Welcome to Management - A Master Class on Leadership by Ryan Hawk
Welcome to Management by Ryan Hawk is one the best leadership books I have read in recent times. It is based on solid research and principles. There is no pie in the sky idealistic leadership principles and has clear steps for all leaders across various levels that can be implemented. There are three parts to the book namely lead yourself, build your team and finally lead your team.
Here are the lessons I gleaned with my view on each.
Self-Awareness – The starting point of leadership is always inward. You must clearly know what your strengths are. Do a SWOT analysis on yourself and build a team that can complement your weakness as well. We can get to know ourselves through working in a journal as well. Identify your talent and make the most of it.
Celebrate your strengths - Write down all your strengths that you can think of. It could be self-discipline, honesty, friendliness, courage etc. This boosts your self-esteem and confidence. It gives you a track to run on. A lot of us haven’t taken the time to understand where our strengths lie. Some tools like Strengths Finder 2.0 are great and get to the heart of this task. Once you know your strengths and concentrate on those your self-confidence soars. Everyone has some unique strength and understanding where your strengths lie is the key to get your self-confidence up. It is also the key to your personal growth. At work focus on your strengths and complement your weakness by delegating those tasks to others who are stronger in those areas.
Become a learning machine - Being the most well-read person increases self-confidence. Now with the internet you can get access to the masters in your field much easier than at any point in history. Read their blogs, listen to their podcasts, document what you have learnt and share it with your network. Other books like Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, How to Win friends and Influence people, The Magic of Thinking BIG, and Linchpin are great starting points in the quest for better skills, strategies and confidence. Some recent books I read are Dare to Lead, Extreme you, Trailblazer, The Infinite Game, The Ride of a Lifetime and What you do is who you are.
Challenge directly and care personally – This is of course based on the book Radical Candor by Kim Scott. The first step is always to care deeply for every member of your team. Once that is established you can then share openly any feedback that can improve the person to be their best. This requires deft maneuvering but it is an absolute prerequisite to be a great leader.
Do deep work and manage your time – Deep work is made famous by Cal Newport with the book of the same name. The key is to eliminate all distractions, remove all apps that are no longer needed and eliminate notifications. This is the way to do deep work. Peter Drucker mentioned that time management is all about managing yourself with the time available. Know thy time is the key.
Self-Discipline – Some of the ways to develop self-discipline are getting up early, reading across genres and exercising. Self-discipline is the ability to do something even when you don’t feel like doing it.
Hiring – This is totally all about the First Who principle mentioned by Jim Collins in his seminal work “Good to Great.” Get the right people in the right seats and then drive the bus. You must be clear on what you are looking for in the hiring process.
Culture – As a leader you must develop the culture you want your organization to have. I have written in detail on culture. Some of the ways are to evangelize the mission statement, setting BHAG’s, treating every member with respect and celebrating victories. Here is my article on 8 ways to build a winning culture. 8 Ways to Build a Winning Culture
Be a masterful storyteller – More books are now talking about leaders being able to tell stories to keep the teams engaged. It should be based on three elements ethos, logos and pathos. One of the best topics on this subject is Talk Like Ted by Carmine Gallo. Here is my review of that here.
Public Speaking – This is an absolute requirement to be better on the leadership journey. The more you improve your communication skills the more confident you become. If you are afraid of public speaking take up a course on it. This doesn't necessarily mean you are going to give speeches but the ability to get your ideas is critical to increase your self-confidence and move forward in your leadership career.
There you have it the keys to be an outstanding leader. Thanks for reading this post and wish you a great 2020.
Here are the articles I have written on management and leadership. Check it out and deep dive into any of them.
A to Z of Management
14 Ways to Become a Great Manager
A to Z of Leadership
10 Keys to Standout as a Leader
9 Qualities of a Great Leader
7 Keys to be an Inspiring Leader
8 Ways to Motivate and Inspire your Team
The views expressed in this article are my own and do not represent my organization
Here are the lessons I gleaned with my view on each.
Self-Awareness – The starting point of leadership is always inward. You must clearly know what your strengths are. Do a SWOT analysis on yourself and build a team that can complement your weakness as well. We can get to know ourselves through working in a journal as well. Identify your talent and make the most of it.
Celebrate your strengths - Write down all your strengths that you can think of. It could be self-discipline, honesty, friendliness, courage etc. This boosts your self-esteem and confidence. It gives you a track to run on. A lot of us haven’t taken the time to understand where our strengths lie. Some tools like Strengths Finder 2.0 are great and get to the heart of this task. Once you know your strengths and concentrate on those your self-confidence soars. Everyone has some unique strength and understanding where your strengths lie is the key to get your self-confidence up. It is also the key to your personal growth. At work focus on your strengths and complement your weakness by delegating those tasks to others who are stronger in those areas.
Become a learning machine - Being the most well-read person increases self-confidence. Now with the internet you can get access to the masters in your field much easier than at any point in history. Read their blogs, listen to their podcasts, document what you have learnt and share it with your network. Other books like Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, How to Win friends and Influence people, The Magic of Thinking BIG, and Linchpin are great starting points in the quest for better skills, strategies and confidence. Some recent books I read are Dare to Lead, Extreme you, Trailblazer, The Infinite Game, The Ride of a Lifetime and What you do is who you are.
Challenge directly and care personally – This is of course based on the book Radical Candor by Kim Scott. The first step is always to care deeply for every member of your team. Once that is established you can then share openly any feedback that can improve the person to be their best. This requires deft maneuvering but it is an absolute prerequisite to be a great leader.
Do deep work and manage your time – Deep work is made famous by Cal Newport with the book of the same name. The key is to eliminate all distractions, remove all apps that are no longer needed and eliminate notifications. This is the way to do deep work. Peter Drucker mentioned that time management is all about managing yourself with the time available. Know thy time is the key.
Self-Discipline – Some of the ways to develop self-discipline are getting up early, reading across genres and exercising. Self-discipline is the ability to do something even when you don’t feel like doing it.
Hiring – This is totally all about the First Who principle mentioned by Jim Collins in his seminal work “Good to Great.” Get the right people in the right seats and then drive the bus. You must be clear on what you are looking for in the hiring process.
Culture – As a leader you must develop the culture you want your organization to have. I have written in detail on culture. Some of the ways are to evangelize the mission statement, setting BHAG’s, treating every member with respect and celebrating victories. Here is my article on 8 ways to build a winning culture. 8 Ways to Build a Winning Culture
Be a masterful storyteller – More books are now talking about leaders being able to tell stories to keep the teams engaged. It should be based on three elements ethos, logos and pathos. One of the best topics on this subject is Talk Like Ted by Carmine Gallo. Here is my review of that here.
Public Speaking – This is an absolute requirement to be better on the leadership journey. The more you improve your communication skills the more confident you become. If you are afraid of public speaking take up a course on it. This doesn't necessarily mean you are going to give speeches but the ability to get your ideas is critical to increase your self-confidence and move forward in your leadership career.
There you have it the keys to be an outstanding leader. Thanks for reading this post and wish you a great 2020.
Here are the articles I have written on management and leadership. Check it out and deep dive into any of them.
A to Z of Management
14 Ways to Become a Great Manager
A to Z of Leadership
10 Keys to Standout as a Leader
9 Qualities of a Great Leader
7 Keys to be an Inspiring Leader
8 Ways to Motivate and Inspire your Team
The views expressed in this article are my own and do not represent my organization
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