What do you think?
Rate this book
Boundaries for Leaders (Enhanced Edition): Results, Relationships, and Being Ridiculously in Charge
This special digital edition includes 12 exclusive videos featuring Dr. Henry Cloud as he introduces key concepts in each chapter--25 minutes of video content available only in the enhanced e-book.
In Boundaries for Leaders, clinical psychologist and bestselling author Dr. Henry Cloud leverages his expertise of human behavior, neuroscience, and business leadership to explain how the best leaders set boundaries within their organizations--with their teams and with themselves--to improve performance and increase employee and customer satisfaction.
In a voice that is motivating and inspiring, Dr. Cloud offers practical advice on how to manage teams, coach direct reports, and instill an organization with strong values and culture.
Boundaries for Leaders is essential reading for executives and aspiring leaders who want to create successful companies with satisfied employees and customers, while becoming more resilient leaders themselves.
In Boundaries for Leaders, clinical psychologist and bestselling author Dr. Henry Cloud leverages his expertise of human behavior, neuroscience, and business leadership to explain how the best leaders set boundaries within their organizations--with their teams and with themselves--to improve performance and increase employee and customer satisfaction.
In a voice that is motivating and inspiring, Dr. Cloud offers practical advice on how to manage teams, coach direct reports, and instill an organization with strong values and culture.
Boundaries for Leaders is essential reading for executives and aspiring leaders who want to create successful companies with satisfied employees and customers, while becoming more resilient leaders themselves.
272 pages, ebook
First published April 2, 2013
942 people are currently reading
4578 people want to read
About the author
Henry Cloud
209 books2,158 followersDr. Cloud has written or co-written twenty-five books, including the two million-seller Boundaries. His most recent books are Boundaries for Leaders and Necessary Endings. He has earned three Gold Medallion awards, and was awarded the distinguished Retailers Choice award for God Will Make A Way.
As president of Cloud-Townsend Resources, Dr. Cloud has produced and conducted hundreds of public seminars around the country. He speaks on relationships—marriage, parenting, dating, personal growth, and spirituality. His seminars are often broadcast live to over two thousand venues at a time.
As president of Cloud-Townsend Resources, Dr. Cloud has produced and conducted hundreds of public seminars around the country. He speaks on relationships—marriage, parenting, dating, personal growth, and spirituality. His seminars are often broadcast live to over two thousand venues at a time.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 187 reviews
March 2, 2021
HIGHLY recommend this unfortunately named book. From the title, I assumed it would be a book about how to have good work/life boundaries.
It is not at all about personal boundaries.
It's one of the best leaders books I've ever read.
In some ways a best of the best book - bringing together ideas from some of the best leadership books out there - Thinking Fast and Slow, Death by Meeting, 4 Disciplines of Execution.
Dr. Cloud is concise and very practical.
One thing Dr. Cloud addresses like no other book I've read: The Emotional Climate that a leader creates.
This one makes a great audiobook.
It is not at all about personal boundaries.
It's one of the best leaders books I've ever read.
In some ways a best of the best book - bringing together ideas from some of the best leadership books out there - Thinking Fast and Slow, Death by Meeting, 4 Disciplines of Execution.
Dr. Cloud is concise and very practical.
One thing Dr. Cloud addresses like no other book I've read: The Emotional Climate that a leader creates.
This one makes a great audiobook.
February 7, 2016
After having read so so many books, am so glad that Cloud delivers one that I like so so very much! He draws from a lifetime of psychological study and experience in consulting with CEOs in writing this book. Real life stories are used to great effect to illustrate complicated or abstract principles. Sometimes he gets lost in retelling the stories that he forgets to reinforce the point (and we have to refer to the subtitle to figure out what he is trying to say).
Nevertheless, I highly recommend this book! Alongside Hybel's Courageous Leadership and McIntosh & Rima's Overcoming the Dark Side of Leadership, this book would feature in my must-give book list to any leader I care about. I first read a copy borrowed from the school library, and I liked it so much that I bought one for myself.
Here's a quick summary of the gems in the book (spoiler warning!):
Leaders can motivate or demotivate their people (xiv) and one of the aspects of a leader's behaviour that make everything work is his/her "boundaries," which is a structure that determines what will exist and what will not (xv).
A leader is always going to get a combination of two things; what you create and what you allow (p15).
In the language of Apple, 'who is the DRI, the directly responsible individual? (who is over and allows the 'problem' employee to be difficult or not perform; if that employee is confused about the strategy or direction, who is it that sets them; p15).
The central principle of boundaries is ownership. Leaders are the one who define and create the boundaries that drive the behaviour that forms the identity of teams and culture and sets the standards of performance (p16).
Highlighted how returning Apple CEO Steve Jobs diagnosed the problem as a lack of focus and pruned 70% of models and products with a much-needed clarity through setting a positive boundary. The employees were to just make four great products: "consumer," "pro", "desktop" and "portable" (p19).
People dont leave jobs - they leave bosses (p56).
The importance that there is no relational consequences to making a mistake. That is what people need from their leaders, the knowledge that their leader is for their success, and if a mistake is made, that leader will stand beside them and help them learn and improve, not punish them... a "getting better" orientation goes much further than a "being perfect" orientation (p71).
Our brains need positive relationships to grow and function well (p83).
Most leaders are "meeting'ed to death" ... most of these meetings are not doing much to build connection and unity. The answer is usually not more but different meetings of a certain type and more connection as a result of whatever meeting do occur (p86).
In chapter 6 (p103-108), through a real life scenario, Cloud highlights the far reaching effects a leader with negative thinking can have on an entire organisation. This is in contrast to another company's founder who started it with an ingenious plan while still in bankruptcy (p103); this guy does not suffer from such negative thinking.
In contrast to learned helplessness (p108-116), a leader can focus his team's energy on working on controllable factors that directly affects the desired outcomes of the organisation (p126).
In chapter 8 (p153-166), Cloud illustrates the term "dead fish" with a real life scenario, which means something like the elephant in the room that needs to be addressed, in order for the team to accomplish a specific vision and mission.
The job of the leader is to form a team around a common purpose or goal, and then work with the team to figure out what that team is going to have to value and behave like to reach that goal (p165-6). It does not belong to a person, but to the person as a whole. As a result, it is going to take the entire team to make it happen. That is the essence of a team (p170).
The entertaining accounts of how people wanted feedback given to them demonstrated how important it was to get to know each individual's communication style and vulnerabilities. The needed feedback and difficult-to-hear truths prevented future hiccups, as they knew better how to deal with each other (p175).
We make investments when we feel trust, (p186-7) which grows when:
-we feel understood (p173-180)
-we display credibility and character (p180-3)
-we believe in someone's capacity and ability (p183-4)
-someone has a built a good track record (p184-6)
While internal advisers are essential, outside ones are different. They protect you by having no conflict of interest; they are only there to help you, not to serve themselves, if they are good ones (p203).
Set very, very strong boundaries with yourself against any tendency you might have toward defensiveness, blame, or denial when given feedback. the weakest leaders are threatened by feedback, and often completely closed off to insights that are so easily seen by others. Strong leaders embrace feedback, seek to understand it, and put it to use. Even when they may disagree, they dont become defensive; instead they engage in dialogue and honest inquiry to figure out where the gaps between their intentions and others' perceptions come from. The feedback may be wrong, but they embrace it to understand it nevertheless. You can embrace and not agree at the same time. Move toward it (p208-9).
Dont be ruled by fear (p212-3) or put off change (p214-6): take steps toward overcoming the fear rather put off something indefinitely.
Set boundaries on your weaknesses (p219-221) and confine yourself to do what you are gifted at, don't meddle in affairs that would result in operational chaos.
It is of utmost importance to do a time audit to identify gaps between stated priorities and time/effort spent. What is vital to achieve your vision? Are those getting on the schedule first? Give them first priority but assign them a time and place, so that they actually get done (p221-6).
There is only so much time available and if one says yes to something, that means no to something else. (p224)
Give yourself time to refuel after an energy sapping activity, eg. high-conflict situations (p225) or draining people (p226).
When you realise that you are ridiculously in charge, it does not mean you are in charge of others or in charge of what goes on in the organization. It also means that you are ridiculously in charge of yourself (p230-1).
There are two kinds of high level leaders. One is defined by the work. The other is in a process of actively defining hte work, and they do that by first defining themselves and taking charge of who they are going to be and how they are going to work. They have good self-leadership boundaries (p231).
Far too many leaders fail because they think plenty about the plan and not enough about the people (p234). Do all of these things, and you will have science on your side. More important, you will have the people on your side, people who want to work for and with a leader who engenders an environment that attends to our strongest human desires: to connect, create and grow (p236).
Nevertheless, I highly recommend this book! Alongside Hybel's Courageous Leadership and McIntosh & Rima's Overcoming the Dark Side of Leadership, this book would feature in my must-give book list to any leader I care about. I first read a copy borrowed from the school library, and I liked it so much that I bought one for myself.
Here's a quick summary of the gems in the book (spoiler warning!):
Leaders can motivate or demotivate their people (xiv) and one of the aspects of a leader's behaviour that make everything work is his/her "boundaries," which is a structure that determines what will exist and what will not (xv).
A leader is always going to get a combination of two things; what you create and what you allow (p15).
In the language of Apple, 'who is the DRI, the directly responsible individual? (who is over and allows the 'problem' employee to be difficult or not perform; if that employee is confused about the strategy or direction, who is it that sets them; p15).
The central principle of boundaries is ownership. Leaders are the one who define and create the boundaries that drive the behaviour that forms the identity of teams and culture and sets the standards of performance (p16).
Highlighted how returning Apple CEO Steve Jobs diagnosed the problem as a lack of focus and pruned 70% of models and products with a much-needed clarity through setting a positive boundary. The employees were to just make four great products: "consumer," "pro", "desktop" and "portable" (p19).
People dont leave jobs - they leave bosses (p56).
The importance that there is no relational consequences to making a mistake. That is what people need from their leaders, the knowledge that their leader is for their success, and if a mistake is made, that leader will stand beside them and help them learn and improve, not punish them... a "getting better" orientation goes much further than a "being perfect" orientation (p71).
Our brains need positive relationships to grow and function well (p83).
Most leaders are "meeting'ed to death" ... most of these meetings are not doing much to build connection and unity. The answer is usually not more but different meetings of a certain type and more connection as a result of whatever meeting do occur (p86).
In chapter 6 (p103-108), through a real life scenario, Cloud highlights the far reaching effects a leader with negative thinking can have on an entire organisation. This is in contrast to another company's founder who started it with an ingenious plan while still in bankruptcy (p103); this guy does not suffer from such negative thinking.
In contrast to learned helplessness (p108-116), a leader can focus his team's energy on working on controllable factors that directly affects the desired outcomes of the organisation (p126).
In chapter 8 (p153-166), Cloud illustrates the term "dead fish" with a real life scenario, which means something like the elephant in the room that needs to be addressed, in order for the team to accomplish a specific vision and mission.
The job of the leader is to form a team around a common purpose or goal, and then work with the team to figure out what that team is going to have to value and behave like to reach that goal (p165-6). It does not belong to a person, but to the person as a whole. As a result, it is going to take the entire team to make it happen. That is the essence of a team (p170).
The entertaining accounts of how people wanted feedback given to them demonstrated how important it was to get to know each individual's communication style and vulnerabilities. The needed feedback and difficult-to-hear truths prevented future hiccups, as they knew better how to deal with each other (p175).
We make investments when we feel trust, (p186-7) which grows when:
-we feel understood (p173-180)
-we display credibility and character (p180-3)
-we believe in someone's capacity and ability (p183-4)
-someone has a built a good track record (p184-6)
While internal advisers are essential, outside ones are different. They protect you by having no conflict of interest; they are only there to help you, not to serve themselves, if they are good ones (p203).
Set very, very strong boundaries with yourself against any tendency you might have toward defensiveness, blame, or denial when given feedback. the weakest leaders are threatened by feedback, and often completely closed off to insights that are so easily seen by others. Strong leaders embrace feedback, seek to understand it, and put it to use. Even when they may disagree, they dont become defensive; instead they engage in dialogue and honest inquiry to figure out where the gaps between their intentions and others' perceptions come from. The feedback may be wrong, but they embrace it to understand it nevertheless. You can embrace and not agree at the same time. Move toward it (p208-9).
Dont be ruled by fear (p212-3) or put off change (p214-6): take steps toward overcoming the fear rather put off something indefinitely.
Set boundaries on your weaknesses (p219-221) and confine yourself to do what you are gifted at, don't meddle in affairs that would result in operational chaos.
It is of utmost importance to do a time audit to identify gaps between stated priorities and time/effort spent. What is vital to achieve your vision? Are those getting on the schedule first? Give them first priority but assign them a time and place, so that they actually get done (p221-6).
There is only so much time available and if one says yes to something, that means no to something else. (p224)
Give yourself time to refuel after an energy sapping activity, eg. high-conflict situations (p225) or draining people (p226).
When you realise that you are ridiculously in charge, it does not mean you are in charge of others or in charge of what goes on in the organization. It also means that you are ridiculously in charge of yourself (p230-1).
There are two kinds of high level leaders. One is defined by the work. The other is in a process of actively defining hte work, and they do that by first defining themselves and taking charge of who they are going to be and how they are going to work. They have good self-leadership boundaries (p231).
Far too many leaders fail because they think plenty about the plan and not enough about the people (p234). Do all of these things, and you will have science on your side. More important, you will have the people on your side, people who want to work for and with a leader who engenders an environment that attends to our strongest human desires: to connect, create and grow (p236).
March 30, 2019
In this book, Dr. Cloud talks about many concepts that help a leader be ridiculously in charge. My key take-away is related to how the executive brain works. There are three main functions: directing attention, inhibiting attention and being aware of the process. This means defining the right focus, identifying the things that are 'forbidden', and being able to tell the progress.
The concept of inhibiting attention can be related to the concepts discussed in his book Boundaries: When to Say Yes, How to Say No to Take Control of Your Life. Both books propose that being able to say no is essential; in this case, Dr. Cloud talks about 'saying no' in the corporate setting. What are the things that leaders should not do? One should not waste time agonizing over things that are outside of one's control (e.g. financial crush). A 'simple' pill he recommends to bringing attention to things one can control is to draw two columns and write down in one column things that one cannot control and in the other column things that one can control, and then put all of one's attention on the things that one can control.
Using our executive brain functions of directing attention, inhibiting attention and keeping a working memory is analogous to using a GPS that guides us to our end goal, and is ultimately what will make us ridiculously in charge.
The concept of inhibiting attention can be related to the concepts discussed in his book Boundaries: When to Say Yes, How to Say No to Take Control of Your Life. Both books propose that being able to say no is essential; in this case, Dr. Cloud talks about 'saying no' in the corporate setting. What are the things that leaders should not do? One should not waste time agonizing over things that are outside of one's control (e.g. financial crush). A 'simple' pill he recommends to bringing attention to things one can control is to draw two columns and write down in one column things that one cannot control and in the other column things that one can control, and then put all of one's attention on the things that one can control.
Using our executive brain functions of directing attention, inhibiting attention and keeping a working memory is analogous to using a GPS that guides us to our end goal, and is ultimately what will make us ridiculously in charge.
November 27, 2017
Not too amazing for a sixteen-years-old me, but I’m sure this book will be my choice in the future as I will have more experience in leader.
August 26, 2024
This book is filled with great wisdom about leading successful teams. The author offers explanations for why certain behaviors lead to certain outcomes and strategies for creating the outcomes you desire. Why 3 stars? I worked through this book as an educator looking for ways to successfully lead my team and PLC. Dr Cloud was writing strictly from a business standpoint. I had to reach to see how many of the strategies would work in education , BUT there were still many golden nuggets I will apply to my current playbook. I was fully prepared to offer 4 stars … until he got to the Second Law of Thermodynamics. Oh dude, you butchered it and I’m sad that your editor didn’t catch it. Chemistry and physics teacher in me just c couldn’t get back on track after that.
October 29, 2016
The book covers basic concepts for leading a team or company. It's not particularly interesting nor does it get to the point. I didn't even know why it was titled "Boundaries for Leaders" until a few chapters in. It's about setting boundaries for the teams. The main point is the culture within the team exists through what the leader had created or allowed. If there is a team member who is pessimistic and is bringing everyone else down, the leader is allowing that behavior to become prevalent. The leader needs to meet with the team regularly, focus on factors that are controllable, encourage the desired behaviors, have team members share success stories arose from the desired behaviors, and build a culture of trust and optimism.
February 3, 2016
There are some great points in this book, but nothing was truly life (and habit) changing for me. It may be because I have found myself some wonderful leaders to mentor me. However if you are just starting a leadership journey this would be a great book to look into.
August 5, 2014
This book did not grip me. I really enjoy hearing Cloud speak, but this book was bland. Decent leadership lessons, but nothing earth-shattering.
November 22, 2021
Should be called “boundaries for leaders in a business making sales”
June 22, 2019
I found this very insightful for some of my experiences of team learned-helplessness at work (one instance where it was overcome and one where it was not really and I left). Sometimes there are a few leaps/assumptions, and some of it is just repetition/filler, but overall really solid perspective. I think I'm going to have to read this every now and then throughout my career.
Quotes:
- "Hard on the issue, but soft on the person."
- "...transference, whereby people experience authority figures in the present as though they were authority figures from the past."
- "Positive relational connections decrease stress and enhance brain functioning."
- "'You know when you think about it, I am ridiculously in charge'.... as a leader he was going to get what he built....it always comes back to leadership and the boundaries they allow to exist on their property."
- "Fear can be a positive motivator.. love fear, it'll save your life....spread it around, but in a good way... it does not have to be toxic at all, it is just...basic awareness of the brutal facts of reality... if I dont perform, I won't like the results, so perform!"
- "...no one told me that half of my energy would be spent actually building and leading it [the business]. And the other half or even more would be spent protecting and defending it against all the other things people wanted it to be."
- "As the person in charge of setting emotional boundaries, your job is twofold: first, do everything possible to create good fear, the positive performance anxiety that activates healthy stress, the drive that says 'if I get with it, I can get something good and avoid something bad!' Second, diminish destructive fear, which is communicated through tone, lack of structure and the threat of relational consequences: anger, shame, guild, and withdrawal of support."
- "Have you ever tried to solve three different complex problems at once? What happens? You lose your train of thought. You get overloaded with information. Your brain stops working, it bogs down and cannot create. When a leader provides an environment where anyone can focus on anything, including being creative....he is just clearing the field so the game can get underway."
- "Give people more control and they will thrive, and then, help them focus that control on the things that drive results and they win and you will too."
- "Instead of being a control freak by trying to control other people, leaders must turn into control freaks about letting others be in control about what they should be in control of that drives results....what I mean here is a leader who obsessively focuses on helping his or her people get back in control of themselves to drive their own activities that directly affect outcomes."
- "Remember you get what you create and what you allow."
- "Dont count the score. Count the behaviors that run up the score."
- "...is the business healthy?... there are two parts to healthy.... is it predictable and shapeable? Meaning from a planned results standpoint, are we getting what we said we were going to get (is it predictable) and for the specific reasons we thought we would get it (is it shapeable).... where are we not getting the results we said we would?... what's the cause of that?... it's not just about fixing it next month, it's also about fixing the new problem that we have now because of what we missed last month."
- "good character hungers for feedback."
Quotes:
- "Hard on the issue, but soft on the person."
- "...transference, whereby people experience authority figures in the present as though they were authority figures from the past."
- "Positive relational connections decrease stress and enhance brain functioning."
- "'You know when you think about it, I am ridiculously in charge'.... as a leader he was going to get what he built....it always comes back to leadership and the boundaries they allow to exist on their property."
- "Fear can be a positive motivator.. love fear, it'll save your life....spread it around, but in a good way... it does not have to be toxic at all, it is just...basic awareness of the brutal facts of reality... if I dont perform, I won't like the results, so perform!"
- "...no one told me that half of my energy would be spent actually building and leading it [the business]. And the other half or even more would be spent protecting and defending it against all the other things people wanted it to be."
- "As the person in charge of setting emotional boundaries, your job is twofold: first, do everything possible to create good fear, the positive performance anxiety that activates healthy stress, the drive that says 'if I get with it, I can get something good and avoid something bad!' Second, diminish destructive fear, which is communicated through tone, lack of structure and the threat of relational consequences: anger, shame, guild, and withdrawal of support."
- "Have you ever tried to solve three different complex problems at once? What happens? You lose your train of thought. You get overloaded with information. Your brain stops working, it bogs down and cannot create. When a leader provides an environment where anyone can focus on anything, including being creative....he is just clearing the field so the game can get underway."
- "Give people more control and they will thrive, and then, help them focus that control on the things that drive results and they win and you will too."
- "Instead of being a control freak by trying to control other people, leaders must turn into control freaks about letting others be in control about what they should be in control of that drives results....what I mean here is a leader who obsessively focuses on helping his or her people get back in control of themselves to drive their own activities that directly affect outcomes."
- "Remember you get what you create and what you allow."
- "Dont count the score. Count the behaviors that run up the score."
- "...is the business healthy?... there are two parts to healthy.... is it predictable and shapeable? Meaning from a planned results standpoint, are we getting what we said we were going to get (is it predictable) and for the specific reasons we thought we would get it (is it shapeable).... where are we not getting the results we said we would?... what's the cause of that?... it's not just about fixing it next month, it's also about fixing the new problem that we have now because of what we missed last month."
- "good character hungers for feedback."
November 18, 2024
As a fresh college graduate with no experience under my belt, Cloud's Boundaries for Leaders was a great starting point for learning valuable leadership skills in the workplace. I learned a lot of good information about how to be "ridiculously in charge" and to create a work environment that reflected key values. This got repetitive towards the end, but otherwise it was educational!
March 15, 2018
Very useful information for setting work boundaries in general.
July 11, 2023
didn’t actually finish because my library loan expired oops
January 13, 2025
His Control Divide is worth reading the whole book. Pretty simply communicated and accessible and some great insights into how to create a positive emotional culture.
Worth a read for any leader.
Worth a read for any leader.
April 22, 2025
One of the simplest culture building books I've read. Great examples and experience.
November 11, 2025
Didn’t feel like the title matched the content at all. Only remembered hearing anything related to “boundaries” in the last 20% of the book.
July 6, 2021
3.5 stars. Rounded up.
February 12, 2025
Cloud treats neuroscience as too deterministic (if you do x, their brain will do y, and the result will always be z [happier employees, better relationships, harder workers, etc]). Besides that, the book was helpful.
Best parts:
- You are in charge. So, control what you can control.
- Key executive functions = attention, inhibition, and working memory. So, focus on what’s most important, block distractions (e.g., worrying about something you can’t control), and keep crucial info (e.g., main goal, key values) in front of those you’re leading.
- Stay positive and prioritize trust to maintain a good emotional environment. Otherwise employees feel like they can’t accomplish anything. Avoid personalizing, universalizing, and permanentizing (“im a failure, everything is bad, and it’s never going to change”).
Best parts:
- You are in charge. So, control what you can control.
- Key executive functions = attention, inhibition, and working memory. So, focus on what’s most important, block distractions (e.g., worrying about something you can’t control), and keep crucial info (e.g., main goal, key values) in front of those you’re leading.
- Stay positive and prioritize trust to maintain a good emotional environment. Otherwise employees feel like they can’t accomplish anything. Avoid personalizing, universalizing, and permanentizing (“im a failure, everything is bad, and it’s never going to change”).
August 7, 2017
This was a real struggle to finish. The ideas and leadership philosophies presented were mostly straightforward and agreeable, but never really broken into the enlightening. Additionally, the concepts frequently felt shoehorned into poor analogies to fit his theme.
Dr. Cloud provides plenty of personal examples that gave off serious self-aggrandizing vibes but little evidence to support his claims that this is all science. While I do actually believe the brain science he starts with, I do wonder if his application of that science isn't used a little too liberally to make his argument. Fun note: we do get to learn that one of Dr. Cloud's favorite studies involved putting a monkey in a cage and exposing it to "high level of psychological stress.... they pretty much scared him to death."
What really made this book difficult for me, other than depressing reveling in poor treatment of animals, was the writing. I generally was not a fan of Dr. Cloud's style of writing as I thought much of the phrasing was just odd.
More specifically, there were a few quirks in his writing that were very distracting. One was his penchant for unnecessary quotes. For example: My way of thinking about "character" is that it involves a person's "whole" makeup, not just "moral." The real meaning of "integrity" is about being a "whole" or "integrated" leader. Why?? Every page is "littered" with "quotes" for no discernable "reason."
In other words, (that and, said another way, also make frequent appearances) I do not recommend.
Dr. Cloud provides plenty of personal examples that gave off serious self-aggrandizing vibes but little evidence to support his claims that this is all science. While I do actually believe the brain science he starts with, I do wonder if his application of that science isn't used a little too liberally to make his argument. Fun note: we do get to learn that one of Dr. Cloud's favorite studies involved putting a monkey in a cage and exposing it to "high level of psychological stress.... they pretty much scared him to death."
What really made this book difficult for me, other than depressing reveling in poor treatment of animals, was the writing. I generally was not a fan of Dr. Cloud's style of writing as I thought much of the phrasing was just odd.
More specifically, there were a few quirks in his writing that were very distracting. One was his penchant for unnecessary quotes. For example: My way of thinking about "character" is that it involves a person's "whole" makeup, not just "moral." The real meaning of "integrity" is about being a "whole" or "integrated" leader. Why?? Every page is "littered" with "quotes" for no discernable "reason."
In other words, (that and, said another way, also make frequent appearances) I do not recommend.
January 8, 2014
Boundaries For Leaders really caught my eye because ...well, it's by Dr. Henry Cloud and he writes great books! And this new one from him does not disappoint.
It's not exactly what I thought it might be about. I sort of picked it up hoping it was about leaders setting boundaries for their own time, etc., and, boy, was I going to read it aloud to my leader-husband. LOL
In reality, it's about how leaders can (and should) create boundaries for those they are leading--boundaries that they are able to succeed within. Each chapter is just full of nuggets of truth and wisdom.
One quote that has really stayed with me from this books is
"You cannot grow a plant by dipping
it into the dirt once a year.
It takes an ongoing connection
to build a root system."
Wow. That can be applied to so many areas of life. Just real wisdom there.
In conclusion, this book focuses on these key points:
~help people do what is important
~create the right environment
~have deeply connected teams
~think optimistically, not negatively
~learn what you can control and what you can't
~strive for high performance
~lead yourself
If you are in leadership on any level--and most people are--then I definitely recommend this book. It's a very insightful read and, of course, Dr. Cloud is an excellent writer so you won't be bored in the least.
It's not exactly what I thought it might be about. I sort of picked it up hoping it was about leaders setting boundaries for their own time, etc., and, boy, was I going to read it aloud to my leader-husband. LOL
In reality, it's about how leaders can (and should) create boundaries for those they are leading--boundaries that they are able to succeed within. Each chapter is just full of nuggets of truth and wisdom.
One quote that has really stayed with me from this books is
"You cannot grow a plant by dipping
it into the dirt once a year.
It takes an ongoing connection
to build a root system."
Wow. That can be applied to so many areas of life. Just real wisdom there.
In conclusion, this book focuses on these key points:
~help people do what is important
~create the right environment
~have deeply connected teams
~think optimistically, not negatively
~learn what you can control and what you can't
~strive for high performance
~lead yourself
If you are in leadership on any level--and most people are--then I definitely recommend this book. It's a very insightful read and, of course, Dr. Cloud is an excellent writer so you won't be bored in the least.
May 22, 2013
This was a pretty good leadership book. It taught me how to create a work culture where people love to work. Below are the main points I learned:
1. Help people attend to what is important, inhibit what is not important or toxic, and remember what they are doing.
2. Create an emotional environment that is free of the wrong kinds of stress.
3. Build teams that are deeply connected.
4. Help people to think optimistically and root out pessimism.
5. Help people get in control of what they can control.
6. Build great teams that are high performance.
7. Lead yourself in ways that create great performance in others.
1. Help people attend to what is important, inhibit what is not important or toxic, and remember what they are doing.
2. Create an emotional environment that is free of the wrong kinds of stress.
3. Build teams that are deeply connected.
4. Help people to think optimistically and root out pessimism.
5. Help people get in control of what they can control.
6. Build great teams that are high performance.
7. Lead yourself in ways that create great performance in others.
May 12, 2021
Overall, a decent book if you have a leadership role in an organization and could use some insight in how to better lead. The majority of the book is how to create a good culture/environment, which is good, but seemed kind of narrowly focused. Also pretty sure he used the term "ridiculously in-charge" about 500 times which merits a star reduction ;)
May 18, 2023
A good reference but I felt the author could have summarised the key points better. Nevertheless, I’ve learnt on what leadership means, about setting boundaries in terms of what they should or should not do, e.g. influencing the culture, promoting connections and communication, seeking feedback, paying attention to the culture.
Overall an ok read.
Overall an ok read.
August 8, 2016
I noticed so many irrelevant stories and arguments to leadership and also the whole book is concentrated on being a CEO. In my opinion, a leader not necessarily has to be a CEO. Reading this book wasn't much helpful for me.
September 1, 2015
Henry displays some great tools on becoming a more effective leader. He points out some common errors that I see I've been making as well as examples on how to change that with easy to follow steps.
November 11, 2015
The concepts are pretty simple and not earth shattering. Pay attention to the people around you and treat them well. Not rocket science.
May 21, 2019
It was okay. Mainly speaks to the business world. I've liked other of his boundaries books more.
January 2, 2021
One main premise which is repeated, illustrated and applied in many ways - as a leader, you have the power to set boundaries ... just do it.
February 20, 2021
This was very much written from a mans perspective on leadership in my opinion. Not my favorite read on leadership.
January 3, 2020
The alligators or the swamp? As I've gained more responsibilities I've learned to prioritize. Importance over urgency. A good leader thinks in systems.
Henry Cloud's wisdom wins again. Every word he writes is worth reading.
Notes:
Nook
You always get what you create and what you allow (10)
The real problem is getting the people to do what it takes to make the plan work. (10)
Our brains need to be able to (a) focus on something specific (b) not get off track by focusing on or being assaulted by other data inputs or toxicity, and (c) continuously be aware of relevant information at all times (27)
for Yourself: "What do I do now to make sure that I am attending to what is most important? Have I defined it? What do I do to inhibit myself from getting pulled into what is not important? how do I put what is important in front of me all the time? How do I create a "current river" of information, initiatives, and steps that keep what is important moving" (36)
for your team: "What structures and processes do I have in place to Mississippi my team is attending to what is crucial? Do they know what that is and are they aligned on it? In what areas is the team not inhibiting what should be inhibited, and what am I doing to eliminate toxins or distractions? how do I Mississippi the team is created a flow of working memory with what they are trying to drive forward?" (36)
Do away with negative stress in your organization. "Toxic fear" (59)
Peoples' deepest need is to be known and understood (74)
"You are ridiculously in charge" There is no place for defeated thinking. As if we have no control over our circumstances (88)
If there is negative thinking in your teams, culture, and organization, you are allowing it to be there (88)
There is always something you can do (89)
"Your don't want to replace learned helplessness with denial of reality. instead you and you team must look at whatever external realities exist and begin to figure out a "non-helpless" response to those realities (89)
"Research has revealed time and again that a belief that one will be successful is one of the strongest predictors of goal achievement" (92)
The key to success is to be expending energy on the actual drivers of results, not just actions in general (109) For instance, the salesperson who makes cold calls.
Change behavior, and you change outcomes. That is power (117)
Trust Grows When Someone Has Built a Good Track Record (133)
we can trust people to do what they have done in the past. (134)
In fact, to trust really means to be “careless.” Think about it. If you put your money
in the bank, you are careless about it. (135)
Connection, intent, character, capacity, and track
record are the building blocks of trust (136)
Two of the most important ingredients to performance are measurement and accountability (139)
The weakest leaders are threatened by feedback, and often completely closed off to insights that are so easily seen by others. Strong leaders embrace feedback, seek to understand it, and put it to use (149)
I have always seen a high correlation between success and the leader's propensity to put the vital activities, says as team building or strategic work, in the calendar first and not move it later. They have the discipline to do what is vital but not "urgent" (158)
If there is a pattern in the work -- you're doing the same thing over and over -- then it is probably transferable. Time to delegate (164)
Henry Cloud's wisdom wins again. Every word he writes is worth reading.
Notes:
Nook
You always get what you create and what you allow (10)
The real problem is getting the people to do what it takes to make the plan work. (10)
Our brains need to be able to (a) focus on something specific (b) not get off track by focusing on or being assaulted by other data inputs or toxicity, and (c) continuously be aware of relevant information at all times (27)
for Yourself: "What do I do now to make sure that I am attending to what is most important? Have I defined it? What do I do to inhibit myself from getting pulled into what is not important? how do I put what is important in front of me all the time? How do I create a "current river" of information, initiatives, and steps that keep what is important moving" (36)
for your team: "What structures and processes do I have in place to Mississippi my team is attending to what is crucial? Do they know what that is and are they aligned on it? In what areas is the team not inhibiting what should be inhibited, and what am I doing to eliminate toxins or distractions? how do I Mississippi the team is created a flow of working memory with what they are trying to drive forward?" (36)
Do away with negative stress in your organization. "Toxic fear" (59)
Peoples' deepest need is to be known and understood (74)
"You are ridiculously in charge" There is no place for defeated thinking. As if we have no control over our circumstances (88)
If there is negative thinking in your teams, culture, and organization, you are allowing it to be there (88)
There is always something you can do (89)
"Your don't want to replace learned helplessness with denial of reality. instead you and you team must look at whatever external realities exist and begin to figure out a "non-helpless" response to those realities (89)
"Research has revealed time and again that a belief that one will be successful is one of the strongest predictors of goal achievement" (92)
The key to success is to be expending energy on the actual drivers of results, not just actions in general (109) For instance, the salesperson who makes cold calls.
Change behavior, and you change outcomes. That is power (117)
Trust Grows When Someone Has Built a Good Track Record (133)
we can trust people to do what they have done in the past. (134)
In fact, to trust really means to be “careless.” Think about it. If you put your money
in the bank, you are careless about it. (135)
Connection, intent, character, capacity, and track
record are the building blocks of trust (136)
Two of the most important ingredients to performance are measurement and accountability (139)
The weakest leaders are threatened by feedback, and often completely closed off to insights that are so easily seen by others. Strong leaders embrace feedback, seek to understand it, and put it to use (149)
I have always seen a high correlation between success and the leader's propensity to put the vital activities, says as team building or strategic work, in the calendar first and not move it later. They have the discipline to do what is vital but not "urgent" (158)
If there is a pattern in the work -- you're doing the same thing over and over -- then it is probably transferable. Time to delegate (164)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 187 reviews