leadership. I especially appreciated how the author highlights each gap, and gives clear examples of areas where leaders can focus their efforts to make huge improvements in their leadership abilities. As a management consultant & leadership coach (primarily as it relates to software development), the information in this book is very relevant to my work, and I will be referencing it regularly in the future.
August 2, 2017
Must read for leaders and aspiring leaders
This is such a practical, honest, and informative look at leadership. Daskal's compassionate, no-nonsense approach is very readable yet calls you to take action if you really want to be a leader. I appreciated the archetype approach and now have some clear action items for myself to focus on. If you are ready to take your leadership to the next level, this book needs to be in your library (or on your e-reader).
This is such a practical, honest, and informative look at leadership. Daskal's compassionate, no-nonsense approach is very readable yet calls you to take action if you really want to be a leader. I appreciated the archetype approach and now have some clear action items for myself to focus on. If you are ready to take your leadership to the next level, this book needs to be in your library (or on your e-reader).
November 25, 2017
The leadership gap
Great approach to know the strengths and weaknesses in my leadership, clear, profound and innovative concepts on the 7 archetypes of leadership that anyone displays at certain moments in life.
Lolly is a master in debriefing some of the best concepts on psychology applied to leadership from Carl Jung and Victor Frankl.
Great read for Coaching!
Great approach to know the strengths and weaknesses in my leadership, clear, profound and innovative concepts on the 7 archetypes of leadership that anyone displays at certain moments in life.
Lolly is a master in debriefing some of the best concepts on psychology applied to leadership from Carl Jung and Victor Frankl.
Great read for Coaching!
June 10, 2017
We all have strong points in ourselves that help us lead, but the same characteristics can stall our growth in the future. This book helps us see the gaps that can make or break our continuing as a leader. Ms. Daskal also gives us the way to use them to better ourselves. Great read!
December 31, 2019
This book has some gems. But, I felt that the thinking could have been clearer. I thot some of the achetypes (and their shadows) were kinda massaged to fit into the mould. But having said that, some were indeed insightful.
June 20, 2017
Great leadership book
This is a great book that provides real life escapes and pratical and applicable solutions. I highly recommend there book for everyone in leadership positions.
This is a great book that provides real life escapes and pratical and applicable solutions. I highly recommend there book for everyone in leadership positions.
July 29, 2017
Interesting read
Definitely worth a read. I am going to take some time to introspect and figure out my own leadership style and gaps
Definitely worth a read. I am going to take some time to introspect and figure out my own leadership style and gaps
March 1, 2022
In principle, Daskal's 7 archetypes and 7 foibles are useful for self-evaluation, but her actual explanations and examples leave you with an unpalatable after-taste. Examples of good leadership that include Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos ring out as completely tone deaf, even in 2017 when this book came into existence. Considering it rests within a book that asks for benevolence from every leader, the jarring use of an Ayn Rand quote, famous for her "virtue of selfishness" staggers belief. The third major "did I hear that correctly" moment came in her section about the Knight.
Where a Knight is loyal, a mercenary is not. And then she tells a story of a woman who could not relinquish control of a company during an acquisition to a CEO who, as far as Daskal tells it, was just trying to do his job. When that woman threatened to get rid of the man, the man's employees showed utmost loyalty and stood by after threats of getting rid of him. Daskal's guidance to the woman was to remove the CEO, not in weeks or months, but in days. They did and the man's followers went with him. But in this entire story, it was the CEO who was the antagonist, the Mercenary, and somehow the woman who fired the man who was the Knight. The story could have easily been told in a way to actual commend the CEO and prove her point, but this was like her stretching for an example and outing herself for what, as she tells it, was a morally questionable decision.
The book is fine. There are issues with the book, not the least of which her begging for ethical behavior while praising those who have repeatedly shown none and upholding them as examples to be followed. Honestly, read the chapter titles and headers are about everything you need to get the gist and start your self examination.
Just do that.
Where a Knight is loyal, a mercenary is not. And then she tells a story of a woman who could not relinquish control of a company during an acquisition to a CEO who, as far as Daskal tells it, was just trying to do his job. When that woman threatened to get rid of the man, the man's employees showed utmost loyalty and stood by after threats of getting rid of him. Daskal's guidance to the woman was to remove the CEO, not in weeks or months, but in days. They did and the man's followers went with him. But in this entire story, it was the CEO who was the antagonist, the Mercenary, and somehow the woman who fired the man who was the Knight. The story could have easily been told in a way to actual commend the CEO and prove her point, but this was like her stretching for an example and outing herself for what, as she tells it, was a morally questionable decision.
The book is fine. There are issues with the book, not the least of which her begging for ethical behavior while praising those who have repeatedly shown none and upholding them as examples to be followed. Honestly, read the chapter titles and headers are about everything you need to get the gist and start your self examination.
Just do that.
July 24, 2018
This book had come into my life during a strange period when I needed to sit back, rethink my relationships and regroup.
Leadership has never been my subject since most of the time I just assumed that if you're passionate about something, you'll surely find your way no matter what. But there always was something wrong. Something that I was unable to see myself. This book has shown me the things I was missing. It exposed my leadership gaps to me. It also explained what it means to be a great leader. Inspiring as it is, it also includes interesting examples from the business world and includes practical insights. The seven archetypes and their leadership gaps make it easier to relate and explore different areas of your leadership. If you feel like there are gaps in what you do, this book will help you. It's a must-read for existing and aspiring leaders. Every one of us must identify and address our weaknesses to achieve greatness. Only when we embrace changes and overcome our gaps, we can live truly happy and fulfilling lives.
Leadership has never been my subject since most of the time I just assumed that if you're passionate about something, you'll surely find your way no matter what. But there always was something wrong. Something that I was unable to see myself. This book has shown me the things I was missing. It exposed my leadership gaps to me. It also explained what it means to be a great leader. Inspiring as it is, it also includes interesting examples from the business world and includes practical insights. The seven archetypes and their leadership gaps make it easier to relate and explore different areas of your leadership. If you feel like there are gaps in what you do, this book will help you. It's a must-read for existing and aspiring leaders. Every one of us must identify and address our weaknesses to achieve greatness. Only when we embrace changes and overcome our gaps, we can live truly happy and fulfilling lives.
May 8, 2017
This last book of Lolly Daskal proposes seven leadership archetypes: the rebel, the explorer, the truth teller, the hero, the inventor, the navigator, and the knight. Reading their journeys is not only a value for professionals (because of the concretes counsel and tools offered here), but also for the general reader. This is a book for everyone. Well conceived, it is also made powerful by the chosen stories. And everyone loves to read stories.
If I were to identify one single idea that kept coming into my mind after reading this book, I would say that we couldn’t live outside a story, as the life is our own story. But we can live a composite and enriched story, embracing facets from different archetypes, as a sign of our own complexity and evolution. This book is about the growth of awareness for each of us as a whole.
Read this new book and identify your part of a rebel, of a hero, of a navigator, etc.… in your own personality. Pleasant reading. Content very well structured.
If I were to identify one single idea that kept coming into my mind after reading this book, I would say that we couldn’t live outside a story, as the life is our own story. But we can live a composite and enriched story, embracing facets from different archetypes, as a sign of our own complexity and evolution. This book is about the growth of awareness for each of us as a whole.
Read this new book and identify your part of a rebel, of a hero, of a navigator, etc.… in your own personality. Pleasant reading. Content very well structured.
March 28, 2021
Daskal’s central thesis, builds off of Carl Jung’s concept of shadow; the notion that struggles in one’s life, our skeletons, which either drive us or hold us back, but in her outlook surface in our leadership style as a gap or blind spot. In the outset, I was intrigued. This book took an immediate sharp decline however when she adumbrated her personas which were a confused amalgamation of behaviors disguised as central archetypes. With each persona, she discusses the gap, or weakness. They come across as dichotomies, however I’d argue her gap behaviors could apply in several of the other personas rather than just one particular leader persona. Often, her gap’s were a stretch of the imagination to be directly associated with the persona strength.
The only portion worth reading is the epilogue were she catalogues leader behaviors, but even here, she fails to add any support to those behaviors.
The only portion worth reading is the epilogue were she catalogues leader behaviors, but even here, she fails to add any support to those behaviors.
May 21, 2024
This one should have been called "what's your leadership horoscope", because the author proceeds to use spurious, anecdotal evidence to arrive at several "archetypes" that ask respectively have their sun, moon, and rising attributes. No bad idea once spouted by Karl Jung seems safe from exploitation by charlatans looking to ground their assertions in the irrefutable innate and a deep history of social science in one blow. As a lovely bonus, you'll get quotes and hero worship for people like Ronald Reagan, Ayn Rand, JK Rowling, Jeff Bezos, and Elon Musk. There is nothing of value in this book that you can't find in a business and leadership book that use evidence from actual studies, or even in some of the pop psychology books that at least reference the books that reference the studies. I'd say don't waste your time, but the book was a very fast read. In some ways, it makes what the author has to say even more pernicious because it can be so easily consumed.
July 23, 2024
I stumbled upon this gem of a book at my sister's house—it actually belongs to my brother-in-law. To be honest, it's one of the best leadership books I've ever read. The language is simple, straightforward, and deeply resonates with me.
The book explores different leadership archetypes and their corresponding gaps, providing a unique perspective on how our strengths can also be our weaknesses if not managed properly. Through the book, I identified myself as The Navigator. Navigators are trusted and rely on their connections to guide their teams. However, the shadow side of this archetype is The Fixer, who can become overly reliant on their own solutions and potentially come off as arrogant.
Recognizing this has been incredibly helpful. It has made me more mindful of my leadership style, ensuring I stay collaborative and inclusive. The insights from this book are practical and applicable, making it an invaluable resource for anyone looking to improve their leadership skills.
The book explores different leadership archetypes and their corresponding gaps, providing a unique perspective on how our strengths can also be our weaknesses if not managed properly. Through the book, I identified myself as The Navigator. Navigators are trusted and rely on their connections to guide their teams. However, the shadow side of this archetype is The Fixer, who can become overly reliant on their own solutions and potentially come off as arrogant.
Recognizing this has been incredibly helpful. It has made me more mindful of my leadership style, ensuring I stay collaborative and inclusive. The insights from this book are practical and applicable, making it an invaluable resource for anyone looking to improve their leadership skills.
November 8, 2019
While I typically love books that have behavioral profiles, (author calls them archetypes) I only found this book ok. On the positive side, I like the way the author lays out the archetypes, lists some famous figures with each profile, and mentions the “gap” for each type, which I understand could be your dark side, or blindside or even a trait that really troubles you. The author seems to have a deep well of knowledge in working with leaders. Conversely, I didn’t like that you have to buy the book and pay separately for the profile survey to determine your leadership gap archetype. I have 50-85% of the traits of 5 of the 7 styles. The book seems to indicate that a leader could have some of all of these archetypes. I do read a ton of leadership and business books, so that may slant my review, but I just didn’t find as much as I hoped to that was fresh and compelling.
August 21, 2020
Move from manager to leader as you learn the strengths and gaps of each Leadership Archetype. Reduce the leadership gaps that your archetype tends to fall into. I recognize The Navigator as my Leadership Archetype.
“Navigators guide, direct, encourage, and challenge their people to contribute their very best, because they ask the same of themselves as leaders.” The Navigator’s Gap is the Fixer, who sees others needs as more important than their own. They exhaust themselves to take care of everyone else.
The City of Hope story inspires you to grow into a complete leader, give more of yourself, your team and society.
I highly recommend managers and leaders read The Leadership Gap by Lolly Daskal.
“Navigators guide, direct, encourage, and challenge their people to contribute their very best, because they ask the same of themselves as leaders.” The Navigator’s Gap is the Fixer, who sees others needs as more important than their own. They exhaust themselves to take care of everyone else.
The City of Hope story inspires you to grow into a complete leader, give more of yourself, your team and society.
I highly recommend managers and leaders read The Leadership Gap by Lolly Daskal.
November 27, 2017
Good breakdown of the six archetypes. Allowed me to identify which behaviours I exhibited were beneficial and the traps I should avoid. Also provides a frame of reference for self-improvement (especially the alter-egos? (how should I phrase this) e.g. fixer vs the navigator). The epilogue was a good manifesto, one that I aim to incorporate.
However, without context, the anecdotes are unrelatable. Though the individuals mentioned are not exactly your Fortune 500 CEOs or etc., I found the section where the author mentioned actions of "celebrity leaders" simplistic and reductive.
Still worth a read, though.
However, without context, the anecdotes are unrelatable. Though the individuals mentioned are not exactly your Fortune 500 CEOs or etc., I found the section where the author mentioned actions of "celebrity leaders" simplistic and reductive.
Still worth a read, though.
October 8, 2018
An absolute winner. Loved this book, I think a must read for everyone, a great life book, whether in college, first career, 2nd or even retired! Can apply many of these ideas and principles throughout life. Everyone has it in them to be a leader, and Lolly puts you in the drivers seat with great stories and inspiring individuals who have overcome obstacles in their lives to become great leaders. I will personally re-read this book many times and refer to my notes and doggie eared pages very often. Can't speak highly enough of the content or the author!
October 25, 2019
Lolly Daskal's leadership categories are relatable and easily identifiable. I enjoyed her consulting examples and her framework gave me a lot to think about. The tenants of this book were easy to put immediately into practice which helped me better communicate with my own leadership. I was also able to use her examples to build a framework around other business reading I'm doing. The only drawback to this book is it takes a lot of self-awareness to determine your own leadership style and gap.
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