A recruiting “gift” for future leaders – any ideas?
In commenting on my last post, Lauren asks:
As for your comment on having difficulty finding things on Leadership, I am having the same problem. I am looking for a book we can use in out recruiting efforts as we go to colleges. Something that would set us apart, appeal to the students and be worthwhile. I have searched many websites looking for books on leadership, inspiration or just the hottest new business book. It has been an incredibly frustrating experience.
I hear you Lauren. Browsing the Leadership section at your local book store proves that the topic is enormously popular (or lucrative), but how to separate the great titles from the also-rans?
I have a number of ideas for you, let’s start with some books.
- The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader. This is the book I just finished reading. It is a very quick read. The book is small, compact and to the point. John covers Leadership qualities like passion, responsibility and character, among others. What I really like about this book is how it stays focused on not just telling stories, but helping you change. Each chapter talks about a single quality and includes “Reflecting on It” and “Bringing it Home” sections, each of which contain practical guidance and activities that can be used to practice and reinforce the quality.
- Crucibles of Leadership (sorry, no Google reviews yet) is next on my reading list. I just saw this book mentioned on a blog I follow and it sounds very interesting. This book talks about developing a Personal Learning Strategy, “a highly individual plan for leveraging hard-won insights about learning from adversity and using practice to improve performance”. The premise is that life hands us more than enough adversity to learn and grow, we just need a strategy to take advantage of those learning opportunities. I plan on buying this book soon.
- It’s a different spin than Leadership, but I believe a very important book that is off most folks radar is The 48 Laws of Power. Power is an often maligned aspect of Leadership, but is often necessary to getting things done. At the very least, it is usually a by-product of effective Leadership. In this book, the author presents 48 core concepts to getting and keeping power; concepts that will serve any leader well. What I love about this book is the style in which it is written. Each concept is illustrated by a short story about how some important historical figure either benefited or suffered at the hands of that particular quality. Almost zen-like images are used to reinforce the quality, and then a discussion of the qualities downside is presented. Not a quick as read as Maxwell’s 21 Qualities, but certainly just as important.
Now here’s my couple interesting alternatives to consider:
- Do some “market research”. I work with entrepreneurs daily who truly have great ideas, but neglect to figure out if anyone will pay money for them. Basic market research is usually fairly easy to do and is great help validating your concept. If your market is graduating college seniors looking for future leadership positions in your company, figure out a way to talk to a handful of them and see what they have to say. They may not recommend a particular book, but their comments might go a long way to helping define a book that would be meaningful to them.
- Leverage your personal network. You’ve started that with leaving a comment on this blog; don’t stop. Somewhere, someone you know has figured out this question. Send the question into your personal network and see what you get. If you don’t find the answer you are looking for, I’ve had great luck with LinkedIn’s Question & Answer feature. If you don’t have an existing LinkedIn network, then this may not work for you. If you do, then post the question there and you might be surprised at the quality of the responses you get.
Well, that’s it for my ideas. How about the rest of you? Any ideas for a unique gift Lauren’s company could give to college seniors they are recruiting? Just leave a comment below.
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Comments
Thanks Carol. Those look like great ideas. I too like practical books, especially ones with enough value that they end up very dogeared over the years.
I just received an email from The Rainmaker Review and the topic is hot to increase you influence quotient. Nacy Fox who is a Business Development Specialist suggest there are 6 main attributes and qualities all influencers possess.
Not all influential beings are great leaders or innovators. If you don’t believe me, consider the methods of little kids and dogs. They are often the most influential beings I know. They never, ever, ever give up when it comes to getting what they want, but we often do.
So here are the 6 main attributes and qualities I believe are present within all influencers:
1. Influencers are enthusiastic, even passionate – about what they are recommending. Passion and enthusiasm are contagious.
2. Influencers believe totally in the value they bring to others.
3. Influencers present their ideas in such a way that others see these ideas and suggestions as an OPPORTUNITY FOR THEM.
4. Influencers present with confidence in their communications. This is not to be confused with arrogance or boastfulness. Confidence is incredibly appealing.
5. Influencers are not concerned about having their suggestions or ideas rejected. They maintain enthusiasm and confidence even when others disagree with them.
6. Influencers don’t get caught up in the importance of gaining recognition for the idea or suggestion. They focus on accomplishing the the objective. It is by letting go of gaining credit that influencers actually receive it.
When clients or colleagues start to reject an idea or suggestion, do you try to convince them in order to be more influential?
Try a little enthusiasm, passion, mix in a little opportunity for them, stir with confidence, bake at 350 degrees for a couple of months and watch your influence rise.
Check out her website @ http://www.bizdevsuccess.com
I’ve always been a big fan of practical guides that can be used as an ongoing reference. My “go to” gifts for college graduations have always been Smart Moves: 140 Checklists To Bring Out The Best From You And And Your Team, by Sam Deep and Lyle Sussman and LETITIA BALDRIDGE’S COMPLETE GUIDE TO EXECUTIVE MANNERS by Sandi Gelles-Cole. This is the stuff you normally have to learn on the streets…and usually in a hit or miss fashion. I like these because they provide practical answers and guidance RIGHT NOW.
Most recently I’ve used and recommended – Smart Moves For People In Charge: 130 Checklists To Help You Be A Better Leader by Sam Deep and Lyle Sussman and On the High Wire: How to Survive Being Promoted by Robert W. Gunn and Betsy Raskin Gullickson. I worked with Bob when I was with A.T. Kearney. He died in April. He was a brilliant manager and one I have tried to emulate for most of my career.