Leadership: 50 Points of Wisdom for Today's Leaders

by Rick Hillier

General Rick Hillier's views on leadership evolved over his three decades as a soldier. Early in his career he watched as many of his superiors made bad decisions. Later he learned at the school of hard knocks as the head of emergency rescue operations in Canada and international task forces in eastern Europe and Afghanistan. Never one to be shy with his opinions, Hillier is as frank and straightforward in Leadership as he is in his #1 bestselling memoir, A Soldier First.

For Hillier, leadership is all about people--embracing those you are in charge of and winning over those you need to work with--not about risk aversion or management fads. Leaders think long and have a plan. Their actions speak, not their words, and they make their own luck. But leaders also act out of moral courage, take advantage of crises, accept failure and remain perpetually optimistic. Whether on the front lines of a business or in any situation that requires strong communication and vision, leaders go with their gut and make the tough decisions look easy. Leadership is an inspirational, easy-to-read and, in true Hillier fashion, often humorous collection of fifty principles that will challenge the way you run your business, start a project or take that next step in life.

Genres: Leadership, Military Fiction, Nonfiction, Canada

315 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of repackaged stuff from his first book with some leadership tips tossed in. It was good - but if you've read the first book I don't think there's much new to offer here.

[Michael Bartellas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written, strong examples, and a straight forward approach to leadership. I throughly enjoyed General Hillier’s tone and points of wisdom.

[Hugh Egener · Rating 2 out of 5]

I knew Rick Hillier as a young Major in the RCD in W. Germany. This book is more interesting (supporting) stories on the principles of leadership. Some parts are not that well written and have small errors (editor faults). I actually took exception with his comments on the purpose of Standards in training. Fortunately, not that many military personnel have picked up on it. If Standards does its job, training can be much better. Still, I passed this along to my son Mike as a good introduction to leadership principles.

[Silas White · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found parts of the book to be a bit clumsy structure-wise, but took a long break from reading it and very much enjoyed the last couple sections. An aspect that differentiates Hillier from typical leadership gurus is that he's really been there, on the ground level, and does a good job of demonstrating his points with examples.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although General Hillier wrote the book using examples from his career in the Canadian forces, there are many valuable nuggets to take from his insight on leadership. I had some of my own leadership views reaffirmed, learned some new leadership techniques, and was kept entertained throughout the book.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

I strongly recommend all leaders (but especially the military) read Gen Hillier's book, "Leadership." It is full of practical usable advice and techniques to get the best out of our subordinates and yourself.

[David Eden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two chapters in particular are really good. The chapter on process basically says that excessive focus on process is all too often an excuse to avoid the real work of people management. The chapter on risk management warns about how risk processes often deteriorate into pure risk aversion.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book as it had so many real-life examples of leadership in an organization - the military - where leadership is a fundamental value.

One of the strongest messages is to lead by example and stick to core values when leading and you can't go wrong in the long-run.

[Shari · Rating 5 out of 5]

great book! A real hands on book offering great leadership advise

[Kevin Mclean · Rating 5 out of 5]

10/10 - he is inspirational and insightful to the extreme. I would recommend this to anyone and everyone with any ambition of improving themselves as individuals.