If You Will Lead

Rudyard Kipling’s poem “If-” describes a path we may choose to follow to become better leaders, according to my friend, Doug Moran, in his recently published book: “If You Will Lead”.

Doug highlights 16 leadership attributes, anchors them with verses from the poem, and together they provide the leadership framework outlined in his book. He then exemplifies these attributes with famous historical leaders as examples. The attributes he outlines are: character, authenticity, integrity, self-efficacy, ambition, vision, boldness, resilience, inspiration, courage, selflessness, stamina, composure, patience, enthusiasm and accountability. The leaders Doug has chosen to illustrate the various attributes include some obvious choices like Winston Churchill, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Mother Teresa and George Washington, as well as some less obvious choices.

There is considerable wisdom to be garnered from Doug’s perspective. One grounding tenant is the foundation for his book: the pursuit of self awareness. My clients – individual and corporate – know this is a core belief of mine, as well. Who we are, what we believe, what we hold most dear and the courage to embrace and act upon these beliefs and principles define our life and destiny.

There is no question that any leader who embraces the quest for continued learning will benefit from this book. Read it. Learn from it. Share it.