You Don't Need a Title to Be a Leader: How Anyone, Anywhere, Can Make a Positive Difference (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Using his master skills in story-telling, Mark Sanborn enables us all to see that at the heart of it leadership is really about ordinary people achieving extraordinary things." 
-Lois P. Frankel, Ph.D., author of Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office

"This book has a quality I admire.  It is simple.  Not the kind of simple you find in a fortune cookie, but the elegant simplicity that can only be born from experience.  I love this little book and strongly recommend it for anyone who wants to be a leader in life."
-Stephen C. Lundin, Big Tuna Ph.D., Co-author of the FISH series

“Mark Sanborn has done it again! This time leadership is his focus and he has delivered a powerful little book that must be on every leader’s desk.”
-Pat Williams, author, speaker, and Vice President of the Orlando Magic

“Read this book if you want to lead a better life, lead an organization, or lead the way.”
-Jeffrey J. Fox, author of Secrets of Great Rainmakers

“Mark has hit a grand-slam with You Don't Need a Title to be a Leader. It will speak to you regardless of your age, profession or position. I am adding it to my “must read list” for my kids, teammates and clients.”
-Daniel Harkavy, Head Coach and CEO, Building Champions

“Mark Sanborn has done it again! This time leadership is his focus and he has delivered a powerful little book that must be on every leader’s desk.”
-Pat Williams, author, speaker, and Vice President of the Orlando Magic

"This book has it all... it's delivers real, usable leadership concepts in an entertaining and captivating way. Don't miss this opportunity… to take your leadership skills to a new, more effective level"
-Rob Mitchell, Chief Development Officer, American Cancer Society

“Everyone of us have the power to shape our lives ... --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Review

"Using his master skills in story-telling, Mark Sanborn enables us all to see that at the heart of it leadership is really about ordinary people achieving extraordinary things." 
-Lois P. Frankel, Ph.D., author of Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office

"This book has a quality I admire.  It is simple.  Not the kind of simple you find in a fortune cookie, but the elegant simplicity that can only be born from experience.  I love this little book and strongly recommend it for anyone who wants to be a leader in life."
-Stephen C. Lundin, Big Tuna Ph.D., Co-author of the FISH series

“Mark Sanborn has done it again! This time leadership is his focus and he has delivered a powerful little book that must be on every leader’s desk.”
-Pat Williams, author, speaker, and Vice President of the Orlando Magic

“Read this book if you want to lead a better life, lead an organization, or lead the way.”
-Jeffrey J. Fox, author of Secrets of Great Rainmakers

“Mark has hit a grand-slam with You Don't Need a Title to be a Leader. It will speak to you regardless of your age, profession or position. I am adding it to my “must read list” for my kids, teammates and clients.”
-Daniel Harkavy, Head Coach and CEO, Building Champions

“Mark Sanborn has done it again! This time leadership is his focus and he has delivered a powerful little book that must be on every leader’s desk.”
-Pat Williams, author, speaker, and Vice President of the Orlando Magic

"This book has it all... it's delivers real, usable leadership concepts in an entertaining and captivating way. Don't miss this opportunity… to take your leadership skills to a new, more effective level"
-Rob Mitchell, Chief Development Officer, American Cancer Society

“Everyone of us have the power to shape our lives and influence the lives of others. In this short, powerful book by Mark Sanborn, you’ll discover how.”
-John C. Maxwell, Author, Speaker and Founder INJOY Stewardship Services and EQUIP

“Mark Sanborn has done it again. Thoughtful principles, illustrated with terrific examples, of what great leaders do to be successful. Must read for people at any level within an organization who want to achieve their professional and personal potential.”
-Dave Pelliccioni, Group Vice President, Secretary, and Director, Toyota Motor Credit Corporation

“If you want to learn to lead — or lead better — read this book.”
-Marcus Buckingham, author of First, Break All the Rules and Now, Discover Your Strengths

This is an essential leadership development tool for any organization. Everyone has the ability to make a difference...to have an impact regardless of title. Mark's book powerfully motivates, inspires, and gives the right answers to the question "What am I going to do to make a positive difference?"  Truly outstanding!
 -Julie Marks Miller, Vice President of Training and Leadership Development, ADP, Inc.

"As a CEO, I'm always asking people in my company to show more leadership. I want each one of them to read this book, because Mark Sanborn perfectly articulates the message I want to convey."
-Keith Ferrazzi, author of Never Eat Alone and CEO of marketing and sales consultancy Ferrazzi Greenlight

“I love writers who make leadership an active principle!! Even the title, You Don’t Need a Title to be a Leader, tells us to take charge by our actions. Mark Sanborn lets you know that leading involves you DOING something. You gotta read this one.”
-Dave Ramsey, Three-time New York Times bestselling author

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Broadway Business; 1 edition (September 19, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385517475
• ISBN-13: 978-0385517478
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #20,879 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An Unfinished Work., November 23, 2006

By	Monty Rainey (New Braunfels, TX) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I have to go against the flow of most of the other reviewers of this book. I was rather pleased with "The Fred Factor" and looked forward to YOU DON'T NEED A TITLE TO BE A LEADER, but found this book to be somewhat of an "unfinished" work. Though the advice here is practical and good, the structure of book and the stories it contains at times just don't seem to come to a definite conclusion. For instance, Sanborn will tell of an individuals adversities, accomplishments, etc. and might end that particular story with, "John now works for a major corporation and is doing well." Okay, you got me interested in John's story, told about the adversities he faced and how he overcame those adversities, and that's how you end his story! Many times, throughout the book, I found instances that left me empty and in want of more information.

As previously stated, there is some sound advice here, such as midway through the book where Sanborn tells of his revelation in focusing on phone calls as opportunities rather than obligations. Sadly, however, this sort of sage advice is sparse.

In the end, this was a collection of semi-success stories that were quite readable, but for me, not as inspirational as they were surely intended. I came away with the feeling that the author needed some quick cash and threw together a book that would sell based upon the author's previous name recognition.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars We can all become leaders in our daily lives, December 20, 2007

By	Blaine Greenfield "eclectic reader" (Belle Meade, NJ) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I was intrigued by Mark Sanborn's latest book, YOU DON'T NEED
A TITLE TO BE A LEADER, in part because of the title . . . it had
been a concept that I had thought about, but had never realized that
it could be put into practice . . . and quite easily, too.

Sanborn contends that we can each be a leader in our daily
lives . . . though the use of real examples involving both people
and companies, he actually shows how this can be done . . . such
as in the auto industry:

* At any Toyota plant, every employee on the line has the authority
and responsibility to shut down the line at any time they feel
necessary. Quality control and problem solving aren't left to the titled
managers. A woman who spots a problem is expected to lead by
calling attention to it rather than allowing it to slip through and become
an imperfection on a dealer's lot or owner's driveway.

He also gives very concrete suggestions on how to bring about
change; for example, in ourselves:

* Reading outside your area of expertise, or outside your comfort
zone, can stimulate your thinking, whether that means picking up
an interesting new book or thumbing through a new issue of
a magazine.

And I also liked his useful advice on how to choose the best person
to shine your shoes:

* As he worked, I commented on the quality of the shoe shines
I had gotten in other airports, mentioning how difficult it was
to gauge the kind of shoe shine I would get in places I hadn't been
in before. He looked up at me with astonishment. "It's easy to tell if
you're going to get a good shine," he told me. "Just look at the shoes
of the guy giving the shine. If they ain't fine, walk on by." I glanced
at his shoes; they literally shone. They were a walking billboard
proclaiming his competence.

In addition, YOU DON'T NEED A TITLE TO BE A LEADER contained
many insightful quotes, including this one:

* Sometimes being "good" isn't aiming high enough. As Erwin McManus,
the pastor of Mosaic Church in Los Angeles, "We spend so much time
worrying about our kids being good-not breaking the rules, getting into
trouble, and basically behaving-that we often forget to invite them to
be great."

This is a short book, but it is one that will get you thinking--long beyond
the time that you put it down.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Leadership 101, August 23, 2009

By	Larry Underwood "Author, 'Life Under the Corp... (Scottsdale, AZ) - See all my reviews

Mark Sanborn's book defining the qualities of true leadership (with a small "l"), is a worthy effort. If it was his senior year thesis at Leadership University, he'd most likely get a straight A.

The information Sanborn packs in this little book is perhaps more valuable for a recent college grad or a junior executive somewhere; but not necessarily for a seasoned management veteran. Certainly, it helps to keep handy at all times; in preparation for a big meeting or to polish off an important memo.

However, if you're a senior executive somewhere and you don't already know this stuff; and most importantly, practice this stuff; consider yourself fortunate to have survived this long. In that case, you'd better read this book; the sooner the better.