I Have the Watch: Becoming a Leader Worth Following

by Jon Rennie, John Brubaker (Foreword)

When you're a leader, you have the watch.Through seven deployments commanding sailors in the complex and dangerous world of nuclear submarine warfare, Jon Rennie experienced a deep form of leadership. On a sub, there is no escape. No "after work." No home to commute to. You live and lead side-by-side with the crew, every day.What Rennie didn't realize was how much his time underwater prepared him to lead global industrial businesses and startups across multiple industries.Becoming a leader worth following begins--and ends--with people."This book cuts to the heart of the matter of it's all about people." Says Joshua D. Cotton, PhD, Founder and CEO, VetStoreUSAWith a special foreword by John Brubaker, Author of Seeds of Success, Rennie lays out a case for becoming a people-centered leader. Leaders have the watch. They are not only accountable for the results of the organization, but they are also responsible for the people who work for them. Leadership is a people business. The actions of a leader will have a deep impact on the lives and careers of the people they are responsible for.Natasha Goldstein, Founder and CEO, The Accountkeepers says, "As the founder of a fast-growing, people-based business, I could not put this book down. Unlike any other book on leadership I've read, Jon boils it down to what really how you treat people."Great leaders know that employees who are respected, appreciated, and are given the chance to grow will go the extra mile for your organization. This book provides real-world leadership wisdom written from a hands-on perspective. If you want to be a more effective leader, this is the one book you should read this year."Start becoming a better leader today by reading this book." Says Heather Eason, Founder and CEO, SELECT Power Systems

Genres: Leadership, Nonfiction

116 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 20, 2019

About the author

Cold War submarine officer-turned-startup CEO Jon S. Rennie has led nine industrial manufacturing businesses across four different companies, including Peak Demand, the company he co-founded. Prior to entering the private sector, Rennie was a nuclear missile officer on the USS Tennessee. He holds an engineering degree from WPI and a masters from Cambridge. He lives in Raleigh, North Carolina, with his wife and two children.

Reviews

[Sandeep Kanabar · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved reading the book I Have the Watch: Becoming a Leader Worth Following by Jon Rennie and would very much recommend it for understanding the crux of Leadership. Using anecdotes and experiences from his personal life in leading multiple companies, Jon shares practical insights and nuggets on Leadership that each one of us can easily implement in our day-to-day lives. In fact, even if you are an Individual Contributor and not managing teams or Leading People, read the book for it explains the fundamentals on what it takes to be a People First Person, which in turn leads to an Outstanding Leader.

Here are few titbits I really liked:

1. The preface starts with a powerful story and has a wonderful lesson - "It's more important to be the best player FOR the team than the best player ON the team." This one had me lost in thoughts and another one "Leadership isn’t about pushing people; it’s about pulling people. You can’t push a rope.".

2. Leadership is a paradox. It is both simple and complex at the same time. Like chess, it takes a short time to learn but a lifetime to master.

3. I also love the way Leadership is defined using the Leadership Triangle with people being at the Top of triangle, Goals and Influence constituting the bottom points of triangle and Leader at the centre balancing all 3 elements. This helps us visualize how did we / the leaders of our company acted during a crisis? Did they put people first?

4. Treating employees as assets rather than as expense.

5. My favourite is the author's own story in the chapter on having Employee's back wherein he shares his experience when he failed. "This happened to me more than 20 years ago and I can still remember exactly how I felt that day. I felt empowered knowing I had a boss who would stand behind me even if I made a mistake" - these lines resonate with me and I bet it'll resonate for all who have been lucky enough to have a boss that had your back.

6. The author hits bull's eye when he says - I believe in a workplace where talented employees are respected and empowered, and where they are provided opportunities to fully serve the needs of our customers. In truth, honoring and respecting employees is not difficult or expensive but the payoffs are incredible.

7. Some of the best leadership insights are found in the breakroom, not the boardroom.

8. I also liked that that each chapter began with a thought-provoking quote and with each chapter being independent, if you want to come back to read a specific topic, you needn’t read it from start and can jump straight to the relevant topic.

9. The chapter on Giving Intangible Gifts is just sublime.

What could have been better: I wish the author had shared few MORE examples of facing failures and how he converted those to success. And it would be helpful if he had shared how he took the FIRST steps towards leadership from being a Watch Officer on USS Tennessee.

Conclusion: All in all, a wonderful book, that you can come back to read multiple times! While it’s about Leadership, it even helps you develop and evolve as a better person and a much better human being.

P.S. Received an Advance Review Copy (ARC) from the author for reviewing courtesy BookTasters and this is my very first review of an ARC :)

[Shruti · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Have the Watch is a great book, a great resource for enhancing your leadership skills. The language is simple, easy to understand what the author is trying to say.
We often forget the key element, what runs it really- People. They make businesses, organizations and teams go. Great leaders bring those people together under a vision of excellence and feeling of trust, respect and family.
I Have The Watch is a must for all leaders, be it new, or experienced; this book has got six which means it has got your back!
I've thoroughly enjoyed this book, I am an entrepreneur in making and I was amazed by this book when I came across it and I have already read it thrice! A must read for all entrepreneurs, leaders out there.
"Leadership isn't about Pushing People; it's about Pulling People. You can not PUSH A ROPE", when I read this line, I was hooked instantly. This is something not everyone is capable of telling others. I am really thankful for Jon Rennie for writing this book and giving us the right perspective of leadership and a TRUE LEADER.

[Mitchell Boling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jon Rennie's book on leadership has everything one would need to learn about leadership. His short stories become a daily affirmation on leadership. It is a good addition to anyone's library of leadership books.

[Valerie Plucinski · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! The way it was structured made it a quick and engaging read, which I appreciated since a lot of leadership books can be rather boring. It had a lot of relatable and actionable leadership advice and really helps provide new perspectives and ways of thinking about leadership. Highly recommend!

[Kyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great leadership book that has several pertinent topics split into small, easily digestible essays. Leaders at all levels and industries will find something that benefits their leadership execution. Real world examples and proven strategies strengthens the message of this book, and validates the material throughout.

I received an ARC of this book for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Jennifer Depew · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Got your six"

"Got your Six" - World War military lingo to say that your teammate has got your back. Your wingman is watching the rear of the fighter plane. The 6 position on a clock in flight navigation represents the back of the airplane, and the 12 would be the crew in the front of the plane.

The book I Have the Watch: Becoming a Leader Worth Following , by Jon S. Rennie, is a gem, a compact treasure trove of relationship building advice. It is written for those in leadership positions but might be helpful to many people.

Jon Rennie was a submarine captain and teamwork is critical for the safety of everyone at ocean depths. A series of short essays, blog posts, share examples of leadership from his own past and stories of other leaders he met or worked under.

A leadership model developed by Kevin Kruse is suggested in the introduction to keep in mind while reading:

“As Kevin Kruse reminds us, leadership is about how you influence people to achieve a goal. By his definition and my experience, leadership comes down to just three elements – people, influence, and a goal. Great leaders learn to coordinate and balance these elements effectively.” (p 101)

In The Leadership Triangle model the employees are at the top of the triangle - not the leader, the leader is central, and the other points of the triangle are influence and the goal. The leader needs to work on what influence to use to help the team towards the goal - often just letting them know the goal and getting out of the way is the best approach and the influence might be providing freedom and a budget to work with. Checking in somewhat regularly is also important to monitor progress, look for stumbling blocks to remove or a need to modify the goal - unfortunate to find out that the team accomplished a goal that didn’t end up fulfilling the hoped for outcome.

Sometimes the influence might be instilling a clear vision of the goal and the idea that there would be personal enjoyment or excitement for the team in achieving the goal - getting to sea in a quote about “casting the vision” of the goal:

““If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up people to collect wood and don’t assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea.”” - Antoine de Saint-Exupery (p 96)

Hiring a good team and treating them well is discussed in many of the essays - the employees are at the top of the triangle. A team that is treated well will treat the customers well, and each other well - or may be more likely to. Employees that are internally motivated to perform well are also worth looking for in the hiring process.

“Unstoppable teams are uncommon because building a team like this isn’t easy. You need to find the right people – employees with complementary skills sets and a high level of competency who have proven themselves under adversity, and who also have a “mission first” mindset.” (p 81)

Balance is another theme - a balance of leaving the employees autonomy to reach the goal in their own ways, along with regular communication along the way to make sure the goal will fulfill the hoped for effect. A solution that doesn’t solve the problem is not a good outcome for a team or a leader. Balance in temperament - too nice or too mean a leader may not meet a team’s needs for positive influence. Balance in timelines - too demanding may reduce morale and too lax may also.

“Therein lies the challenge of leadership – finding the right balance.” (p 91)

Communication and respect for the team’s knowledge and skill are demonstrated in many of the narratives. The book I Have the Watch: Becoming a Leader Worth Following , by Jon S. Rennie is a good reminder of people skills that help lead a team, or it may be an eye-opening reveal of where you were going wrong in your own leadership roles. Flexibility and the ability to admit when they are wrong, or the goal is wrong, are also mentioned as important leadership skills. I am glad I read this book, it did help me see where I have made mistakes, and can improve as a leader, even if only a leader of myself.

[Jim Razinha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a review copy of this from the publisher through BookSirens. The title caught my eye, then the cover. As it turns out, Mr. Rennie and I have a couple of things in common. He was a Navy nuclear officer on a submarine in charge of the Reactor Controls Division and I was a nuclear reactor operator (reactor controls was our division) before becoming an officer myself, another, if different, commonality. Now he was on submarines and while I grew up around subs - maternal grandfather, father, younger brother - and was a sub volunteer the day I enlisted, I saw the light while in hands-on training at a reactor prototype and realized that reactor operators on submarines had less than no life. Even the officers got to go home, but the reactor, operating or shut down, always had to have a reactor operator on watch. So I moved up, so to speak, to the surface and was assigned to a couple of nuclear aircraft carriers. And Rennie and I are both mechanical engineers. He left the Navy after five years (it's not for everyone, and a nuke life is harder than most) and parlayed his experience into design and manufacturing; I became an officer in the Civil Engineer Corps, finished a 20 year career and parlayed my experience into facilities construction management and operations. So, the title spoke to me - those words carry a strong meaning - and the cover definitely attracted.

To use a term I learned in the Navy, the BLUF*: This book is not about the Navy. Not even Navy leadership, save for a couple of anecdotes. But it is about leadership, and is a pretty good capsule of many of the traits and methods I've adopted over the years. I am always looking to add to the toolbox on that subject, for ways to improve myself, and for good sources to recommend to aspiring leaders. The book is short, and the sections short for the leader who claims to have little time to read - an excuse in my vocabulary because a good leader always makes time to read. There is some overlap and repetition, but that's because Rennie composed this from "a curated collection of articles [he had] written over the past five years." The articles are to the point, which is good and I appreciate that. They are conversational, even if there are some statistics peppered throughout - but no citations in case you go looking. There is nothing new here that any good student of leadership hasn't already seen; any good leader hasn't tried, implemented. But it is in a compact, easily digested form. There are stories, and they are real, not parable-ized like the Blanchard or Johnson of Lencioni books usually assigned that I am not fond of. What I am fond of is people first, and Rennie nails that.

My copy allowed me to highlight and make notes, but not export those notes, and then...it kept the highlights, but not my notes! So here's a selection of takeaways, with my thoughts more, or more probably less, recreated...

Section "Why Do You Want to Be a Leader?" asks that good question, if you want to be a leader, why? Rennie offers three questions to ask yourself: Do you have a passion for leadership? Do you care deeply about the idea or organization? Do you love people?" But before that, he says

People are choosing to lead for the wrong reasons, which is why there are so many poor leaders.

While he's got that right, he doesn't talk about the people that are in leadership positions not necessarily by choice. Maybe they didn't want to be leaders; maybe it was just expected, or maybe it just fell to them. I've seen that in my career and some end up poor leaders, some rise.

Section "Leading Experienced Employees" - following a promotion to plant manager as the young age of 32, he said

My challenge was to figure out how to lead this operation effectively while not knowing as much as my team.

This is an important lesson, and one many fail to learn. A military career placed me in many leadership positions over established departments, bases, etc.and I certainly didn't know as much as the people already there. The key is to drop the ego and admit to yourself that you don't need to know everything. I actually admit that out loud: I don't need to know everything until I need to know it. And I try to populate the room with as many brains as possible/needed. Which ties into...

Section "Bringing Your Plans to Life" - or put another way, bringing plans to life, whether mine or that of a collective, a design team. Bolded bullets: Get people involved in the planning.I can't over-emphasize the value in this - involve all of those brains; get the customer/client involved (I'm approaching this from a design perspective) for buy in; get those whole will be responsible for implementing involved so they can take ownership. This is not new. But he did point it out and so am I. Seek feedback and be willing to adjust your plans. See? There's this thing about not needing to be the smartest person in the room. I coach that the four most important words a leader can use are "What do you think?" There is not a lot of misunderstanding as to who is leading, and who is making the final decision, but with those four words, I engender trust, teamwork, belonging-ness, ...respect...

Section "The Importance of Respect" - should be obvious, right? but as Rennie points out

The truth is that many managers have never been formally trained in leadership. They are promoted because of their education, technical ability, or past performance.

How true. And even formal training often misses the important points of leadership.

Section "Showing You Care" - one of those statistics Rennie used dropped my jaw: a Georgetown researcher asked why managers didn't treat their employees with respect and a numbing 60% said "they were too busy to take the time to be nice." I can't even. And I have no use nor respect for any of those. Rennie has a bolded list of ten simple activities to make a difference, all of which I won't list here, but they are along the lines of Be present.Walk around. Tom Peters wrote of the Hewlett Packard "Management by Wandering About", which I adapted into "Management by Walking About", because wandering didn't seem that purposeful for me (though I will meander!) Yeah - you've got to be out there. Focus on them.Best way to engage is to not make it about you. Be polite.Why this needs to be said is a telling symptom of bigger problems this book (and I) can't address.

Section "Listening to Employees" - the bitterest pill is hard criticism, but by listening to employees, You face reality/. Of course, you have to have created trust and build relationships, otherwise you won't get honest answers. And you can't build that trust and those relationships hidden away in an office...

Section "Understanding the Power of Your Presence" - you have to walk it If you want to signal your priorities, you need to get out of your office.). and always know that As a leader, people are watching you.What you do, what you say, how you say it. Don't walk past a piece of trash without picking it up (he mentions that, something I try to not do unless I have a compelling reason...sends the message "not my job...yours")

In his last section before his Conclusion, "The Paradox of Leadership", Rennie offers

Maybe the most important role of leadership is how John Quincy Adams defined it: "If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader."

Well put...but JQA never said it. Quote Investigator looked into it in 2011 and found that not only was the wording way out of character for Adams, but the earliest that quote appeared was in 1997, and from a source you might find surprising: Dolly Parton! (True story. Quirk of mine; I check for the source of quotes that don't sound quite right, and if I can't find any, I'll say "attributed to". I didn't check any of the epigraphs, though...one only has so much time for that sort of thing.)

Personal quibble: Rennie cites Chick-fil-A as a paragon of customer service because "...they put employees ahead of customers." That is a solid advice, but in Chick-fil-A's case, sadly, as long as employees aren't LGBTQ - their corporate non-discrimination policy (scroll down, fine print) calls out 15 plus classifications except LGBTQ.

Still, this is a good book to give budding leaders, and to people who want to be leaders, and to people you think should be leaders.It might even be good to give to those "poor" leaders, but careful in how you word the gift card!

*BLUF - Bottom Line Up Front; for the "too busy", TLDR folk

[Nathan Albright · Rating 5 out of 5]

[Note:  This book was provided free of charge by BookSirens.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.]

According to this book, and I believe the count, there are at least 14,000 books on leadership.  As a reader I have read a substantial portion of this large body of work.  What is it that makes a book like this worth reading?  When one is dealing with a book about leadership, there are at least a couple of aspects that a reader is likely to consider.  For one, there is the message, and for another, there is the messenger.  This book does not have what I would consider particularly novel principles, at least by the standard that I have read.  That said, the principles the author gives about leadership are very sound ones and ones well worth celebrating and practicing.  The author follows what would be considered the humanistic tradition of leadership in focusing on the way that leaders serve and encourage others and enable employees to be the best that they can be.  If many books say those things, they are still principles worth hearing about even though they can be hard to put into practice.

The other area where this book really shines is the way that the author gives a lot of his own experience.  Even the writer of the foreword has a lot to say about his own experiences where he failed to be the sort of team player that a good leader is.  It is not only the fact that this book has good principles that makes it notable but the way that the author and the writer of the foreword mix in solid reading (even if Quiet is not a book I particularly enjoyed reading) as well as a lot of personal experience in being leaders and dealing with leaders.  The fact that they demonstrate growth in their approach as leaders provides a subtle example to the reader that leadership is not something that springs up automatically in certain kind of people but something that can and should be intentionally and consciously developed for the purpose of better serving one's companies and other institutions.  If this book is focused on the corporate world rather than on other approaches and if this book resembles something that one would read from a business consultant more than one would read from someone who wanted to talk about biblical servant leadership, it is still a book that is worth reading and applying.

This book is about 100 pages or so and is divided into a variety of easy-to-understand and generally short chapters that begin with some sort of leadership quote and that are filled with lots of examples from the author's reading or personal experience.  The author asks the reader why one would want to be a leader, gives insight on how one leads experienced employees.  The author discusses how one brings plans to light, sees employees as an asset, appreciates others, puts employees ahead of customers, and has the employees' back.  The author talks about the importance of respect and caring and celebrating employees and gives some suggestions for doing memorable things.  The author discusses giving intangible gifts, communicating face to face, and understanding the power of personal presence.  There are chapters on the downside to being too busy or distracted, being absent, and being a jerk.  There are also chapters that provide the author's thoughts on building an unstoppable team, getting the most from one's team, and recognizing and developing new leaders.  There are also chapters on the paradox of leadership and a conclusion that encourages the reader to be a better leader.

[Priscilla King · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here are succinct, somewhat bloggy articles (they started out as blog posts) about what a person with actual job skills needs to do to add leadership, as distinct from “accidental manager”-ship, to his résumé—and why some people may not even want to. Often responding to other books and articles he read, Jon Rennie discusses why and how real leaders respect, reward, and encourage people…in an office, in a factory, or on a ship where the person who “has the watch” is responsible for keeping the ship afloat.

For those who are interested, on my Blogspot I’ve gone into details and reminiscences about how we children of the twentieth century were encouraged to believe that most people are or ought to be extroverts, so extroverts’ experience is normative. This belief was based on assessments of social behavior people learned when it was pounded into them. Now that medical science has identified permanent physical bases of the more common introvert personality patterns—as advantages—we know that extroverts aren’t so much of a majority as Sigmund Freud imagined. Among people who study the psychology of management, sales, and teaching online, introverts appear to be a solid two-thirds majority, at least. So this book, which addresses introverts only in an article about ways companies can reward people who don’t want management jobs, is incomplete. Rennie offers valuable tips for bridging the gap when we have to lead or teach extroverts but does not really discuss what changes (improvements) can be made when we lead or teach our own kind. My Blogspot review offers some thoughts along those lines.

One of the ways I Have the Watch can potentially help many people is helping them self-evaluate whether they really want that promotion to a management position, or would prefer some other kind of reward for good work. Everyone probably cares enough about some causes and some people to be real leaders, but is the competition for sales among outlets of the same corporation one of those causes? How burnt-out do you want to feel, and how bad a boss are you willing to be, just to get “sales manager” into your résumé? Not everyone wants or needs to be a leader. Maybe companies should do more to reward their best followers.

For those who do want to lead, Rennie offers checklists of at least some of the things real leaders do and don’t do, short lists of some things real leaders do to reward employees and build team spirit, and suggestions for further reading. The book is short, just 116 generously spaced e-pages, and will leave you wanting to read, think, and try more.

4.5 STARS.

[Vardhan Rode · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Accounts we treat Wages and Salary as an expense but the economy says Human Beings are a valuable Resource. What are they?? They are people like us with emotions, talents and also problems. A good Employer - employee relation can really uplift you to many heights but a company with employee issue will be a major issue for the owner. So how to actually make the staff turn into a resource?? The answer is simple just start treating them as humans and not as an expense...

-The book 'I have the watch' really has your back to tackle such situations and to scale your business to new heights. The book is written in simple but effective language. This book will motivate you on your journey as a reader and will help you motivate others as a 'Leader'.
- The book contains real life experiences and learning which the author Jon Rennie learned during his experience as a Leader both in Waters and business Waters.
- Nearly every Single line will make an impact on your life and the way you think. You will for sure see the change once you start reading the book.
- It also talks about the degrading quality of the modern businesses with a solution based approach towards it.
- For reading this book it's not mandatory to be into business or to be a leader but after finishing the book.. You will be a Confident and Caring Leader for sure.

Best Wishes and Enjoy Reading Future Leaders !!

[Debra Harman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was a leadership teacher and ASB advisor for several years, in addition to being a middle manager for a number of years. In Cambodia, I managed a team of teachers and then co-founded a publishing company, so am always interested in books about leadership.

Rennie's book is right to the point. He asserts that taking care of the people on the team comes first. I agree. We all have our "warts," personal issues, and shortcomings. If a person on the team is a decent worker with a few shortcomings, it's a good leadership move to develop that person.

His book is full of suggestions and anecdotes for a person leading the team. I think that the audience for this book comprises those who are new to leadership, and as those people know--the first years leading a team can be difficult. If leaders don't make themselves "present," as in "on the floor" and checking in, problems arise. It's best to be visible, says Rennie, every day.

I appreciated the anecdotes and allusions to various leaders. If a reworking of this text comes up at any point, I'd love to read more examples of female leadership. This may expand the audience of readers, also.

[Debjani Sengupta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Submarine nuclear missile officer, Jon S. Rennie, has led global businesses and start-ups across multiple industries and has a company of his own has shared his valuable and experienced insights about how to be a good and effective leader. He says it’s all about being with and knowing the people who you are leading. Be with them, look after them, reward them and most important of all respect them and allow them to grow.
“I have the watch” is an easy-to-read book that should be a great help and guide to new and inexperienced leaders who want to train themselves. As the author says leaders do need to get trained to be able to become a leader worth following. “Leaders need to be trained like any other discipline”.
There are many great ideas outlined in the book about how to find the right leadership balance. Leadership is a people business. A leader must be people centred. It is about respecting others, giving them rewards, doing things for them. Appreciate your employees, says the book. People leave if they are not appreciated. Never mess with their hearts. Listen to them to build an unstoppable team. Don’t be the absent leader.
This book is essential for leadership training.

[Thatiane Rezende · Rating 4 out of 5]

With his experience in the Navy, Jon Rennie decided to write a book with all his experiences leading a team for years and years later at his father's company.

Even though it is a leadership-focused book, Rennie gives counsel to any person that has to do teamwork someday. He tells how people are essential for achieving the goal, so as a leader, they will have to find balance through opinions, actions, and their attitude towards the employees.

He also points out that for being a leader, they need to have a leader's attitude. They must be accessible and patient all the time, so this way, teammates will trust them when it comes to problems, mistakes, or even some ideas that could help the project get better.

I was expecting more stories from his experience at the navy, but the ones told are interesting. The author explains how being in front is not something that will make someone better they will have too much job than anyone.

[Susmitha Sreekumar · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the name says , I have the watch, is a guide for people who are looking to lead people in a better way than they are doing now. As a Director of an Institute my self I cannot say I am fully equipped to take that position though I am a person who wants to see the company I work with flourish and expand more. The book was very informative. I liked how the Author have made note of his personal experience in the book, but I felt he also lacked mentioning some mistakes also that he did in this part of leading people. There were examples of giving better ideas on leadership but there was no instance explaining how any deed or words had impacted the people too. I just felt this part lacking, other than that I felt the book very motivating for an upcoming leader and as the book says A leader is not always about money or responsibilities, it about the PEOPLE.

[Jon Stallings · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jon S. Rennie has put together a very practical and concise book on leadership. Would make a OK read for the new Business grad, or first time manager. Lots of good info but nothing really new. It is a collection of blog posts so there is no real flow from one chapter to the next. There is also a lot of repetition. Like the chapter on "Listening to Employees," followed by "Communicating Face-to-face."

I have to admit I fell for the trap of judging the book by its cover and title. I expected his lessons to be connected to his time in the Navy. Yet he only mentions about 4 times he was on a submarine. And he never talks about "Having the Watch," until the last two paragraphs of the book.

Finally he has lots of people he quotes, but zero citations of where those quotes can be found.

[Annie Wilkes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jon Rennie gives so much inspiration to become a better leader. What sets this book apart from others like it is that you don’t get the sense that the author is just some guy that spends his days in his office “supervising”. I believe that he’s taken all of his experience to become a leader rather than just given it in the form of a pdf.

Rennie references The Leadership Triangle a dozen times throughout the book which is generally the theme entirely. People are priority, influence and goals are equally at the bottom and the leader is in the center, the coordinator of balancing all three. Your people are what make it all possible!

[Steve Brock · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was Stevo's Business Book of the Week for the week of 4/18, as selected by Stevo's Book Reviews on the Internet and Stevo's Novel Ideas. When you’re a leader, you have the watch. Great leaders show they care by performing selfless acts which show that they are invested in the individual successes of their teammates.

Find more Business Books of the week on my Goodreads Listopia page at https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/9..., and find many more recommended books on my Amazon Influencer page at https://www.amazon.com/shop/stevo4747 or by searching for me on Google.

[Bakertyl · Rating 4 out of 5]

A different type of leadership book, something I didn't know what even an option anymore.
Taking a people-oriented look at leadership, Rennie forces a leader to question their own motives and goals for their team.
Well written and well thought out, I'm glad I read this book and recommend it to anyone who has any leadership role.
Would honestly have liked to have more book... Rennie's style is "to the point", but would have liked more actionable advice for younger readers.

**I received an advance review copy from BookSiren for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Chris Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read leadership book

I read a lot of management and leadership books, often they have one, perhaps two points that help improve leadership. This book has multiple ideas and recommendations, such as the birthday club. This is a program in which you meet with your employees who have a birthday each month. This way you get to visit with all the employees of the organization in the year.
There were other ideas, some I'm familiar with but others are new. The other thing I really enjoyed is the formatting, it was a quick read with ideas and topics grouped into chapters.

[Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has to be one of the best books I have read on leadership.

Jon's experience resonates through his writing. It is refreshing to have a book that not only tells you to treat your employees well, but gives you solid advice on how to do so.

If you are new to leadership, or just want to gain a new perspective, I highly reccomend this book.


Notice: I recieved this book for free specifically for review, but my thoughts and opinions are my own

[Quinton · Rating 1 out of 5]

The worst leadership book I've ever read. I wonder if Jon Rennie saw the success of David Marquet and thought that he could write a "leadership" book too? The problem is with Rennie's idea of leadership is that it is not leadership - it is management. There is a big difference between being a manager and a leader that this author never learned.

If the subtitle of the book was Becoming a Manager that Tries Hard for People To Like Them, the title would be more apropos.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned a lot from this book. It helped me in building leadership qualities. This book gives complete guidance to build up personality. One great thing about this book is the experience of Jon S.Rennie. the author's presentation to handle a situation and how to overcome it, how to be more social, how to build a relationship, how to engage is very much impressive. I strongly suggest that one must read this book.

[Siddharth Arora · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the book
- The guidance/advice is very meaningful and to the point.
- I loved how the Author related each learning to an actual story/ incident in his life. Made the lessons relatable and easy to understand.

A few things I did not like
- Some of the lessons/advice sounded pretty basic and were not very new for me.
- Also, at times I felt the structure of the book was a little free flowing. I would have liked if each theme/chapter was continuing form the previous one.

[Pete Havel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jon Rennie does an incredible job of taking his experience leading a crew on a submarine and turning his stories into leadership principles. A lot of leadership book authors focus on strategies that are at the 30,000 foot level. Rennie urges leaders to be on the ground and working with their people. It's a refreshing approach that makes all the difference to whether teams succeed or fail.

[Kim Wascavage · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy read, but not overly motivational

This was a quick, easy read, but I didn’t finish this book feeling like I was ready to take on a new challenge or make huge changes. It was a good read and I would recommend it if you are looking for a book to enjoy, but if you’re looking for ways to change your management style, this isn’t the book I would personally recommend.

[Daniel Osborne · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Granola Bar of Leadership Books

This is a compact, insightful, power-packet book truly full of "nuggets."

It does a great job of delivering core concepts to the leader, while sharing specific focuses of leadership-

Respect (Staff)
Support (Staff)
Honor (Staff)

Staff take care (of customers.)

[Sharon Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book.... Jon uses his own personal and professional experiences to highlight the importance of leadership.
The book is easy to read, with short chapters, full of information and ideas of how to implement and improve leadership.

[Steven · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good points and themes, but it feels like another list of things to do, and there are plenty of lists out there. I prefer Jocko Willink and Leif Babin's books, which have more depth and stories associated with the points they try to make.

[Melisa Buie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Have The Watch by Jon Rennie should be required reading for every business leader and people manager. There is so much good information packed into this little book. You will not regret reading it.

[Demetrius Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great Tidbits - A bit repetitive though

I had an opportunity to read this book and thought there were helpful tidbits from practical experience. However, the stories and insights were a bit repetitive from chapter to chapter. Otherwise, a good read!