Reviewed by Rama Gaind.
By Maree Burgess, Grammar Factory, $29.90.
“Leading a team is harder in practice than in theory”. New leaders get promoted based on technical know-how, yet often lack critical people management skills and
struggle to keep up with the sudden demands on their time and attention. An endless cycle of busyness is created, trying to control everything and everyone around you and that’s when it starts to impact your life, relationships and your health.
Leadership specialist Maree Burgess draws on decades of experience to provide a practical guide to levelling up your leadership. The focus is on key behavioural skills that shift you from being a transactional manager to a transformational leader.
The skills shared are the basics that underpin leadership development, and allows you to move on to bigger and better things. It’s all about how managers learn to do less and be more.
Outlined is the importance of developing or changing behavioural skills rather than technical skills as you move into more senior roles.
“Technical skill are the skills that have got you to where you are. These skills are what you need to perform specific tasks. Sometimes called ‘hard’ skills, they are the abilities and knowledge you have acquired in your area of expertise.” Examples are things like programming, project management or managing a balance sheet.
In management roles these technical skills are not required to the same extent, because there is a team in place to do this work. Behavioural skills, also called ‘soft’ or ‘people’ skills, are needed as you start to lead people.
Part I is about identifying where you are now on your leadership journey, and what issues you are likely to experience. Part II is about giving you the tools and exercises you need to help you lead at the right level. This is the practical part of the book, and is packed with tools and techniques to help you tap into the brilliance of both you and your team.
What is the purpose behind Level Up by Maree Burgess? If you answer correctly, you could win one of two personally autographed copies of Level Up. Entries should be sent to [email protected] by Monday, 14 August 2022. Names of the winners will be announced in Frank Cassidy’s PS-sssst…! column on 15 August 2022.
