“Unreasonable Leadership: Transforming Yourself, Your Team, Your Organization…” by Gary Chartrand (unreasonableleaders.com, $20.)
George Bernard Shaw observed: “All progress comes from unreasonable people.” The unreasonable think in “why not?” terms; they always focus on developing and achieving BHAGs (Big Hairy Audacious Goals) that propel growth. They’re not setting themselves for failure. Ever the optimists, unreasonable leaders believe that challenging the status quo jumpstarts what-could-be actions.
Leading by example, unreasonable leaders ensure the optimism becomes habit-forming. The “we can and will do it” mindset tells employees that mediocre performance, moderate success and “business as usual” won’t help them build their careers. As they unreasonably follow, employees develop the “Dimensions of the Unreasonable Leader”:
• Self-confidence — If you don’t believe in you, why should anyone else? When meeting challenges, employees see that the more they do, the more they’re capable of doing. When it comes to the team aspect, teammates can count on individual responsibility and accountability.
• Vision — Just what does the future look like? That depends on your ability to identifying possibilities, making choices and showing people their critical roles in the execution. The unreasonableness of the BHAG ensures encountering obstacles. The unreasonableness of the leader and followers ensures overcoming the obstacle. Solving problems also boosts self-confidence on individual and team levels.
• Bring about transformational change — Embracing change allows you to see the learning experience as an individual — as well as a teammate. Continual adaptation means continuous improvement. You make better guesses about the future; what others see as too risky, you see as a calculated risk.
• Relationship building/Teamwork — Ownership of the vision and a voice in the strategies and tactics of execution means that everyone respects and trusts each other. Work becomes “we”; employees work with, not for, an unreasonable leader.
Take the “The Unreasonable Leadership Assessment (Appendix C) before and after you’ve read the book. You’ll see how your results change as your mindset shifts toward unreasonable.
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“Brand Real — How Smart Companies Live Their Brand Promise and Inspire Fierce Customer Loyalty” by Laurence Vincent (AMACOM, $25.)
A brand equates to a “you know what you’re getting” promise about a product or service. What do we expect of that brand promise?
It helps us make decisions because we trust the brand. Accessibility (quantity-brand) helps build that trust. When VISA says it’s accepted everywhere, it’s accepted everywhere. Walmart always offers low prices. Costco its bulk pricing.
Functionality (quality-brand) plays a role, too. Brands like Microsoft offer numerous features so they appeal to a broad spectrum of customers — many of whom are impressed by the sheer number of features, including those they’ll never use. Other brands confine features to it-just-works basics. Doing so distinguishes such narrow-focus brands by saying
A buyer’s personal philosophy (approach-brand) affects his/her view of brands. People pay premiums for things they believe in. Electric/hybrid cars like the Prius, Focus and Volt, and organic and natural foods offered by Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s, mean premium prices. Scarcity (i.e. limited access and/or availability) adds a price premium as well. Luxury brands play the scarcity card.
Relationship (personality-brand) inspires the fiercest loyalty. On the PC side, Mac customers are Apple to the core. It’s moving in that direction with smartphones and tablets, too. Martha Stewart and Oprah Winfrey brands send personality-based messages.
Then there are the lifestyle brands. They connect us to a group and/or a culture. Ralph Lauren’s Polo and the Brooks Brothers brands aren’t just about clothes. They’re about a successful lifestyle.
As Vincent dives deep into the elements that can make a brand real, he shows the “how and why” behind the successes and missteps of familiar brands. .
Jim Pawlak is a nationally syndicated book reviewer.
