Customer Reviews

Inspire! What Great Leaders Do

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This is the first thing I have ever read by this author, but INSPIRE: WHAT GREAT LEADERS DO by Lance Secretan will not be the last. This is leadership for the 21st century.

I learned some new terminology here, such as "higher ground leadership" (leading by serving) and "old story leaders" (Jack Welch types who rule with an iron fist and focus solely on the bottom line).

Much of the focus here is on expanding the mission statement. By that I mean, Secretan teaches creating 3 separate statements; destiny, cause and calling. Call it what you want, but the truth is, we all need something to guide us and maintain our focus. As Yogi Berra said, "If you don't know where you're going, you'll end up someplace else."

I particularly liked the content here about how convoluted and unproductive (and uninspiring) corporate mission statements tend to be. They are all pretty much the same; main focus being a few patronizing remarks to attract shareholders, a quick statement about teamwork, and just for good measure, something about how important our customers are. There's just not a lot there to inspire anyone. I have long maintained, if your corporate mission focuses on building customer loyalty, your employees will perform better, your NOI will go up and your shareholders will be happy. Use your financial statements and analytical tools to attract shareholders, not your mission statement.

Anyone would benefit and learn from this magnificent work, but CEO's in particular. Unfortunately, the smattering of existential eastern philosophy will turn off many CEO's. Let that be their loss, not yours. Read this book.

I bought the book several weeks ago after coming across your web site and boy is it powerful. I am a business coach and am beginning to use your book as a reference for my clients. I particularly like it because I take people through a process that leads them to their purpose and now of course we talk about not only their values but what they stand for(their principles) and how they "are" their purpose, and then what they will do. They love your web site and book. So thank you very much.

While this book certainly does aim high, it only deals with the idea of leadership in a perfect situation or "bubble" if you will. I have to admit I didn't like the book or the author after reading the first page of the introduction. Secretan makes the assumption that we all live in fear and that there is a shortage of people to inspire us (apparently he is here to fill the void). Perhaps I am a minority, but I do not live in fear and can think of many inspirational people, both in the past and present.

As for the rest of the book, he explains leadership in a very new age and ignorant way. Secretan's basic premise is that we all should love each other and that we should all inspire and be inspired ourselves. And that's great, in a world such as that I doubt we would even need leaders as everyone would do what they are supposed to. But in the real world, leaders are confronted with adverse situations such as dealing with subordinates who are unhappy, tired, depressed, going through a divorce, angry, hate you or other teammates, and etc. This book discusses nothing of how to be a leader in difficult situations, or even how to deal with people that you don't love or love you. This is where the book falls down in my opinion. The true test of leadership comes when times are hard, not when everything is hunky-dory. Further, I think Mr. Secretan is a little arrogant in his definition of Higher Ground leadership. He acts as if he is somehow reinventing the wheel when it comes to leadership. Any of the topics he mentions that are actually useful (such as leadership from the front/ serving your subordinates) are ideas that have been around much longer than this book or Secretan himself.

Aside from Inspires lack of useful leadership information, it also has an interesting take on competition. Secretan seems to think competition is bad, and is does nothing more than feed ones ego. He makes such statements as saying a "call to arms" never inspires and "what's wrong with being number two". Again, perhaps I am the minority but I work with small businesses every day. I can tell you that those who don't actively compete often fail.

In the end, Inspire reads more like a new age self help book. Everything from discussing guided meditation, having a divine conversation with God, discovering your destiny and defining your world by how you deal with terrathreats (read environmentalism). If these things are your cup of tea or you hail from a very leftist/pacifist ideology then I guess this book is for you. However, if you are looking for a book that actually deals with how to be a leader in less than utopian situations then I would advise to look elsewhere.

Understanding the difference between "motivation" and "inspiration" can lead to a dramatic breakthrough for anyone in any kind of leadership role. After reading Secretan's beautiful, yet practical book on the subject, I know I'll never be the same. Despite all the training, seminars, mentoring, and observation of great leaders, I didn't know the difference and I suspect most CEO's don't either.

It turns out motivation is usually based on fear and is self centred. Inspiration is other centred and based on love.

I read the book on the suggestion of a very successful CEO I work with and immediately began to notice the impact Secretan has had on his leadership style, and effectiveness.

I'm now looking forward to similar results.

If you are in any kind of leadership role, or aspire to be, read this book.

Within 5 pages of beginning my reading of "Inspire...", I was enthralled. Lance writes so eloquently and powerfully of a way of being in corporate life (and life in general) and how each of us can impact positive change as leaders in our individualized way. Want to make a greater difference in your life's circle? Read, read, read this book!

I read "Inspire!" nearly in one sitting and was deeply moved by it. I was moved because what you are telling deeply resonates with me and with what I teach, and together with that it opened me and my work up to a new level. My own work coaching and consulting leaders and corporations has moved to a new, higher ground after reading Inspire! I thank Lance for inspiring me.

Tremendous book, I was overwhelmed ( in a wonderful way) by the way the words spoke so directly to my heart and soul. The frequency relationship was direct. I have read the book three times and still feel an energetic response when I think of the applicability to everything that I do. Although Lance is referring to the business or corporate entity, I see the human being as its own grand corporation, with departments/divisions in the respiratory, circulatory, endocrine, skeletal etc. departments. The human being as the microcosm, actually the atom within every cell of the body being the microcosm to the human body, with the family unit, however it is defined to the next step outward. The family unit is the microcosm to the extended family and friends community, this community is the microcosm to the geographic community. The ultimate macrocosm being the universe. All of these aspects of the corporation ( the body) need higher ground leadership. Each cell in our body has a destiny, cause and calling, each grouping of cells, say for example the muscular system has a destiny, cause and calling. All these need to be in alignment with the grander destiny, cause and calling of the person. This is how we actually align and achieve happiness, health and grace in life.
The second and third reading were much more self analytical and I was so inspired by Lance's ability to articulate the meaning and purpose of life. I could go on and on here, I feel this in every cell of my body.

This book has some good points, but way too long and chases too many rabbits. it was long on examples. Too much love & touchy feely. Would have liked more facts & concrete information.

It did provide some good ideas, but you had to shift through a lot of material to find them.

Without a doubt, this is my favorite book on leadership and personal development. Lance Secretan does a magnificent job in outlining a clear, three-step process to help us discover our destiny, cause and calling.

His leadership model focuses on two types of leaders: "Old Story Leaders are Newtonian thinkers; New Story Leaders are quantum thinkers."

If you're looking to create a "new story" for yourself or start drafting answers to those timeless questions like, "What is my purpose in life?" then this is your book.

As a life purpose and career coach, speaker, facilitator and workshop designer, I'm always on the lookout for new reference material for my clients. But this book gave me new reference material for my own personal development. The definitions Lance Secretan provides for destiny, cause, and calling have given me new understanding of my own purpose, along with new language to spur transformational conversations within the workplace. I can't speak highly enough about the value of the concepts in this book to the healing of our corporate leadership.