The Unlocked Leader
Book

The Unlocked Leader

Dare to Free Your Own Voice, Lead with Empathy, and Shine Your Light in the World

Hortense le Gentil and Caroline Lambert
Wiley, 2023
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Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Applicable
  • Overview
  • Concrete Examples

Recommendation

The best leaders have empathy and demonstrate that they care about their employees. Employees, in turn, strive to achieve the goals empathetic leaders set. Leadership coach Hortense le Gentil, writing with Carole Lambert, explains how run-of-the-mill “superheroes” — her tag for today’s supposedly ideal but aloof executives — can transform themselves into humane, effective leaders who demonstrate that they have their people’s best interests at heart. Le Gentil urges superhero leaders to engage in “mindshifts” that lead to “mindbuilds,” so they can eliminate the negative “mindtraps” that hold them back. (Notice the book’s index which helpfully features links to numerous related books, articles, and podcasts.)

Summary

Leaders must be empathetic.

Great leaders are not infallible superheroes, though some may act that way. Such leaders are often great at leading with their head, but may find it impossible to lead with their heart. As a result, they can’t become “human leaders” who connect with others and develop shared goals.  

Leaders must demonstrate empathy and genuine concern for those they lead. Columbia University business professor Rita McGrath explains that modern business management no longer relies only on “execution and expertise.” Instead, it rests on empathy. 

Leaders who lack empathy simply can’t get the job done. Their failures eventually become glaringly apparent. As proof, consider what has happened to corporate longevity. During the 1920s, the average S&P 500 company could expect to be around for 67 years. Today, most such firms last only 15 years, primarily due to uninspired leadership. Today, 75% of employees don’t believe their organization cares about them. As a result, many workers are alarmingly disengaged. 

Consider Microsoft, for example. The company was on a downward...

About the Authors

Executive leadership coach Hortense le Gentil is a frequent public speaker. She also wrote Aligned: Connecting Your True Self with the Leader You’re Meant to Be with Caroline Lambert, who collaborated with Hubert Joly on The Heart of Business: Leadership Principles for the Next Era of Capitalism. Lambert has been Deputy Asia Editor and a foreign correspondent for The Economist. 

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