Truth About Being a Leader, The

Product Author Bios

Dr. Karen Otazo is a global executive coach and thinking partner for executives in multinational organizations as well as a leader of seminars for groups interested in maximizing their potential at work. More than 25 years of working in the U.S., China, India, Indonesia, Hong Kong, the UK, the Netherlands, France, Belgium, and Singapore, have given her a broad perspective on the challenges facing executives in companies of all sizes from boutique consulting firms or start-up nonprofits to global corporations, joint ventures, and strategic alliances.

Her results-oriented approach has enabled her to build a blue chip client list that includes Ahold, AlliedSignal, American National Can, Amgen, ARCO, Avery Dennison, BankBoston, Booz Allen Hamilton, Central London Partnership, Chase Bank, Colgate-Palmolive, Colliers, CSFB, Digital, The Economist Group, FMC, Skanska Gammon Construction, General Electric, GlobalOne, Global Marine, Goldman Sachs, Hongkong Land, IBM, Ikea, Jardine Matheson, Lehman Brothers, Marks & Spencer, Motorola, Pixelpark (Bertelsmann), Readers Digest, Schindler, Sprint International, Syngenta, Time/Fortune International, and Vodafone. Many assignments have drawn on her experience with trans-national subsidiaries, joint ventures, and alliances.

Dr. Otazo is author of The Truth About Managing Your Career.

When it comes to effective leadership, everyone has an opinion. But you don’t need opinions: you need proven, real-world solutions, based on facts and evidence. That’s what The Truth About Being a Leader delivers: high-power leadership techniques you can use every day, whether you lead one person or 100,000.

Dr. Karen Otazo has spent more than 20 years coaching executives in virtually every type of organization. She’s worked personally with more than 2,000 individuals, from interns to CEOs. Now, drawing on hundreds of secret leadership feedback reports, she reveals what actually works—and doesn’t work— when it comes to being a great leader.

You’ll find simple, easy-to-use techniques for smoothly assuming new leadership roles...honing your style...maximizing your impact...crafting a vision, shaping strategies, and getting buy-in... using power wisely...handling tough coaching and feedback sessions...avoiding leadership pitfalls... strengthening key leadership relationships...inspiring people, building world-class teams, and achieving outstanding results.

Prepare for the toughest challenges of leadership

Widen your “mental bandwidth” in seven key areas

Get beyond the numbers

Learn how to use all your resources, tangible and intangible

Sharpen your vision, and communicate it crisply

Engage, motivate, and inspire all your audiences

Don’t let stress impact your performance

Manage your stress, manage your energy

Use power wisely, and choose your battles

Apply the right touch: not too light, not too heavy-handed

Grow your people, grow your team

Develop outstanding people, achieve outstanding results

Leaders aren’t born, they’re made... and you can make yourself a great leader, starting today! This book’s 52 proven leadership principles and bite-size, easy-to-use techniques that work!

Online Sample Chapter

The Seven Areas That Need Your Attention Right Now As a Leader

Table of Contents

Foreword  xiii

Introduction  xix

PART I: THE TRUTH ABOUT ASSUMING A LEADERSHIP POSITION  1

TRUTH 1         More-Responsible Roles Require More Mental “Bandwidth”  3

TRUTH 2         Inheriting an Assistant Requires Reeducation  6

TRUTH 3         Staffing Your Leadership Office: Your Assistant Plays a Vital Role  10

TRUTH 4         The Gaps in Your Work Habits Show Up When You Move Up  14

TRUTH 5         The Truth About Effective Leadership Styles  21

TRUTH 6         Soft-Spoken Leadership Requires Stamina  23

TRUTH 7         Bullshit Makes Good Fertilizer–Just Watch Your Step  26

TRUTH 8         Player/Coach Is a Tricky Role, So Make Sure That You Do Both Well  29

TRUTH 9         Caring Leaders Treat Their Teams Like Family  32

TRUTH 10       Innovation Requires Preparation  35

PART III: THE TRUTH ABOUT WHAT YOU SAY AS A LEADER  39

TRUTH 11       Match Your Leadership Message to Your Audience  41

TRUTH 12       Impactful Leaders Speak Simply  44

TRUTH 13       Sound Bites Need to Sizzle  47

TRUTH 14       Your Tone of Voice Should Command Attention  50

TRUTH 15       Names Matter to People, So Get Them Right  53

TRUTH 16       “Coming Attractions” Get Others Tuned in to Your Message  57

PART IV: THE TRUTH ABOUT LEADERSHIP VISION  61

TRUTH 17       What’s the Big Idea? Bring Your Guiding Rules into Everyday Organizational Life  63

TRUTH 18       Stories Help Make Change Clear  67

TRUTH 19       Playing Out the Tape Helps Others Prepare for the Future  70

TRUTH 20       Leaders Frame the Discussion  3

PART V: THE TRUTH ABOUT LEADERSHIP PRESENCE AND POWER  77

TRUTH 21       A Leader Is Always “On”  79

TRUTH 22       Choose Your Battles Carefully  82

TRUTH 23       Your Stress Ripples Across the Organization  85

TRUTH 24       Let Your Energy Be Like Fine Champagne–Not Too Bubbly or Flat  89

TRUTH 25       You Need to “Read” Like a Leader in the Blink of an Eye  92

TRUTH 26       Good Leadership Is the Wise Use of Power  96

PART VI THE TRUTH ABOUT GETTING THINGS DONE  101

TRUTH 27       Often the Best Decision Is Empowering Someone Else to Decide  103

TRUTH 28       Adjust Your Leadership Style to Fit the Employee  106

TRUTH 29       No Good Deed Goes Unpunished  109

TRUTH 30       The Structure Is Not the Organization, Just as the Map Is Not the Territory  112

TRUTH 31       Coming in from the Outside? Pay Your Dues!  115

TRUTH 32       Delegation Is a Confidence Game  119

PART VII: THE TRUTH ABOUT MOTIVATING AND INSPIRING YOUR TEAM  123

TRUTH 33       Questions Unite; Answers Divide  125

TRUTH 34       Feedback Is the Best Kind of Criticism  128

TRUTH 35       You Have More Than the Carrot and the Stick  131

TRUTH 36       Quick Coaching Keeps Your Team on Course  134

TRUTH 37       Little Things Mean a Lot  136

PART VIII: THE TRUTH ABOUT MOLDING YOUR TEAM  139

TRUTH 38       A Leader Cares Passionately About Developing People  141

TRUTH 39       Succession Planning Ensures Your Bench Strength 144

TRUTH 40       Your Team Is Key to Your Success, So Vet Them Well  149

TRUTH 41       Dedicate Your Coaching Time Where It Does the Most Good  152

TRUTH 42       Awkward Discussions Are Tough; Play Offense, Not Defense  155

PART IX: THE TRUTH ABOUT YOUR LEADERSHIP REPUTATION  159

TRUTH 43       Ideas Come Across Differently with Different Media  161

TRUTH 44       You Can’t Hide the Sun with Your Hand: Be Honest  165

TRUTH 45       Spouses and Partners Must Be on Their Best Behavior  169

TRUTH 46       You Don’t Get Your Meat Where You Get Your Potatoes  173

TRUTH 47       Don’t Get Tangled in the Grapevine  176

PART X: THE TRUTH ABOUT YOUR CONNECTIONS  179

TRUTH 48       You Can’t Microwave Your Leadership Relationships  181

TRUTH 49       Your Network Is Your Lifeline to Influence and Information  185

TRUTH 50       Peers and Power Are a Potent Mix  188

TRUTH 51       It’s Lonely at the Top; Keep It That Way  191

TRUTH 52       Trust and Loyalty Are Long-Term Goals  194

References  199

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