, but with different objectives, may they be maximizing profit or shareholder value, conquering a new country or delivering a message of peace. Reading books and biographies of different leaders would improve my skills by presenting different perspectives of the same activity.
Business leaders
Jack Welch. Jack - Straight from the Gut. Jack Welch is a charismatic figure that has successful led General Electrics through periods of change and growth and has remained one of the business figures that gave way to inspirational concepts such as Six Sigma. This book is simply a biography of Welch, from his accession to General Electrics to his retirement, covering about 20 years of his period as CEO of the company. It would be a good source to see how you are able to use innovation and implement it in a large organization with good communication skills and influence people into applying these concepts.
Lou Gerstner. Who says elephants can't dance? Lou Gerstner took IBM through the most difficult time of its existence and his charismatic leadership allowed the giant to transform itself from a company on the edge of bankruptcy, due to its incapacity to adapt to new times, to a highly profitable and successful company at the end of the 1990s. The books is about change management mostly, but it is fundamental to see how communication works in change management and how it is so important to be influential and to induce people to believe that change is possible. I think Lou Gerstner's experience would be a great way for me to learn about passing new...
It isn't easy deciding on non-business leaders that can be used, because there are so many one can learn the skills I am lacking from. My choice was narrowed down due to the enormous influence these people had as leaders during their time and the way they were able to bring about change.
Frank McLynn. Napoleon - a Biography. No individual in history was probably as influential as Napoleon was. The law codes he passed, the administrative bodies, the spreading of the ideas of the French Revolution in Europe are realities during his reign that are still very actual today. It is amazing to see how he could move around large masses of individuals and how his charisma operated to the point that these individuals loved him. I think there is a lot to learn here in terms of the skills I have identified and this biography seems to be objective enough not to be biased in judging him.
M. Gandhi. Non-violent resistance. Gandhi is an excellent leader model in terms of how conflict can be managed and how you can use the power of persuasion both with your enemies and the member of your own group. Inspirational and charismatic, Gandhi is also an excellent leader that can help with the skills mentioned.
I am also probably willing to have an interview with a leader in a company, maybe somebody coordinating the human resources department and who could give me a better idea of how he is able to use inspirational skills in order to coordinate individuals and motivate them.
