The book targets technical and analytical professionals in engineering, IT, finance, accounting, and other areas who rely heavily on their analytical and functional capabilities. It is a leadership development manual by and for technical leaders. Drawing upon his and other successful leaders' experiences, the author provides unique insights into the roadblocks encountered during the leadership development journey and practical ideas to overcome them.
We, the technical/analytical professionals, are programmed and think differently.
Yes, the market is full of leadership books, and the technical professionals this book addresses have read these generic leadership books. But they do not help us because we, the technical/analytical professionals and managers, are programmed differently by our education and training. The sixteen years of schooling we undertake toward our bachelor's degrees have helped us develop our analytical left brain. For people completing graduate school, like me, there are another two years of still more analytical programming. Technical professionals view the world differently.
People know and can articulate the desired leadership skills and behaviors but have difficulty applying them on the job. The book helps them bridge the gap between knowing and doing by addressing the root causes.
This book starts with where people are
To help a person climb up to higher ground where you are standing, you have to reach down and extend your hand to the person where he is standing. That is, you first have to understand where they are. How do they see the world? How do they comprehend the responsibilities and the skills required to be successful in their new roles? Once they feel understood, they are ready to listen to and see the big picture, visible from the higher elevation - the responsibilities and corresponding skills required to succeed in the new position. Our strengths as technical professionals provide a solid foundation upon which to build.
The section Developing and Unleashing Yours and Your Team's Natural Innovation Skills has dedicated chapters on 'How to Generate Creative Ideas' and 'How to Gain Acceptance of Your Ideas. '
Finally, it addresses the very important and ignored reality that Leadership is an extension of the total person-your knowledge, skills, worldview, attitude, and feelings-the analytical you and the feeling you, the truly and completely human you with human needs. As a human, anything that impacts you, positively or negatively, also affects your leadership.
It presents practical ideas from leaders at Google, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Audi, Hilton, FedEx, TCS, and IBM.
Madan Birla is a veteran of the "hard" side of business. In his 22 years at FedEx, he was Managing Director of Long-Range Operations and Facilities Planning and Materials and Resource Planning before being named Managing Director in the company's Leadership Institute. For ten years as a member of the Long-Range Planning Committee, he worked closely with Fred Smith (Founder & CEO) and the senior management team in evaluating strategic 'what-ifs'. At the FedEx Leadership Institute, he excelled as a facilitator of Innovation, Leadership, and Life Balance courses for all levels of management worldwide. For the last twenty years, he has been advising executives on unleashing employee creativity and commitment to build a culture of innovation and performance.
