Understanding Influence for Leaders at all Levels
AIM Management Today Series, series editors Carolyn Barker and Robyn Coy. Published by McGraw-Hill, New South Wales, 2005. 260 pages.
RRP $32.95 paperback. ISBN: 007471380 9.
“Why won’t YOU change and behave like you are telling us we should behave?” Your staff are probably asking themselves this question right now! Effective leaders are also asking themselves “why do my team members behave like THEY do and how can I influence their behaviour for the individual and team benefit?”
Understanding Influence for Leaders at all Levels is an eclectic collection of chapters on influence written by nine management experts, who provide insights into these questions.
Anyone who has a leadership role or aspires to a leadership role will be interested in this book. Each chapter stands alone, so you can choose which parts of the book suit you. I found the style of writing informative, but not compelling. It is the type of commentary that provides excellent perspectives on influence and leadership without ever totally capturing the reader.
The book covers a wide scope of leadership material, including the nature of power and influence, and leadership ‘tools’ such as persuasion, charisma, spin and networking. The writers use a combination of theory, supporting research, and actual business application. Reading this series of writings will definitely improve your knowledge of leadership models and provide a basis for improving your capability as a leader.
Each writer has summarised their chapter with tips that enable you to improve your leadership. These tips themselves are worth the price of the book.
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