Foremost thinker Gary Hamel, professor of the London Business School and director of MLab has an interesting article  The Hole in the Soul of Business.

It highlights some of what is at the heart of Motivational Leadership where we too believe that humanising the language and practice of management is a business imperative.  Some of the happiest places to work (which translates not only to success on the balance sheet but, when times are hard, to employees that will rally round) are smaller businesses where personal relationships are strong and values are shared.

Aligning personal values and motivation to those of the organisation is set to become a bigger piece of the management agenda.

Lynne

Open - Andre Agassi

I was first drawn to this book after Andre Agassi was interviewed by Jonathan Ross and it became apparent that this was a man who had struggled with some demons over his brilliant and long tennis career. I was hoping it would be a book which allowed you to ‘get inside’ the psyche of a celebrated sportsman and perhaps bring alive many of the notions which Tim Gallway first wrote about in his book The Inner Game of Tennis. I was not disappointed.

Throughout the weighty volume, Agassi bears all. It is a story of an unhappy child who was forced to spend every day relentlessly hitting returns of serve for fear of retribution from his tennis-obsessed father. It is the story of an adolescent struggling to find his own identity and purpose whilst having the media spotlight thrust upon him. It is the story of a sportsman who hated his sport, who struggled with his self-talk in virtually every match and who, for much of his career, lacked direction.

We learn about how the search for perfection (instilled by his father no doubt) became so much of a distraction in his game that he failed time and time again. We see a man learn about the importance of flow, of letting go and just playing in order to allow his natural talent succeed. We hear about a man who finds his direction, his cause, his reason for being and how he uses this to power himself through to winning despite the odds.

A real page-turner and a fascinating insight into one of our best loved sportsmen.

Kate

The Inspiring Leader (unlocking the secrets of how extraordinary leaders motivate) John H. Zenger, Joseph R. Folkman and Scott K. Edinger

With a title like this I couldn’t help but be drawn to this book and it did not disappoint. This book purports to be different from others you see on the subject of motivation and leadership because it is based on analytical research and evidence rather than anecdote and theory and it does appear to do this well.

It takes on the subject of ‘inspiration’ and ‘motivation’, despite recognising that it is often seen as a 'touchy/feely' subject, simply because the authors have been convinced through their research that it is these qualities that make such a significant difference to the capability of a true leader.

The book blends facts and figures with stories of real leaders in real situations and encourages the reader, through suggested actions, to reflect on their own competence and develop their leadership capabilities.

Here’s an example of just one of the studies shared in this book:

- Leaders with no strengths in a particular competency (as identified via 360 feedback) they have an average effectiveness rating at the 35th percentile.
- When leaders have 1 strength, their effectiveness rating jumps to the 63rd percentile.
- When a leader has 3 of the 16 strengths assessed, this lifts their effectiveness rating to the 80th percentile.

If ever there was a reason to concentrate on developing strengths, this, surely, must be it.

Subjects covered by the book include the importance of self-belief, optimism, initiative, enthusiasm and responsible behaviour - all qualities and attributes that we know about but perhaps don‘t spend quite enough attention to when developing our leadership repertoire. It also talks about the importance of role modelling and the effectiveness of this in developing a high performing company.

An enjoyable read and one in which you can learn something new in every chapter.

Kate