Leadership Reflections: 52 Leadership Practices in the Age of Worry

Many good things come in small packages, and Lisa Aldisert’s small trade paperback is a perfect example. Leadership Reflections is an unusual volume that should be on the desktop of every manager and leader, particularly in a corporate environment, but it would be helpful in any situation, small or large, profit or non-profit, where the situation involves a leader/manager and followers or employees. The author is an executive advisor and management consultant who has written hundreds of short essays for executives. In this book, she compiled fifty-two of these short, one-and-half to two-page essays, all pertaining to management issues. With her clear, precise, and very readable writing, the essays are gems and highly imperative messages to leaders. You may read these from cover to cover in one sitting, but they might be more useful in small doses as perhaps weekly readings while actively putting each of these essays into practice. Following each essay, Aldisert concludes with two questions under “For Reflection”—these are good and presumably leaders reading these essays will reflect on their leadership to answer the questions (e.g. “Do you ignore conflicts in order to keep peace?” “How can you sell the benefits of positive stress to your staff?”). The author includes, and often starts with, little stories or anecdotes that help keep readers’ interests as well as add to the understanding of the concept. A good example is in the essay “Managing High-Performing Talent.” Aldisert quotes a high-performing employee in a boutique investment bank whose independence and refusal to be managed kept her manager in a quandary. Such a situation is not uncommon, and the author gives reasonable suggestions on how to manage such a dilemma. Or how to manage workplace drama of finger-pointing and accusations, another sticky situation requiring the leader’s diplomatic intervention. Aldisert’s advice in these essays is to the point, clearly stated, and is invaluable help to leaders and managers.