When a friend writes a book about the art of doing what you say you will do and you promise to a.) buy a copy and b.) write an online review, let’s just say you feel a certain obligation to follow through on those promises.
So, I did both, and now I want to share the review, not because I need to satisfy that part of the promise – the review is already on Amazon – but because it’s a book worth reading.
First, a couple of related side notes.
One, reviews matter to authors because they generate interest and build both momentum and credibility for a book. When Onesimus comes out next year, I truly hope you’ll buy it, enjoy it, and share it with others in your network, including in the form of online reviews.
Selfishly, it will help me. But I also hope you will do that for other books you read, because reading is important if we want to regain some sanity and civility in our world. We’re supposedly now a “post-literate” society, so let’s change that. Don’t just keep reading; promote what you read, as well.
Second, not mentioned in my Amazon review of my friend’s book is that it challenged me to be more grateful to those who keep their promises to me and to empathize with and forgive those who don’t.
Most folks, in my experience, don’t break a promise because they are compulsive liars who want to make our lives difficult – although I’ve experienced that from someone within the last few months. Instead, most folks break a promise because they don’t realize they made it or because they are, like the rest of us, human and prone to screw up. They need the same grace I need.
So, now on to my review of The Radical Promise by Steve Farber, James Kouzes, and Barry Posner as it appears on Amazon …
A practical approach to keeping our promises
The word that came to mind as I read this collaborative leadership book was, “Yep.”
As in, “Yep, I see myself in that character” or “Yep, I needed a reminder on that” or “Yep, I do that and need to stop doing it” or “Yep, I need to put that into practice.”
Which brings me to another word that describes The Radical Promise: Practical.
Steve Farber builds on some familiar characters from his previous biz fiction books by creating a story that’s all too familiar for leaders who are honest with ourselves: We get caught up in “the doing” of our daily tasks and don’t always remember to live out the principles we believe are most important to us.
In particular, we don’t always do what we say we will do. And, therefore, we empower our teams and customers to expect less of us … and of themselves. And, therefore, our leadership and our organizational results suffer.
With the help of two of the all-time great leadership experts, James Kouzes and Barry Posner, this book puts a decidedly practical spin on this topic. Personally, it helped me see my gaps but it also provided insights and tools for closing those gaps so I can live up to one of my most important values: Doing what I tell folks I’ll do.
Because of the fictional narrative, it’s a quick and enjoyable read, not to mention memorable.
Now, to put it into practice. Not because it will be easy, but because I said I would. And I want to live up to my radical promise.
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