Be A Hero [Paperback]

Ph.d Matthew Stanley (Author), Matthew Stanley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 25, 2005

Matthew Stanley’s insightful analysis of leadership, drawing on examples from history, myth, legend, and contemporary life, provides clear and essential guidance for effective, authentic leadership. Be A Hero! Will show you: The source of authentic leadership. How to identify the traits of leaders. How to become an authentic leader. How to avoid the pitfalls of leadership. How to accomplish your mission. Be A Hero! Your future as a leader depends on it!

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Matthew Stanley wrote Be A Hero! The Quest For Authentic Leadership based on his 20+ years experience as a training leader. Dr. Stanley trains seasoned and new managers on leading their teams to reach higher levels of performance than ever dreamed possible. You and your company or organization can participate in fun, entertaining, and instructional seminars that utilize a proven method for adult learning. You will explore the 5 steps to success through discussion, role-playing and proactive coaching. Dr. Stanley values your time and conducts evaluations throughout training to ensure that you are learning the skills to build effective leaders. The training takes the 5 concepts from Be A Hero! The Quest For Authentic Leadership - Preparing for the Journey, The Journey, The Ultimate Challenge, The Return Trip Home, and The Homecoming- and translates those concepts into easy steps that guide success. Dr. Stanley has trained leaders in companies and organizations small and large across the country. Leadership training is essential in the fast paced world of business and will lead your company or organization to greater success.

Product Details

• Paperback: 182 pages
• Publisher: Paraview, Inc. (August 25, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0976498618
• ISBN-13: 978-0976498612
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #918,112 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Quest, October 31, 2005

By 

Love to learn "Lisa" (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Be A Hero (Paperback)

Once you have read this book you will become more aware and see more evidence of the quest for great leadership all around you, reminding and reinforcing your knowledge and understanding of the concepts contained in this powerful book.

The process detailed in the book outlines a quest for becoming a leader. One who reads it will take the journey and discover the process for becoming the true leader by discovering what leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Gandhi, Queen Elizabeth and others have learned and leaders today know, that leadership is a process and not a collection of empty principles.

Dr. Stanley kept me riveted. This is a must read for any business leader or aspiring leader.

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book with timeless insight!, November 3, 2005

By 

Christopher Clay - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Be A Hero (Paperback)

Be A Hero! The Quest for Authentic Leadership is a remarkable book on leadership. It is substantially different then any other piece of work on the topic in modern times. "Youth is the age of striving and selfishness." - Arthur Brisbane. I have seen the truth of this book. As a young man selfishness has cost me, striving has at times seemed futile, but the call of the hero-leader remains.

Be A Hero! is about the timeless qualities of leadership and heroism. In modern circles leadership is treated as a fact by implementation of "proven" principles. It may be true that anybody can lead, however, heroes are called. Dr. Matthew Stanley points this fact out immediately in his book. The timelessness of the book comes from the fact that many people can rise to become leaders through sheer will, but a hero is what the world seeks.

Throughout the ages heroes have been needed. We all have heroes such as parents, pastors, civil right leaders, sports stars, teachers, and the list goes on. Dr. Stanley takes a unique view of leadership and calls each leader (and the leader within everybody) to a higher standard. The call is to rise to the standard of the hero-leader.

This book gives us a unique perspective of the leader by examining the lives of Hercules, Beowulf, King Arthur, Peruses, and other mythological characters. Through the analysis and comparison of, as Plato would call it, the ideal leader, certain paths become clear. The analysis of heroes and leaders reveals the answer to the question, what is required? The answer is that the question needs to be rephrased. The true question is, what is the path of the hero-leader? The quest for authentic leadership is just that, a quest. The path of a leader should emulate the path of the hero. The book walks you, the individual, through these paths.

After reading this book I have been able to see myself on the path. I have realized that through my pride, vainness, and arrogance, I am replaceable and I am not invincible. I realize that I have won victories, but have as of yet conquered myself. The true leader becomes a hero-leader by risking himself. I now am able to prepare for these events. I am able to see how today and in the future that sacrifice is the risk of rejection. The hero-leader is able to standup and like Gandhi, Christ, Martin Luther King and the hero-leaders of all times risk not just self-sacrifice but rejection. I realize in my quest to become a hero-leader that the journey hurts and that self-sacrifice, the risk of rejection, and other difficult things will cross in front of me.

However, it is not all doom and gloom. The path may be difficult, but the rewards of self-sacrifice, the putting away of pride, and the process of becoming a hero-leader are worth the price. Through reading this book I began to realize that I am part of something bigger than myself. The process of becoming a hero-leader will not (as I once believed) make me a conqueror, a king, or a leader. The process, the path, and the quest will make me a follower, a servant, and I will be conquered. I will be conquered by the significance of serving mankind, of serving my family, of risking my pride and ego, by opening my heart to the pain of rejection and failure.
This book is not a guide or a map in any way; it is a story. I believe each reader will see themselves at different stages in the path. For some that have been conquered, they will reminisce about their trials and tribulations, their sacrifices, and the joy of serving; for others it will be a wake-up call to begin the journey. For those of us somewhere in the midst of the quest, it helps us understand where we are, and what is to come. It does not give the answers to completing the quest because each quest is unique. What Be A Hero! does offer is truth. It turns our thoughts inward to realize the strength in ourselves and the joy of service. This I am sure of, as I move further along my quest, Be A Hero! will become more real, unique and valuable.