You Don’t Need A Title To Be A Leader by Mark Sanborn

Title:  You Don’t Need A Title To Be A Leader

Author:  Mark Sanborn

Rating:  Good

Reason for Reading:  I’ve read some of Mark’s other work, including his latest Up, Down, or Sideways (reviewed here), his blog, and his regular newsletter.

Format:  Hardback, borrowed from my local library.

Summary:  The book is short at just 100 pages, and very easy to read.  Mark shares his insight from years of consulting with companies across the country, and his own experiences as a customer, traveler, and parent.  Mark’s thesis in the book is that leadership is often found without association to a position.  He provides numerous examples of how the critical difference in the performance of a company or an organization is in the performance of an individual who embraced their power as a leader.  And he specifies this as leadership with a small l, as they often do not have a formal role that puts them in a leadership position on an organization chart.

Review:  I thoroughly enjoyed this book.  I will recommend it to my team members interested in being more effective in our workplace, especially those with a leadership title.  Mark’s examples of where an employee was intentional and thoughtful about their actions, making an enormous difference to the customer’s experience, are the kind of stories I’d like to hear about my own organization.  This book deserves a place on many “must read lists” for companies and organizations.

I may need to purchase a copy I can keep on my bookshelf.

Other resources: www.marksanborn.com