Lead, Follow, or Get Out of the Way

Sometimes everything you need to know in a book of advice is all in the title.

Lead, Follow, or Get Out of the Way

You get to choose

Sometimes everything you need to know in a book of advice is all in the title. Lead, Follow, or Get Out of the Way is the title of a little book by Jim Lundy (and the title used by a number of other authors, I’ve discovered).

I’ve been quoting that

title for years as an important principle for the leadership of any team effort, especially the management of an organisation that has ambitious goals and urgent priorities. I’ve interpreted it as, “Stop talking about it, just do it!” I can’t find the book on my shelves anymore and I’m not sure I ever read it, but the principle of asking people to choose is a good one and the title makes it memorable.

Here are a few others for your consideration:

·       Swim with the Sharks – Without Being Eaten Alive by Harvey Mackay  

·       Leadership is Common Sense by Herman Cain (remember him?)

·       DON’T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF .. and it’s all small stuff by Richard Carlson

·       It’s NOT How GOOD You Are, It’s How GOOD You Want To Be by Paul Arden

·       Do More Great Work by Michael Bungay Stanier

And of course, my own DON’T DO IT THE HARD WAY, by your Uncle Ralph.

Other book titles tease you to dig deeper and read the hundreds of pages of convincing research and persuasive arguments that lead to the conclusion stated in the titles like:

·       GOOD TO GREAT – Why Some Companies Make the Leap… and Others Don’t by Jim Collins

·       Small Giants – Companies that Choose to Be Great Instead of Big by Bo Burlingham

·       In Search of Excellence and Thriving on Chaos by Tom Peters

Perhaps you have some other suggestions for a good title on your next book, or mine, to read or to write. I’m looking for more good books on leadership, strategy, management and entrepreneurship, so please send me your list of those books where it’s all condensed into a few words in the title.

Thank you for joining the conversation on enlightened entrepreneurship.    

Be better. Do Better. Be an Enlightened Entrepreneur.

Your Uncle Ralph,

Del Chatterson

Learn more about Enlightened Entrepreneurship at: LearningEntrepreneurship.com

Read more of Uncle Ralph's advice for Entrepreneurs in Don't Do It the Hard Way & The Complete Do-It-Yourself Guide to Business Plans - 2020 Editions.

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