9 Things a Leader MUST Do Part 3

Today is the third and final summary of the book 9 Things a Leader Must Do. I hope you found parts one and two informative and helpful. If you liked the summaries, you will love the book. If you implement a portion of the advice Henry Cloud gives in the book, you're definitely on your way to becoming a better leader.

Chapter 7 Forget About Playing Fair

These 9 keys will definitely make you a successful leader

I'm sure heard the old adage. Life isn't fair. Well, it applies doubly to leadership. No matter what decision you make, someone is guaranteed to be unhappy. But in the examples Cloud gives in the book, playing fair won't solve problems. Actually, playing fair will make things worse. Here are some examples:

• One person is a little withdrawn, so the other person feels abandoned and gives the silent treatment.
• One person is a little sarcastic, so the other one is sarcastic back. 
• On person gets a little angry, so the other one snaps back.

In these examples, "playing fair" or giving back what you receive will only escalate a situation and nothing will be solved here. In the examples above, it's better to rise above the situation. Usually the person who starts the argument or disagreement will not rise above the situation. People who succeed in life and in leadership do not go around setting scores, the do not even keep score. The "run up the score' by doing good to others when other people don't deserve it.

Chapter 8 Quit Self-Exaggerating

According to the author, deja vu leaders do not strive to be or to appear more than they really are. This is what we call humility. The first thing we need to know to be successful leaders is that we need to be humble. The reason we need to be humble is that we're not perfect. Everybody screws up. When someone screws up, there are least two things we need to know:

1. Successful people show kindness, understanding, and help to others who fail.
2. Successful people are not derailed by their own failures; they accept them as a normal part of the process.

By being a humble leader, you will succeed more and keep your success. Here are a few ways to of deja vu leaders:

1. Say you are sorry to your family, coworkers, customers and other people in your life when you fail them.
2. get rid of any and all defensiveness when it occurs to you. 
3. Serve the people "under" you in whatever structures have place you "over" them.

Chapter 9 Ignore The Popularity Polls

As a leader, you will invariably have to deal with difficult or uncomfortable situations, rather its on the job or in your personal life. And as the author points out, deja vu leaders do not make decisions based on the fear of other people's reactions. Successful leaders are sensitive to the reactions of others, but when weighing whether or not a given course is right, whether or not someone else is going to like it is not a factor that carries any weight.

Here are some situations where being overly concerned about hurting someone's feelings can cause a person to stall out or drag a bad thing on too long:

• Firing, laying off, demoting, or reassigning an employee
• Confronting someone
• Saying no to a request to do something that involves time, energy, money, or other resources

 To be a successful leader, you may not keep everyone around you happy. In any area of your life, you are guaranteed to make someone unhappy with your decision. The key is not to count your critics, but instead to weigh them. Forget the popularity polls. don't try to avoid upsetting people; just make sure you are upsetting the right ones.

Again, I hope you found this book summary helpful and informative. I hope you use this information in your business and personal life. It will definitely be helpful. I would like your feedback and comments on the summary. You can email me your comments as well at roband06@yahoo.com Remember, pick up a copy of this book for yourself.