The Contrarian's Guide to Leadership

I enjoyed this one. Very down-to-Earth advice. As implied by the title, the contrarian leader would be found “contrary” by the traditionally-trained leader. With such advice as “If a decision can be made tomorrow, don't make it today” and “Work for those that work for you”, the contrarian leader always considers the situation from the other person's shoes. Sometimes we get tunnel vision and forget that those we are leading are people too.

Despite its premise, this book shouldn't be a straight-ahead “how-to” book. The underlying theme is simply to think balanced. Consider the other view. Make reasonable decisions. Even though our personal step-by-step may vary, to make reasonable decisions is admirable in any instance.