Remarkable Leadership: Unleashing Your Leadership Potential One Skill at a Time (J-B US non-Franchise Leadership) (Hardcover)

by Kevin Eikenberry (Author)
Key Phrases: remarkable leaders, leadership development model, leadership development process, Bonus Byte, President Kennedy, United States (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Predicated on the notion that leaders are not born, but are made and remade and made over again, author and consultant Eikenberry provides a guide to honing leadership skills that's succinct and sensible, demonstrating that leading is as much about listening, asking questions and empowering others as it is about charisma and vision. Thirteen chapters enumerate what remarkable leaders do-"learn continually," "communicate powerfully," "influence with impact," "think and act innovatively," etc.-and how they do it. In hopes of narrowing the gap between those who aspire to remarkability and those who've already achieved it, Eikenberry provides plenty of "Now Steps," exercises for evaluating and improving one's position that can be implemented in short order. Obvious but edifying techniques include storytelling practice, journaling and building a network of well-nurtured relationships. Eikenberry also offers online resources ("Bonus Bytes") tied to specific points in the text, available on the book's web site. A solid leadership primer, this book will instruct, if not exactly inspire, anyone looking to manage others more effectively.
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Review
Predicated on the notion that leaders are not born, but are made and remade and made over again, author and consultant Eikenberry provides a guide to honing leadership skills that’s succinct and sensible, demonstrating that leading is as much about listening, asking questions and empowering others as it is about charisma and vision. Thirteen chapters enumerate what remarkable leaders do—"learn continually," "communicate powerfully," "influence with impact," "think and act innovatively," etc.—and how they do it. In hopes of narrowing the gap between those who aspire to remarkability and those who’ve already achieved it, Eikenberry provides plenty of "Now Steps," exercises for evaluating and improving one’s position that can be implemented in short order. Obvious but edifying techniques include storytelling practice, journaling and building a network of well-nurtured relationships. Eikenberry also offers online resources ("Bonus Bytes") tied to specific points in the text, available on the book’s web site. A solid leadership primer, this book will instruct, if not exactly inspire, anyone looking to manage others more effectively. (Sept.) (Publishers Weekly Annex, September 2007)

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass; 1 edition (August 17, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 078799619X
• ISBN-13: 978-0787996192
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #136,353 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Remarkably Useful, August 19, 2007

By	Darryl Sopoci - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Kevin Eikenberry makes it clear that leadership can be learned. Remarkable Leadership is a book that I will pick-up again and again to sharpen my skills as a leader. He makes it clear early on that leaders are continous learners and then helps you learn leadership through a straight forward approach.

The online Bonus Bytes are also great

Read it, then keep it nearby and keep on learning as you go.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive, common sense approach to leadership development, August 14, 2007

By	M. C. Huebner - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is a great resource for leaders interested in their own development and for those responsible for organizational leadership development efforts.

It is easy to skim, comprehensive in detail, and packed with great tips. I particularly liked the bonus bytes website site for extra resources.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Remarkable Guide to Leadership Development, January 31, 2008

By	Walter H. Bock "Wally Bock - Author, Blogger,... (Charlotte NC) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Kevin Eikenberry has experience in the real world. It makes this book better. He is an avid learner and experienced trainer. They make this book better. And he's worked with real people one-on-one to help them improve their leadership. That, too, makes this book better.

If you're looking for an informed, practical and effective way to accelerate your own leadership development, you should buy, read, and use Remarkable Leadership. This will also be a good book for you if you're responsible for the leadership development program in a company or for the development of a protégé.

Like the experienced trainer he is, Kevin states his goal at the beginning of the book. "This book is designed to help you identify the parts of your personal leadership package working in your favor and help you develop those parts, and any others you wish to work on, to become the leader you are capable of becoming."

He moves directly from that statement to setting up the material that will fill the rest of the book. He has you do an exercise I've done with groups in training for years: identify a great leader you know and define why you rate them as great or remarkable. Then he shares the core competencies as he sees them. Here's the list.

Remarkable leaders ...

Learn continually
Champion change
Communicate powerfully
Build relationships
Develop others
Focus on customers
Influence with impact
Think and act innovatively
Value collaboration and teamwork
Solve problems and make decisions
Take responsibility and have accountability
Manage projects and processes successfully
Set goals and support goal achievement.

After anchoring his thinking in the principle of building on strength, Eikenberry moves to the next chapter where he discusses leadership development in the real world. His model matches my Apprenticeship Model in all important respects.

The three most important are that most leadership development happens on the job, not in the classroom, good leadership development makes extensive use of feedback, and your boss and other more experienced leaders play a crucial role in your development.

Chapter 3 tells you how to get the most out of the book. Then comes the real meat of the book, a chapter on each of the competencies.

Each chapter includes examples and stories to help you get the concept. There are resources to help you develop. And there are two features that make this book stand out. "Now Steps" offer you suggestions for immediate ways to apply the principle of the chapter. And "Bonus Bytes" give you a link to a web site where more resources and ideas await.

This book is for you if you want a guided way to take charge of your own personal development. You'll get solid information and insight, coupled with learning tools and suggestions for action.

This is also a book for you if you're responsible for the development of leaders in a smaller company or for a protégé. The structure of the material and learning tools should make you more effective at that task.

If you support leadership development in a larger corporation you'll find many good ideas here that you'll be able to incorporate. You should also consider buying multiple copies to share with the working managers in your company to help them assume a mentor role.

Now, who should not buy the book? If you expect to learn leadership from simply reading this or any other book, save your money. Leadership is an apprentice trade and learning it takes work on the job. Remarkable Leadership can help you do it better.