Customer Reviews

The Leadership Dojo: Build Your Foundation as an Exemplary Leader

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Profound and practical don't often go together and with this book Richard Strozzi-Heckler has managed to accomplish this rare feat. This book is one of the best treatments I've read on a topic as old as humankind. With humor, storytelling and a grasp of leadership that is truly masterful the author "leads" the reader on a journey exploring both what it means and what it takes to be an exceptional leader. It's a journey that culminates in viewing "leader" and "leadership" in a way that shatters stereotypes and makes the art of leadership accessible to any that are required to be leaders in their lives. Highly recommended!

There are a lot of books that go on ad nauseam about how one needs to be in order to be a great leader. Strozzi-Heckler gives us a pathway to become one. It takes more than reading a good book, it takes practice that engages the whole self - mental, physical, emotional and spiritual. I appreciate the graduation of practical exercises that help me get a felt sense of what he is talking about. This should be required reading for all aspiring leaders.

I easily read 50+ leadership books a year and this one is truly amazing. Richard Strozzi-Heckler offers noteworthy distinctions that are very accessible and practical. I endorse his belief that leadership is more than what one knows -- it is who one is and how one chooses to show up in the world. This is a must read! I enthusiastically endorse this book and am encourage my friends to read it and apply what they learn on a daily basis.

Gail S. Williams

The Leadership Dojo is a great resource, and should be read by anyone who values leadership and aspires to be an exemplary leader. The value of the book is that it addresses leadership as a role and leadership as a way of being. The book is a resource for those who are leading others, as well as for those who are leading their own lives. Drawing on his own experience as an exemplary leader, and as the founder of a well-known and highly regarded leadership institute, Richard Strozzi-Heckler explains how to develop "the virtues, character, and ethical and moral values that make up the exemplary leader." Gifted in language and inspiring as a writer, the author explains how leadership is both a skill and an art, and that leadership can be trained through recurrent practices. The author's other books, particularly The Anatomy of Change, and Holding the Center, are also well written and very much worth the read.

Once again Richard Strozzi-Hecler has produced an outstanding resource for peope who are serious about
life-long learning and the empowerment of others. This is a must read for leaders in the 21st century!

Rayona sharpnack
Founder & CEO
Institute for Women's Leadership
[ASIN:078799569X Trade-Up!: 5 Steps for Redesigning Your Leadership and Life from the Inside Out]]

The distinctions and practices contained in this groundbreaking book provide a new "periodic table for leadership development" from which new or more powerful leaders will be created. Dr. Heckler's work is a true paradigm shift for leadership development and is sure to revolutionize the field. The Leadership Dojo provides a way forward for legions of people around the world who can now actually become the leaders they have always envisioned themselves to be.

The Leadership Dojo is the first book I've read that offers pragmatic practices that lead to authentic leadership by uncovering the innate leadership qualities that exist in each of us. The Leadership Dojo and Richard Strozzi - Heckler's Anatomy of Change offer something that is missing in our education systems: how to move through change and transition and become powerful leaders in our lives and in our work.

"The Leadership Dojo" is an attempt to bring the practices of martial arts and eastern philosophy into the business world, and it succeeds in presenting some very unique ideas. One of the key concepts in this book is that body and self are the same. What this means is that the way you present your body, whether consciously or unconsciously, is actually the true self that you are presenting to others. In fact, if the body is not well balanced it could lead to actual physical and mental stress that will hinder your efforts to become an efficient leader. This really makes you think about the way in which you present yourself in the office or workplace. What message is your body sending out?

The only thing that I found a bit of a letdown was that the author discusses his theories through case studies rather than in general, so sometimes as you read it you may feel that it's nice that the person mentioned could get over his or her personal issues, but the issues that you as the reader are facing are different. The author does give some tips for practice in developing a sense of body, but he doesn't provide much in the way of how to interpret signs from the body.

In the end, if you're looking for a book that will raise some interesting and profound questions, then this is a book for you. If you're looking for a book with the answers, then you may not find what you're looking for. I feel that this book is worth a read. As for the answers, I'm still thinking about them myself.

I currently supervise a small team, within a larger organization. I have always been resistant to authority, and had a hard time "embodying" it, when I have been expected to lead. This book is really giving me insight into the values and principles of leadership from an experiential point of view, not from an "Outside-in" approach. The book makes me interested in training with the author, or following a body-centered, process oriented approach to becoming a better, more confident and effective leader.

I recommend this book for anyone who wants to be a more effective leader of other people, or those who just want to "lead their own lives", more effectively, confidently and congruently. It's not just another self-help book, or another business success book with the latest buzz-words, but it's based the author's years of leadership consulting work with top corporations and the military, as well many years of committed Aikido practice. (Aikido is a Japanese non-resistant form of martial arts, whose philosophy can also be applied to other types of interactions with others.)

What is unique and terribly important about Richard Strozzi-Heckler's new work is that he is reclaiming the idea that there can be a PLACE where one can learn about and address the whole person. The book ties together the author's many years as both a Somatic teacher and the Sensei (Teacher) of a growing Aikido dojo and community. The book is full of practical suggestions and insights into how one can enter into this place and take advantage of what is offered. I think Strozzi-Heckler has written more than a book on leadership. He has written a book on life.