Act Like a Leader, Think Like a Leader

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Herminia Ibarra's book Act Like A Leader, Think Like A Leader told me that doing the acts of leadership will eventually lead to me think like a leader.

So you keep hearing from people like us that you need to function more like a leader in your legal role. As I’m certain any parent will attest, young children rarely think too much before they act – this is perhaps how they can learn so fast. In summary, at 190 pages, Act Like A Leader, Think Like A Leader is an excellent, insightful and thoughtful book for leaders of any tenure to consider as they seek out new ways to redefine (and arguably refine) their leadership abilities. The sentiments expressed may seem familiar to many of us in management roles, but may be even more pertinent to general counsel, where balancing the demands of being a lawyer with being a manager is a constant struggle for many. For the person reading this review right now, if you want to become a good leader start focusing on taking actions now.There are several self-tests and presentations of different types of network relationships, enough for the reader to conduct "a network audit" to realize the structure and quality of one's business and other professional networks. Rather, this is in the sense of communicating why and conveying what is important through story telling. But before we happily keep immersing ourselves in the day-to-day, Ibarra cautions that leaders do need to change and develop. Dan Pontefract is the author of FLAT ARMY: Creating a Connected and Engaged Organization and is Chief Envisioner at TELUS Transformation Office.

However, Ibarra takes a different approach that challenges you to take immediate and actionable steps before bogging yourself down with a myriad of self-assessments that often accompany leadership development books. As much as this book is about transitioning to leadership, this is also a book about changing mindsets and how to do it step by step. My personal leadership experience helped me to "feel" what leadership is in action as opposed to "knowing" what leadership is based on my readings. Outsight comes from a tripod of sources; new ways of doing your work (your job), new relationships (your network), and new ways of connecting to and engaging people (yourself).Thank you to Netgalley and Harvard Business Review Press for an ARC and I left this review voluntarily. This is different from introspective change, instead get inspired by experiencing new things, being aware of external things will help you develop. Packed with self-assessments and practical advice to help define your most pressing leadership challenges, this updated version of the international bestseller and Axiom Business Book Award winner will help you devise a plan of action to become a better leader and move your career to the next level. I feel strongly that as a general counsel you should be out trying to build relationships and getting to know other GCs as this can be an incredible resource. If you continue to do your same operational job on competencies that were obtained several years ago you will not develop the necessary leadership skills for future projects.