>Jeff Wolf
Seven Disciplines of A Leader
Seven Disciplines of a Leader
How to Help Your People, Team, and Organization Achieve
Maximum Effectiveness
Jeff Wolf with Ken Shelton
Cover design: Michael J. Freeland
Copyright © 2015 by Jeff Wolf. All rights reserved.
Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.
Published simultaneously in Canada.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 646-8600, or on the web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748-6011, fax (201) 748-6008, or online at www.wiley.com/go/permissions.
Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for damages arising herefrom.
For general information about our other products and services, please contact our Customer Care Department within the United States at (800) 762-2974, outside the United States at (317) 572-3993 or fax (317) 572-4002.
Wiley publishes in a variety of print and electronic formats and by print-on-demand. Some material included with standard print versions of this book may not be included in e-books or in print-on-demand. If this book refers to media such as a CD or DVD that is not included in the version you purchased, you may download this material at http://booksupport.wiley.com. For more information about Wiley products, visit www.wiley.com.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:
Wolf, Jeff (Economist)
Seven disciplines of a leader: How to help your people, team, and organization achieve maximum effectiveness/Jeff Wolf.
pages cm
Includes index.
ISBN 978-1-119-00395-3 (hardback); ISBN 978-1-119-00396-0 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-119-00409-7 (ebk)
1. Leadership. I. Title.
HD57.7.W6495 2015
658.4′092 – dc23
2014027703
Dedication
To my mom and dad who always believed in me, taught me right from wrong, and provided unconditional love and support in everything I ever did.
Acknowledgments
First and foremost, my thanks go out to my family who puts up with me through thick and thin. My beautiful wife Maria who many years ago suggested I go into this wonderful business of leadership development. You were right! My daughter Melissa, who has grown into a very successful young leader, whom I'm very proud of. My stepsons Greg and Alex, my brother Earl, sister-in-law Jacky, and, last but not least, Charlie (man's best friend) who keeps me humble during our nightly walks together.
Martin Smith, an honest and caring man who took me under his wing and helped me get published.
Ken Shelton, who said my original title, The Essence of Effective Leadership, would not resonate with people – but Seven Disciplines of a Leader would… I hope you are right!
All the leaders I've been privileged to coach and work with during the past 14 years; I'm sure I've learned more from you than you've learned from me.
My literary agent, Jill Marsal, for believing this book had merit.
John Wiley & Sons for investing and showing confidence in me.
My PR team: Jessica, Marcie, and Jennifer. You bring unlimited energy to work each day, and I truly appreciate all that you do.
Thanks also to the people who read this book. I hope it will help you on your leadership journey.
Introduction
What Makes Certain Leaders Highly Effective?
Christopher had recently been promoted from shift supervisor to department manager in an online retailer's large distribution center. Unfortunately, Max, his boss, the shift manager, who leaned toward the theoretical side, was not as helpful or supportive as he could be and Christopher floundered. The distribution center's general manager recognized Max's failing and transferred him into a staff job that required no supervision. He replaced him with Janelle, a leader of considerable accomplishments, who understood how to develop promising employees.
Within weeks, Christopher's performance improved significantly, and he went on to become an outstanding leader for his company. Although he didn't realize it at the time, this experience was invaluable. In essence, what he discovered was that the very best people to teach leadership are those who have “been there, done that, learned from it.”
In this book I highlight similar observations to help you learn hard-earned leadership lessons. I call these hands-on advice. Regard them collectively as your own personal leadership adviser, the spirit hovering over your right shoulder, whispering in your ear.
Okay, let's get started with the first of these based on Christopher's experience.
Hands-On Advice: Find somebody to advise you who's “been there, done that, learned from it.”
Why? Because that's the person who can give you the most valuable advice on leadership – the person who has insights into the job based on his practical real-world experience. This is what I mean by the term hands-on. It has a corollary:
Hands-On Advice: Find a mentor, regardless of your level in the company.
You might be a first-line supervisor, a middle manager, a top executive, a specialist, an aspiring manager. You should have somebody in your corner, somebody you can turn to when you need advice, somebody who can provide an objective opinion. That person might be your boss, another employee who you respect, possibly an outsider. The point is you will always
