What To Ask The Person In The Mirror by Robert Kaplan
In Summary Vijay Ramachandran
What To Ask The Person In The Mirror
By Robert Kaplan
Published by Harvard Business School Press.
Rs 700
IN SUMMARY: Is leadership about focus? Are great leaders born or can they be made? What changes as we go up the corporate ladder? How do you deal with setbacks? Co-creator of the balanced scorecard and former vice-chairman of Goldman Sachs, Robert S. Kaplan, sets out to answer such questions in What To Ask The Person In The Mirror. At present a professor of management practice at Harvard, Kaplan addresses a whole bunch of leadership issues in his book.
“I have found that almost without exception, successful leaders go through significant periods of time in which they feel confused, discouraged, and unsure of themselves and their decisions. Even as they project an air of confidence, they harbor deep feelings of uncertainty and apprehension,” he states.
So, if all of us go through these ups and downs, what’s the difference between successful executives and those that are less so? Kaplan feels that the distinction lies in how such periods of confusion are dealt with.
He brings his prodigious experience to bear as he proposes that to live up to our leadership potential we must follow a process that involves taking a step back, regrouping and then moving forward. And this involves asking ourselves a whole bunch of questions.
Read on for excerpts from reviews of this book from two of your peers who recommend it as heartily as me:
Robert Kaplan provides practical insights on leadership in his latest book. Structured across 8 guiding principles—vision and priorities, managing your time, giving and getting feedback, succession planning and delegation, evaluation and alignment, the leader as a role model, reaching your potential and bringing it all together—each principle is well articulated and presented with examples and questions for introspection.
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V. SUBRAMANIAN DIRECTOR-IT & CIO (INDIA & GULF), OTIS
The latter, I believe, is something that most people in a leadership position don’t do too much of. Introspection; reflection; self-realization; leadership—that’s what Kaplan’s enriching guidance is about. As the author puts it: “There comes a point in your career when the best way to figure out how you’re doing is to step back and ask yourself a few questions. Having all the answers is less important than knowing what to ask.” This is a brilliant book, which has already had a huge impact on me. I recommend for anyone aspiring to become a great leader, including those already in positions of leadership.
ROHAN DESHPANDE CTO , OGILVY & MATHER
In this book, the author has provided a very practical explanation of how and why framing the right questions can help aspiring leaders to take greater ownership of what is most important to them. Kaplan’s way is to complete a process that consists of a series of questions: What do I need to know?; Where and how can I obtain the information I need?; How and when will I take action on what I have learned?; To what extent (if any) will I need assistance?; How can I best measure the progress and impact of my efforts? Kaplan has carefully organized this within “areas of focus” that are most relevant to fulfilling the career ambitions and personal fulfillment of aspiring leaders. One could literally learn to grow into a leader’s role. Reading this book reminded me of the many situations I have been in and I am sure everyone will relate to many of the real-world examples cited by Kaplan.
