Mastering Leadership Book Summary - Mastering Leadership Book explained in key points

Listen to the Intro

00:00

Mastering Leadership summary

Name: Mastering Leadership
Rating: 4.3 (136 reviews)
Author: Robert J. Anderson and William A. Adams

Robert J. Anderson William A. Adams

An Integrated Framework for Breakthrough Performance and Extraordinary Business Results

4.3 (136 ratings)

18 mins

Brief summary

Mastering Leadership by Robert J. Anderson and William A. Adams is a guide for leaders seeking to develop their abilities by learning to integrate inner values with outer skills. It offers practical approaches for achieving better decision-making and leading with authenticity.

Topics

Success Coaching Leadership

Table of Contents

Mastering Leadership
Summary of 6 key ideas

Audio & text in the Blinkist app

Key idea 1 of 6

What’s in it for me? Be the change you want to see in your organization.

When things go wrong and business performance suffers, we often blame the product, or our processes, or our people. But if you’re a leader who wants to change your organization’s performance, you’ll need to change something else first – yourself.

That’s where these blinks come in. You’ll learn why great leadership is crucial to your organization's success. You’ll also discover how leaders can transform themselves, from the inside out, to become more effective. Packed with surprising insights from the fields of psychology and mythology, these blinks will teach you that inspiring leadership begins with recognizing your hopes, fears, and true potential.

In these blinks, you’ll learn

why the best leaders choose meaning over safety;
what great leaders can learn from ancient mythology; and
how to communicate effectively with every other leader in your organization.

Leaders are often unaware of what’s expected of them.

Let’s start by looking at what organizations expect from their leaders. First, they have explicit expectations. For instance, we explicitly expect our leaders to take financial responsibility, to strategize, and to deliver tangible results. These are the things that leaders understand are expected of them. After all, they’re usually written in their job descriptions.

But along with these explicit expectations are lots of other, unspoken expectations. Subordinates expect fair treatment, for instance, and a high level of engagement from their leaders. They demand good listening skills, and expect their leaders to inspire them. These expectations might be unwritten – but they have a big impact on how effective the leader is perceived to be.

The key message here is: Leaders are often unaware of what’s expected of them.

Together, all these expectations comprise the promise of leadership. The promise describes key areas in which subordinates believe their leaders have implicitly “promised” to perform well. When leaders “break” their promise, and underperform in these areas, then they are perceived to be inadequate.

The first promise that subordinates believe leaders have made to them is to provide both direction and meaningful work. Leaders fulfill this promise by creating a vision and developing strategies for organizational growth. Leaders are expected to create a company’s core values and culture. In doing so, they ultimately create the meaning of the company, and answer a key question: What is our organization’s unique contribution to the market, and to the world?

The second leadership promise is to engage every stakeholder within the organization. It’s not enough for the company’s direction and meaning to be understood by its leaders; it must be owned and carried forward by everyone else, too. Leaders must find a way to link the values and the mission of the company to the personal contribution of each employee. To achieve this, leaders must draw out each person’s unique talents and passion, and develop a culture in which everyone can thrive and to which all can contribute. All employees go to work with a question: How does my work actually make a difference? They expect their leaders to give them an answer.

Organizations should focus on developing their extended leadership team.

Most of us instinctively appreciate the importance of good leadership. But among many leaders themselves, a paradox exists. Even though most of them agree that effective leadership has an enormous impact on the performance and growth of their organizations, they rarely list developing their own effectiveness as a top priority.

Unfortunately, the research is clear that this paradox is harming organizations.

Playing it safe won’t help you, or your organization, thrive.

What separates an adult mindset from a teenage one, and how do you know when you’ve grown up? Many pinpoint maturity as starting when you accept and internalize the responsibilities that society places on you. We start prioritizing our career, and the financial security of our loved ones. Viewed like this, a mature mindset sounds like exactly what a leader would need to succeed. But the authors disagree. They believe that, as we mature, we often lose our ability to lead effectively.

The authors frame adult life as a constant battle between our need for safety and our need for purpose. We want a steady career, a mortgage, a pension; but we also want meaning in our lives – we dream of living out our deepest desires and becoming the best version of ourselves.

Becoming a creative leader means undertaking an epic journey.

Moving from reactive to creative leadership is no easy task. This transformation, which all great leaders must undertake, is central to mythology scholar Joseph Campbell’s classic book, The Hero’s Journey. In this seminal work, Campbell outlines the mythical journey that human societies the world over have described in their religions and legends throughout the ages. This mythological archetype is still relevant to young leaders who dream of greatness today.

At its core, this hero’s journey tells of a young person who leaves the village in which he has lived all his life, and ventures out into the unknown. Already, we can see how this ancient myth applies to leadership today.

Creative leaders bravely face their innermost hopes and dreams.

To become a creative leader, you’ll need to prioritize purpose over safety, and envision a brave new world for your organization. But what purpose are we talking about? And whose vision are we building?

The answer is that creative leaders need to focus solely on their own purpose and vision; no one else’s will do. To become the best and most effective leader you can be, your leadership needs to be aligned with what you truly want out of life. Ask yourself the following questions: Who would I be if I knew it were safe to be that person? And what would I do in my organization if I knew I wouldn’t get fired? The answers might surprise you, and may even scare you.

Integral leadership is the integration of reactive and creative leadership.

You might think that having a visionary, authentic style of leadership is the endgame, but there’s another step along the way. Your heroic journey toward mastering leadership doesn’t stop when you achieve a creative mindset. Instead, the most effective leaders practice integral leadership. This style is so advanced that only around 5 percent of leaders ever realize it.

Integral leaders are able to integrate the results-focused, cautious style of the reactive leader with the authentic, visionary flair of the creative. In other words, they manage to embrace the values of safety and meaning, authenticity, and tradition simultaneously in their leadership style.

Want to see all full key ideas from Mastering Leadership?

Key ideas in Mastering Leadership

More knowledge in less time

Read or listen

Get the key ideas from nonfiction bestsellers in minutes, not hours.

Find your next read

Get book lists curated by experts and personalized recommendations.

Shortcasts ^New

We’ve teamed up with podcast creators to bring you key insights from podcasts.

What is Mastering Leadership about?

Mastering Leadership (2015) explores the link between personal development and great leadership. It reveals the mindset needed to lead effectively, and explores how insights from classical mythology can help managers find their inner heroic leader.

Mastering Leadership Review

Mastering Leadership (2015) is a book that explores the essential skills and qualities necessary for effective leadership. Here's why this book is worth reading:

Through in-depth research and practical insights, it offers a comprehensive understanding of what it takes to be a successful leader.
The book provides practical tools and actionable strategies that can be applied in various leadership scenarios, making it highly valuable for both experienced and aspiring leaders.
With its rich anecdotes and real-life examples, the book dives into captivating storytelling, making it an engaging and compelling read.

Who should read Mastering Leadership?

Middle managers aspiring to join the C-suite
Leaders looking for fresh insights
Business owners seeking a new perspective

About the Author

Robert J. Anderson is the Founder and Chief Development Officer of The Leadership Circle, a leadership-development organization. He is also the creator of The Leadership Circle Profile, an integrated leadership-assessment tool that has been used by thousands of businesses globally.

William A. Adams is the CEO of Full Circle Group North America and CEO of The Leadership Circle. Over the last 35 years, Bill has advised executive teams and CEOs around the world, and has helped Fortune 500 corporations and start-ups tackle their business challenges.

Categories with Mastering Leadership

Management & Leadership

Book summaries like Mastering Leadership

Rewire

Nicole Vignola

Break the Cycle, Alter Your Thoughts and Create Lasting Change

16 min

4.4

How to Master the Art of Selling

Tom Hopkins

Boost Your Sales Skills With Proven Strategies and Techniques

Learn, Lead, and Live Without Barriers

14 min

4.2

Leadership Strategy

Powerful Business Solutions

The Art & Science of Decision-Making

10 Secrets to Transform Anyone's Life: 10th Anniversary Edition

How to Make Smarter Bets and Achieve Extraordinary Growth

Thoughts on the Gifts of a Lifetime

An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones

25 min

4.6

In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts

Gabor Maté

Close Encounters with Addiction

19 min

4.4

I Respectfully Disagree

Justin Jones-Fosu

How to Have Difficult Conversations in a Divided World

How to Use Brain Science to Attract Attention and Persuade Others

Work Less, Worry Less, Succeed More, Enjoy More

How Infectious Ideas Are Killing Common Sense

19 min

4.0

7 Strategies for Wealth & Happiness

Jim Rohn

Power Ideas from America's Foremost Business Philosopher

The Architecture of Belief

26 min

4.5

The Secret Language of the Body

Jennifer Mann & Karden Rabin

Regulate Your Nervous System, Heal Your Body, Free Your Mind

15 min

3.7

Marriage Be Hard

Kevin and Melissa Fredericks

12 Conversations to Keep You Laughing, Loving, and Learning with Your Partner

Why English Won’t – and Can’t – Sit Still (Like, Literally)

21 min

4.5

What Does It All Mean?

Thomas Nagel

A Very Short Introduction to Philosophy

Discover Cultural Divide in Colonial India

Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don’t

How to Say Anything to Anyone

Shari Harley

A Guide to Building Business Relationships that Really Work

16 min

3.6

The Leadership Challenge

James Kouzes and Barry Posner

How to Make Extraordinary Things Happen in Organizations

How to Pivot Toward What Matters

The Art of Winning in an Age of Uncertainty

21 min

4.3

Zero to One

Peter Thiel with Blake Masters

Notes on Startups, or How to Build The Future

The Formula for Sustained High Performance in All Phases of Your Life

17 min

4.3

The Art of Explanation

Ros Atkins

How to Communicate with Clarity and Confidence

Inside Elon Musk's Twitter

The Psychology of Persuasion

Explore the Hidden Powers That Govern Our World Today

The secrets of 40 millionaires' wealth, revealed

15 min

4.4

Millennial Money Makeover

Conor Richardson

Escape Debt, Save for Your Future, and Live the Rich Life Now

End Self-Sabotage and Demand Your Life Back

How to Find the Work You Were Meant to Do

Secrets for Commanding Attention and Getting Results

16 min

4.3

Build the Life You Want

Arthur C. Brooks & Oprah Winfrey

The Art and Science of Getting Happier

17 min

4.2

The Fine Art Of Small Talk

Debra Fine

How To Start a Conversation, Keep It Going, Build Networking Skills – and Leave a Positive Impression!

The “How To” book that gives YOU a “Check Up” from the “Neck Up” to eliminate “Stinkin Thinkin” and AVOID “Hardening of the Attitudes”

A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI

21 min

4.2

The Art of Witty Banter

Patrick King

Be Clever, Quick, and Magnetic

What the Rich Teach Their Kids about Money – That the Poor and the Middle Class Do Not!

A History from Socrates to Social Media

Journey Through Parallel Universes and the 10th Dimension

16 min

3.7

The Skills-Powered Organization

Ravin Jesuthasan

The Journey to the Next-Generation Enterprise

17 min

4.2

The Shortest History of Economics

Andrew Leigh

Explore Key Economic Moments and Their Impact on Today’s World

18 min

4.1

Extreme Ownership

Jocko Willink and Leif Babin

How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win

15 min

4.5

People ❤️ Blinkist

Sven O.

It's highly addictive to get core insights on personally relevant topics without repetition or triviality. Added to that the apps ability to suggest kindred interests opens up a foundation of knowledge.

Thi Viet Quynh N.

Great app. Good selection of book summaries you can read or listen to while commuting. Instead of scrolling through your social media news feed, this is a much better way to spend your spare time in my opinion.

Jonathan A.

Life changing. The concept of being able to grasp a book's main point in such a short time truly opens multiple opportunities to grow every area of your life at a faster rate.

Renee D.

Great app. Addicting. Perfect for wait times, morning coffee, evening before bed. Extremely well written, thorough, easy to use.