Book
Lead Your Way to Success
Clare Ukken, fsp

Insight Books, Pp 111, Rs 60/-

There is truly no dearth of books on leadership, what with publishing houses all over the world literally falling over each other in their bid to bring out simply the latest and best by the dozen, week after week! So what singles this book out for special mention? Just one thing specifically! And that is, it is simple. It is simple a) in its approach to the topic, b) in the principles and practices of leadership it proposes, and c) in language. The author adopts a very down-to-earth approach that is bound to be appreciated not only by those who are already leaders or by those who aspire to the position, but by everyone who is serious about leading others precisely by living a life that is fully human and fully alive. Sr Clare Ukken does this by identifying who a leader is (ch 1), outlining the traits of a successful leader (ch 2), defining leadership and human relations (ch 3), spelling out the value and significance of servant-leadership (ch 4) and describing the power tools that make for truly successful leadership (ch 5).

Every organization is looking for leaders with qualities like integrity, trustworthiness and truthfulness; leaders who will empower by being good listeners rather than domineering in their attitude; leaders who have at heart the best interests of the group and of every individual they live or work with, or in any way interact with. Such leaders are not born - they evolve through hard work and consistent efforts.

The author, herself a successful leader who is unassuming by nature, draws on her personal experience to present through, this book, principles of effective and enlightened leadership. It redounds to her credit that she does it in such a simple, convincing, precise and easy-to-read style that even those who have been in leadership roles for a length of time will find it a treasure trove of wisdom!

No seasoned leader or leader-in-the-making will fail to find inspiration and guidance in this volume particularly in its section on the “Forty Power Tools” enumerated in chapter 5, the contents of which truly constitute a gem of incomparable value!