Book review: The Leadership Pipeline, by Ram Charan, Stephen Drotter and James Noel

“Leadership” is one of those words that’s in fashion at the moment – but sometimes it’s not very clear what people mean by it. And I should know… I explored the concept for my Masters in Business. I can tell you it’s a rare book that gives you clarity on such a nebulous notion! This book is The Leadership Pipeline.

Find it in Easons.

Watch the book review below.

The Leadership Pipeline : how to build the leadership powered company , Ram Charan, Stephen Drotter, James Noel, Jossey-Bass / Wiley, 2011.

There’s a quantum leap that comes when somebody gets promoted to manager. Very often you become a manager because you are good at your job, and so you go up a rung on the corporate ladder. But that’s a very different kettle of fish! It’s one thing to be competent at your job, and it’s quite another to know how to manage other people.

Managing other people is one of those skills that are never taught – but that you are supposed to pick up somehow. From being good at what you do, you suddenly need to be good at making other people  very good at what they  do.

The Leadership Pipeline is great at breaking down all the different elements of that quantum leap. It offers a lot of clarity. The book follows the six passages that will take you from managing yourself to managing others, to managing other managers, etc., right up to becoming the CEO of a company.

It’s a great map that will come in very handy when you’re navigating the unkown territory of managing people – because people are, by definition, human. Working with people to bring out the best in them can be challenging, unpredictable, sometimes frustrating, but most importantly, immensely rewarding.

If you are going for an interview for a management position, make it a priority to read the relevant chapter in time to assimilate it before the interview. Then, once you have the job, make sure to read the whole book!

It’s also a godsend for people who are naturally good at this, who have leadership and charisma. Very often their innate ability can become a hurdle, because they can’t teach others what comes intuitively to them. The book will give them the words and it will pin down the principles that seem so obvious to them, but elusive to others.

If you’re a small business owner, this book might be less relevant to you, and I’d rather recommend another book I reviewed: STAR Leadership ( watch my review here ). However, if your customers are managers, you would do well to read The Leadership Pipeline to put yourself in their shoes.

Watch the video on my Facebook page.

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Positive  Economist

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