Hi Michael,

Thanks for letting us know about this book; I'd definitely like to read it. I wonder if the authors address the issue of overused strengths? It is not uncommon to find an executive overusing a strength that needs to be moderated.

As an executive coach, I've found that it is usually easier to increase a behavior than it is to decrease a behavior.

So, finding another behavior to increase in order to moderate an overused strength is often acceptable to a client and can work well with practice over time. Sounds simplistic, but presenting it in this way to a client does seem to help them accept the work needed to change and there is less struggle involved than there would be if we try to only focus on decreasing the overused strength.

A very simple example: a manager making the leap into executive ranks has likely been rewarded in the past for their ability to get things done. But this tactic of taking on and "doing" everything doesn't work well at the executive level. So they may set a goal to increase their strength in delegating, which should moderate their strength in "getting things done" (they still need to get things done, but they're working too hard if they are doing it all themselves! They now need to learn to get more done through others - thus developing the moderating strength of delegating).

Sounds like an interesting book.

In the list of four things followers want -- trust, compassion, stability and hope -- I'm struck by the inclusion of compassion in the list. Does that mean that people want to know that their leaders feel a sense of compassion for them?

If so, I'm going to have to rethink how I work with my clients. (I'm an executive speech writer/coach.) Every one of my clients is willing -- in theory and in practice -- to instill in their audiences a sense of trust, stability, and hope.

But I've never asked them to let their compassion show. (The nearest I come to broaching the subject is to ask them to be empathetic, which is a rather pale version of compassion.) Don't get me wrong. I think compassion is core, both to effective leadership and to masterful speaking. It's just that I've never or almost never addressed the issue with any of my clients. At least not explicitly.

You've given me something to think about. Thanks.

as a military officer for 15 of my 23 years service, I find that most of these self-realization books are just slightly better than reading your daily horoscope. You can certainly find parts that fit you, but you should also be aware of the parts that are entirely out to lunch in describing a person. A leader will not jump to conclusions, he or she will watch and evaluate over time their subordinates calling on their strengths & talents to build the most effective team. Likewise he or she will weed out the weak and assign them jobs that benefit the team mission, but not have a significant role in the mission. I often ask this question when interviewing a candidate, "who is the most important person on your team?" While there is no right or wrong answer to the question, the answer reveals a lot of information about the person being interviewed as they struggle to figure out if I am setting a trap for them. My answer has always been - the most important person on my team is the newest member of the team. I need to devote more time and resources to this person in order to ensure that person fulfills their potential to the best of their abilities. Those that answer the most important person is my weakest link, totally miss the mark - the weakest link is a person the consistently under-performs and if you have the power fire that person do it and get a STRONG LINK.