For the busy person wanting to learn how to become an effective leader, this is a time-saving book. It is well organized so that you can read it in small bits as you have a chance. "50 Do's" not only tells you what to do, but also what NOT to do -- to help you understand thoroughly the results of your actions or non-actions when guiding others. It is very concise and thoughtfully written.

50 DOs for Everyday Leadership by John Barrett, David Wheatley & Lynn Townsend I had two initial concerns about the title of this book - "50 DOs for Everyday Leadership". Firstly having just reviewed another supposed leadership book with "100" in the title (and found it wanting), I thought "Oh, no. How did they get the exact number 50? Are the authors really serious about leadership, or is it just another list of nice to dos?". My second concern, had to do with the term "leadership" as it is often (to my mind) misused mistakenly for "management". The introduction soon put my mind at rest as to the authenticity of the 50 DOs. They have actually been condensed by Barrett, Wheatley and Townsend from a list of over 300 gathered through supervisor and manager interviews over a number of years. The title is indeed appropriate. When the authors say "DOs" they actually mean "to do". Expect to work your way through this book, not read it! I like the way the book is set up. The introduction provides an accurate overview of how to get the most out of the book. The authors pose seven leadership questions starting with "How can I build trust and credibility" through to "How do I continue to improve what my people and I are doing?" The book is then structured around these seven questions which form a natural developmental flow for anyone aspiring to leadership (You'll have to read the book to get the other five questions). I also like the way the questions are phrased. Using "I" rather than "You" which encourages the reader (read "doer") to take full responsibility for each action and does not talk down to us like so many self help books. 50 DOs for Everyday Leadership is full of application tools, often phrased as a pneumonic such as their FACET(tm) - Focus, Accountability, Consequences, Easier to do, Tracking. These make it easy to find a practical application for each of the 50 DOs. Some are a little simplistic (eg. MEET for various aspects of meetings), however, they will be useful for those who need to remember the key points. There's also plenty of emphasis on getting the leader's people involved in leadership development. There are many instances where meetings, team member groups and peer cohorts can be involved (and encouraged to take a leadership role) by reading the book and in conjunction with the formal leader, undertake development activities. If you want to study leadership, there are plenty of good texts available. If you want to actually DO leadership, then this book should be one of the first you put in your leadership toolkit. Bob Selden, author of

I just finished this great book which was co-authored by a friend of mine, David Wheatley. I met David several years ago when he facilitated some very high-level advisory committee meetings at the HQ of the U. S. Marshals Service. David runs a great meeting and he and his cohorts have some great ideas in this book. I read it a little at a time and now I will put in on my shelf to use as a reference. I recommend it to anyone who manages and leads others, or who aspires to do so some day.

Great book. Gives a lot of tips and information that can help someone in the role of leadership. Would recommend.

This book is not about theory; it is not about vision or inspiration. The book is a list of 50 actions that you, as a leader, can begin to practice within minutes after you receive the book. Do they work? Take them into the laboratory of your work place or school or military outfit and find out for yourself. The authors are a former director of Outward Bound Australia, a former Scotland Yard officer, and a business communications expert. They interviewed over 100 veteran leaders and asked them, "What advice would you give a new leader?" From these extensive focus-group interviews, the authors compiled a list of over 100 of the best ideas. A small group of leadership experts then chose the 50 best ideas, which the authors field tested within hundreds of organizations. The book asks seven questions, such as, "How do I build trust and credibility?" and "How do I get my people to work together as a team?" The 50 actions are sorted out and listed under the questions. And under each main action you will find more actions listed as bullet points. When you have a problem, go to the appropriate question and find an action that you can put into practice. At first the book will seem rather skimpy. It is only 175 pages and has plenty of white space. On some pages, a quotation from a famous leader takes up an entire page. But when you delve into the book and begin to practice it, you will discover that it is wisdom distilled from literally thousands of hours of thought.

I've started reading a few leadership books before to prepare myself for what I hope is in my future...and never made it through any of them with their wads of unchewed, untested theory and vague generalizations. I love this book because it is really about the everyday things that you can do to either become a better leader or in my case, develop skills and avoid pitfalls both ethical and practical. I also like the workbook style - lots of room to take notes, exercises, with ways to practice listed and tools you can use to help stay accountable.

This is a very well written book that pays attention to details. It is one of the best I have seen written! It has very solid, easy to understand methods to move you along easily in your management role. They have paid attention to the human element in this book to make sure that you are creating teams that are genuine and giving you solutions to help support you. I highly recommend this book to add to your business library.

Barrett, Wheatley and Townsend hit the mark with this practical, easy-to-use approach to team and leadership development. We've ordered copies for the entire staff and will work our way through the DOs together! Mary Green, Corporate & Community Services, Kellogg Community College