Author: Peter Shaw
Price: £14.99
Publisher: Capstone
Pages: 218
ISBN: 1841126985
Do we really need another book in the already over-crowded leadership publications market? Well, probably not. If more people read the books that have already been written and actually practised what they preached, we might have a much healthier management population than we currently do.
That said, I’m a sucker for new ways of engaging my clients and colleagues to raise the bar of leadership excellence, so I nevertheless approached the book with relish.
The four Vs of leadership, according to Peter Shaw, are: vision, values, value added and vitality. This is nothing new in itself, but it is a catchy way to reframe the common sense messages we already know get good results.
I particularly liked the way he talked about values in the struggle we all face to beat age discrimination and create the elusive work-life balance, and I also enjoyed his take on the meaning of ‘vitality’.
As the proof of the pudding is always in the eating, I introduced the 4 Vs concept to a class a week ago. It went down very well with the delegates and created the springboard for some very interesting discussions. Is it worth adding to my bulging management library? Definitely.
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Useful? Four out of five stars
Well-written? Four out of five stars
Practical? Four out of five stars
Inspirational? Three out of five stars
Value for money? Four out of five stars
Overall? Four out of five stars
Reviewed by Janet Davies, business management trainer, author, and editor of careers website New Life Network
