Simple Truths of Leadership: 52 Ways to Be a Servant Leader and Build Trust by Ken Blanchard and Randy Conley. Berrett-Koehler Publishers. 162 pages. 2022
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The format for this helpful book is simple. For each of the 52 simple truths – one for each week of the year – on the left page the authors identify a Simple Truth about servant leadership (written by Ken Blanchard) or building trust (written by Randy Conley). On the right page, the authors describe the puzzling lack of use of the concept, and briefly explain why it is important. The final element is a call to action for readers – “Making Common Sense Common Practice” – where the authors break down the concept into ideas that leaders can easily apply on the job.
The book is arranged with 26 Simple Truths on servant leadership written by Blanchard, followed by 26 Simple Truths on building trust written by Conley. There are a variety of ways that you can read the book. For example, you can read the Simple Truths in order, focusing on one to apply each week of the year. A “Discussion Guide” is included at the end of the book, with twenty-four discussion prompts that touch on topics relating to servant leadership and building trust. This is a good book to read and discuss with other leaders or emerging leaders.
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As a leader, I never bought into the philosophy of treating everyone the same. I tried to treat each person on my teams as an individual, according to their specific needs and personality. I didn’t treat everyone the same, but I did treat all with equity.
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When I worked with team members and mentees who were emerging leaders, I would tell them that I wanted them to be leaders that others would want to follow. Now, in my organization, and perhaps in yours, neither leaders nor team members often got to pick who they work with. But I wanted those emerging leaders to be the type of leaders that people would want to work for if they had the chance. I was always overjoyed when I got to work with an individual more than once, and I was blessed to work with a few people three and four different times.
I’m a huge proponent of servant leadership. It’s the way I try to lead, and I believe it is the best leadership model. I’ve read many good books on the topic, with the first, and best, being Lead Like Jesus: Lessons from the Greatest Leadership Role Model of All Time by Ken Blanchard and Phil Hodges. In this two-part series on servant leadership, I’ll first look at takeaways from that book, and in part two, I’ll look at what I’ve earned from a few other books on the subject.
Bet on Talent: How to Create a Remarkable Culture That Wins the Hearts of Customers by Dee Ann Turner. Baker Books. 213 pages. 2019