We are a reflection of our life experiences—the good ones and the hard ones. How those stories shape and guide us has less to do with whether the stories are good or bad and more about how we interpret them. – Jes DeShields
Are you looking for the next inspirational leadership book that provides 100+ pages of inspirational stories and paraphrases of leadership principles? If you are (and that’s fine – we all need inspiration), then the new book, 9 Leader Touchstones by Jes DeShields may not be what you’re looking for. DeShields has written a book that balances the theoretical and practical. Perhaps the most glaring difference between this book and so many others is that the first half focuses on the organization and a deep dive into systems thinking and provides a systematic approach to understanding the organization and developing a healthy culture.
Know that you’re never going to get it right every time. You’re human. Change is hard. Leadership is harder. – Jes DeShields
The second half focuses on the leader and the traits, characteristics, and practices of effective leadership. DeShields describes these touchstones, collectively, as the standard of quality leadership. Beyond inspirational stories and personal anecdotes, readers will come face to face with the specific touchstones for their personal leadership:
- Curiosity
- Emotional Intelligence
- Courage
- Integrity
- Authenticity
- Empathy
- Inclusivity
- Gratitude
- Resilience
We live in a time when there are literally hundreds of thousands of leadership articles, books, podcasts, and videos. Leaders are inundated with tools and distractions that offer varying value to their work and lives. 9 Leader Touchstones is an inspirational read that includes all the rigor of an academic text combined with practical evidence and applications that will enable readers at all levels of leadership to grow and develop organizations that can thrive and endure.
To create the change that needs to happen in our workplaces and in greater society, like-minded people have to band together. But we can’t do it in isolation from others who don’t share our views. – Jes DeShields