University of Minnesota - UMN Executive Leadership Insights
Motivational Leadership (Third Edition)
Book

Motivational Leadership (Third Edition)

10 Myths Managers Must Debunk to Avoid a Disengaged, Dissatisfied or Unproductive Workforce

Mark Oliver
LULU Publishing, 2019
Buy book or audiobook

Read or listen offline

Amazon Kindle
  • 0.5×
  • 0.75×
  • 1×
  • 1.25×
  • 1.5×
  • 1.75×
1×

Editorial Rating

7

Qualities

  • Well Structured
  • Overview
  • Concrete Examples

Recommendation

Leadership coach Mark Oliver identifies 10 myths you must combat to enhance your leadership potential. Along the way, he says, discard the belief that people inherit leadership skills rather than acquire them. Knowing that people can learn to lead and that learned behavior plays an 80% role in leadership explains why companies must conduct proper leadership training. Although Oliver’s elliptical style makes certain aspects of his information a little harder to absorb, he provides a useful, practical guide to the challenges of identifying and preparing future leaders.

Summary

Ten leadership myths can blunt your ability to lead.

Your organization expects its senior executives to boost the performance of their teams. But your teams may have to deal with a very fluid business environment and inadequate resources. Several leadership fallacies blunt your ability to lead, especially in trying times, and prevent you from making the most of the link between leadership and motivation. Understanding and thwarting 10 leadership myths will help you boost your team’s capabilities:

Myth 1: “Leaders are born, not made.”

Most managers believe that they could improve their leadership capabilities, but they may wonder if you have to be born with leadership skills to become a really good leader. Actually, leadership is a skill you can learn, and the idea of the “natural leader” is a myth. Non-genetic issues play an 80% role in top-flight leadership. As leaders, women tend to perform better than men, but their way of operating as leaders derives, at least in part, from imposed cultural roles. For example, society encourages women to pay more attention...

About the Author

Mark Oliver founded MarkTwo Consulting in 2002 to train organizations in leadership development, talent management, coaching, and using online resources for both groups and individuals.

Comment on this summary