Customer Reviews

Leader Effectiveness Training L.E.T.: The Proven People Skills for Today's Leaders Tomorrow

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This is the long-awaited update of the 1977 version of L.E.T. Dr. Gordon is a pioneer in teaching leaders to sharpen their most important skills: how to communicate, how to resolve conflicts so that no party loses, how to handle meetings, and provides an alternative to unproductive performance reviews.

Now that the economic (and political) future of the world seems so uncertain, this book is all the more timely and important. In fact, after September 11, nothing seems more important than improving our ability to resolve conflicts peacefully. Dr. Gordon - who is known for this book and his books for parents (P.E.T) and teachers (T.E.T.) - was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize because of how his work benefits our world.

But besides the high falutin' ideals about conflict resolution and its importance to the world, L.E.T. is all about skills that make your work easier, more productive and more rewarding. What this book does is simultaneously keep both feet firmly planted in two different worlds (a goal most business books don't even dream of achieving): it's both a life-changing philosophy of human relations and a book to give you and your company a competitive advantage.

I've been using this system for a few years now and it really works. It's not a magic cure, and it takes a commitment to learn and put the skills to use, but it's such a worthwhile payoff: problems with other people still pop up, but I don't get stuck dealing them like I used to and my blood pressure doesn't go nuts. Also, the communication and problem-solving skills you learn aren't ones you're able to just turn off and leave at the office -- they have a habit of insinuating themselves (and improving your relationships) when dealing with friends, spouses, kids.

Don't let the fact that this is a new version of a book that was originally published in 1977 keep you from buying it. Its concepts are universal and timeless. Lots of other books on leadership have come and gone in 25 years; there's definitely a good reason why this one's still around.

L.E.T. makes a great companion to Steven Covey's 7 Habits (another fine book, though it's not as straightforward and skill-laden as this one).

I was first introduced to Gordon's approach a couple of years ago. Sceptical at first, I took the time to read the book and found it very compelling. I immediately tried to apply the lessons at home and found success early in spite of the fact that some of the methods felt foriegn to me. The book and Gordon's philosophy are built on a model that respects the needs of both parties and that mutual respect becomes the foundation of a productive leader-follower relationship. The skills presented include active listening to help others, confrontive I-messages to help one's self and conflict resolution methods to build win-win solutions. Unlike other books on leadership, this book reads like a training program. You immediately know what to do with the information. I am a better leader, husband and father for having read the book and applied the approach.

Since then, I attended an L.E.T. program as a participant and an L.E.T. train the trainer program. I have now taught the course to dozens of grateful participants. It has become the foundation course in leadership at my company and has had a very positive impact on our culture. We are more productive and people are treated with more dignity and respect.

Tom Gordon has a unique skill - being able to provide clear and concise models to complex human interactions. His needs-based approach to conflict resolution has been consistently reinforced by research. His listening skill approach is the best, a reflection of his work with Dr. Carl Rodgers at the University of Chicago.

If a leader wants to build their interpersonal skills and strengthen work relationships - i.e. build their "emotional quotient (EQ)" - this is the book for them.

I first used LET by Gordon when I was promoted to a leadership position in the early 80s. It has been a standard reference for me throughout my career. Not only is it a pragmatic guide for leaders it's also a road map for developing effective relations both personal and professional.

I bought this book to use as a reference for a paper that I was writing on the subject of leadership for a communication class. The class had to do with small group communication. As I read Dr. Gordon's approach to leadership, I found that his participative management style was really what I was looking for and a great fit for how leadership can work effectively in a small group. Although the style of his book is definitely written as a "training" book for effective leadership, it has many thought provoking and practical insights that you can apply in many other areas of your life. We all find ourselves in groups throughout our lives in various and diverse situations and circumstances. This book offers some down to earth, common sense advice that you can take and apply when you find yourself as the "leader of the pack" so to speak.

I particularly enjoyed the section on " Doing it yourself - or with the groups help". I think that many people mistakenly believe that you have to use your power and manipulate people to be a good leader and to get a job done. Dr. Gordon shows the advantages of being a facilitator and drawing upon the strengths and resources of all members of the team.

The principles described in this book will not go out of style, because it deals with people communicating with people. Times may change, but leading people will still be the common factor that spans the ages. It can be a great tool for a new leader or for one who wants to brush up on their leadership skills. As a student, I know I'll be referring to it in future classes. This will definitely be one of those books that I'll keep on my bookshelf for future reference.

This is not just for -- or even mainly for -- leadership training. This book teaches simple communication skills that apply to any relationship in which conflict occurs. I bought seven copies for my work team. I only wish the author would provide a concise synopsis of his approach for those who don't have time/inclination to read the entire book. I had to do this myself.

I have also read and put to good use the author's Parent Effectiveness Training. Why Dr Gordon's approach is not more widely known and put to use is beyond me. The world would be a much better place if more people understood and used these simple concepts.

Leader Effectiveness Training (L.E.T.)--The Foundation for Participative Management and Employee Involvement
Leadership is the "in" topic with top business schools like Harvard and Stanford. It is basically what students get judged upon. In the masses of books on this subject however, no other book goes to the deep roots of the relational approach generating unimposed leadership (the essence of leadership is that it speaks by itself, when it has to be imposed it is called authority).
This book offers a model for developping the skills generating instntly accepted leadership.
It is a must read not only for every student aiming at an MBA but also for every active business man (already gifted or not).
The beauty is that it is pleasant to read. It is not a boring student type of analysis. It is just lively, practical, based on solid common sense, but far reaching.
An added quality is that the style grasps the reader emotionally, and most people read it from cover to cover (a rare feat with business books).

This was the first training and book that I ever participated in on leadership. And, that was 21 years ago! It is still timely and effective. I was impressed in re-reading the book how much of the practices that I had incorporated and made my own. This training and book made a remarkable impact in my life.

If you want the basics on leadership in one bundle - then you want this book. Read it. Use it. Re-read it. Become a more effective and influential leader.

easy to read, we are using it for our class, communication and conflict resolution skills in our team.

I purchased this book for an undergraduate class last year. The book has good phychological viewpoints from various different points of view (Boss vs. employee) It points out various methods of approaching scenarios of conflict and guides the reader through the best methods of handling situations for each person (or point of view). Good little book.