Books for Prep | |
 - Great Leadership BookThis is a fantastic Leadership book for people at any stage of experience and development. Maxwell really puts a nice wrapper around these tried and true concepts. He also does a great job of keeping the reader engaged with thoughtful stories from a wide range of sources. Rating: - Developing the Leader Within You If you are a Christian, you will love this book. Maxwell appeals to the spiritual side of you, calling you to lead by bringing out the best in others. I found this book to be inspirational. I suggest you read it with Optimal Thinking: How To Be Your Best Self which shows you HOW TO bring out the best in others and lead them with a realistic optimal vision. After I read this book and Optimal Thinking, I gave all my employees a copy of Optimal Thinking and it paid off. Believe me, this combination is optimal. Rating:  - good content; slightly marredMaxwell is a very prolific and reputable author of leadership and management material. Like his other books, and those of similar authors, it contains nothing new or earth shattering, but is a worthwhile read as a reminder. There are the requisite chapters on integrity, priorities, attitude, vision, development, etc. Maxwell included a chapter on "Self Discipline", which doesn't always make it into leadership books. The book is roughly 200 pages with a lot of white space and is a relatively quick read. While the content is good, chapters tend to blend together. Maxwell relies heavily on anecdotes which tend to get old after a while. True case studies would work better. As it is, with the numerous anecdotes, type spacing, formatting, overuse of headers and excess white space, one feels the author tried to stretch out the material in order to warrant a hardcover. Also, the editing was weak as there were blatant grammar errors which caused frequent double-takes. This book is as good as any for a manager to periodically read and reflect on, but there's not a whole lot of original thinking. Rating: - Outstanding--Makes One Come Alivewhen I realized that I was in the most important leadership position of all--a husband and a father--this book came alive! I began to outline many of the quotes and examples which spoke to me. I have put many to practice. Years later, my 17 year old began to read the book. She, too, spontaneously began to outline quotes and examples. Now my 15 year old is reading it... It's been one of the best, practically motivational books on leadership we've read. Rating: - Excellent ResourceDeveloping the Leader within you is a fabulous resource for anyone who is serious about becoming the best they can be. A practical guide, the book gives you step-by-step mentoring in how to pull the best out of yourself and maximize your latent abilities. Unlike a sport in which people are limited by natural talent, Maxwell shows how anyone can develop into a leader of merit, character, and substance. It is a great read and a book that you should review over and over again. Excellent! In association with Amazon.com | |