Leadership books that never go out of style (2012 edition): Part V
There are many great books on the concepts of leadership, but few that could be described as “useful” – that is, they give you the tools to actually move the needle on your own or your organization’s leadership effectiveness. If you are a leader who wants to boost his/her personal effectiveness, or an HR/OD professional looking to implement systematic leadership development in your organization, you may wish to consult, Real Time Leadership Development, by Paul Yost and Mary Plunkett.
This quick and valuable read is part of the Talent Management Essentials series from Wiley-Blackwell, and it is chock full of useful tools. For example, a conversation guide to help identify the key leadership competencies in your organization, templates to help you create effective development plans, as well as guidelines and checklists for activities such as succession planning meetings and new job transitions, among many, many more.
Real-Time Leadership Development incorporates much of the latest thinking around best practices in leadership development, such as collective leadership development, on-the-job development, succession management, and social networking. Rather than simply resting on the research and putting the burden on the reader to translate the conceptual “what” into the operational “how-to,” the authors offer practical, actionable, and easy-to-follow leadership development advice. As a result, leaders and HR/OD practitioners of all experience levels are likely to dog-ear page after page of this text.
Just as this book achieves balance by providing practical advice grounded in sound research, I would recommend this book as a balance to other great leadership texts. That is, I do not recommend this as a replacement for the many excellent leadership books that highlight principles and concepts of leadership; rather, I view this as a complementary resource that can help you turn your best leadership development ideas into action.
Written by: Kelly Reed, Ph.D.
