MAIN IDEA
Are great leaders born or made? Or in other words, can you really learn to lead?
Contrary to conventional wisdom, leadership qualities are not something you either innately have as part of your DNA or you don't. Leadership is always more about what you do and less about who you are.
The simple fact is leadership is more a journey rather than a destination – it's about what you do along the way. The key to acting like a leader is to have an "ownership mindset" which has three main elements:
Leadership Mindset
Think and always act like an owner
Be willing to act on your beliefs
Focus relentlessly on adding value for others
Great organizations have always been built around a nucleus of people who have a leadership mindset and this will continue to be the case in the future. Leadership is not a role reserved for those who are situated in positions of power or who were born with the "right stuff". Instead leadership can be assumed by anyone who is willing to think like an owner, act decisively and consistently do things which add value.
"You can be a leader. Leadership doesn't require a written invitation. It isn't something that only ‘important people’ can do. Leadership is something you need to work at versus a state of being or a destination. The world needs your leadership."
– Robert S. Kaplan
ROBERT STEVEN KAPLAN is senior associate dean and professor of management practice at Harvard Business School. He is also co-chairman and a founding partner of Indaba Capital LLC, chairman of the Investment Advisory Committee of Google, Inc. and co-chairman of the philanthropy firm Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation. He is the author of What You're Really Meant to Do and What to Ask the Person in the Mirror. Prior to joining Harvard Business School, Robert Kaplan was vice chairman of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. He is a graduate of Harvard Business School and the University of Kansas.
This is a summary and not a critique or a review of the book. It does not offer judgment or opinion on the content of the book. This summary may not be organized chapter-wise but is an overview of the main ideas, view points and arguments from the book as a whole. This means that the organization of this summary is not a representation of the book.
Leadership starts with developing an ownership mindset. To act as a leader, you have to consistently make the kind of decisions you would make if you owned the enterprise and then take ownership of the consequences of your actions. That's what owners do.
Pure and simple, effective leadership always begins with having the right mindset:
Leadership Mindset
Think and always act like an owner
Be willing to act on your beliefs
Focus relentlessly on adding value for others
You have to think like an owner – meaning you have to factor into your actions and decisions all of the considerations which the owner of the business would include.
You have to be willing to act – on your beliefs and do things which enhance and grow the business. Leaders make good things happen rather than sitting back impassively and hoping for the best.
You have to act consistently in ways which add value to someone else – rather than obsessing over your own career path. Good leaders strive consistently to add value for customers, clients, colleagues and the community at large.