Act Like a Leader, Think Like a Leader

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I had the chance to meet Herminia for the first time face-to-face last year at the Drucker Forum conference in Vienna where we both were speakers. One book in particular that caught my attention was Act Like a Leader, Think Like a Leader by Herminia Ibarra. embody the change - using Margaret Thatcher as an example, leaders need to utilize their charisma to help get things done. Ibarra points out that it doesn’t occur to many of us at work to reveal our personal sides and that this becomes a lost opportunity.

Her solution is to turn the whole dilemma on its head and to suggest that to truly become a great leader, you do actually need to do your job, stating, ‘You can only learn what you need to know about your job and about yourself by doing it – not just by thinking about it. This book has summaries at the end of each chapter as well as "getting started" which I found to be practical actionable ideas. To do this effectively, she argues you need to develop sensors to orient yourself to what’s really important in a vast sea of information. Ibarra expertly deviates from the well-worn path of emphasizing goal-setting and charisma in leadership, offering instead a narrative that prompts readers to reflect, rethink, and recalibrate their approach to their careers and life trajectories. If the Outsight principle is about action, Ibarra crystallizes the theory with an extremely useful model that any type of leader can utilize.Most theories of leadership offer the most basic - and disappointing - strategies for 'reflection' and 'networking. She encourages leaders to network outside the organization, often an untapped source not only of contacts and people but of potential innovations and creative solutions to business problems. I also saw this as an opportunity to make a contribution to an issue that society was grappling with. Certainly old views such as deeply reflecting on one’s strengths and weaknesses are thrown to the wayside, as the author notes: “Most traditional leadership training or coaching aims to change the way you think, asking you to reflect on who you are and who you'd like to become. Her book lays down a foundation for leaders to consider in their quest to become more effective at leadership itself.

Broaden the scope of your job: Get involved in projects outside your area, participate in extracurricular activities, communicate your personal "why," and create slack in your schedule. Moving away from being siloed in the legal department is a clear trend that comes up again and again across a range of areas that we at GC Magazine speak to general counsel about.Herminia Ibarra is the Charles Handy Professor of Organisational Behaviour at London Business School.