Can you be a leader if you are not the entrepreneurial type or if you are not a risk-taker and bold? We discuss the book Barking Up The Wrong Tree by Eric Barker
Summary
Great leaders can be for a particular time and place. So even if they display characteristics that you may think would make them bad leaders, a specific situation can make them great.
They can be innovative thinkers or risk-takers, or calm, methodical people. But with what he calls “intensifiers,” a bad trait can become valuable and effective.
High-energy entrepreneurs can make things happen even if they have flaws. They can be turned into strengths, and that “hypomania” they tend to have makes them great.
The best bet is to know yourself and what your style is. Know what you are good at and what kind of projects tend to succeed.
Without knowing what Peter Drucker asks, What are you good at that consistently produces desired results? That’s what you have to figure out. And Peter Drucker has this small system in place that he calls feedback analysis. When you do that, all you do is you’re going to write down your projects, you’re going to write down what you plan to do, what you try to do, and then you’re just going to write down how it went, was it a success, or did not go so well, I might even say if you could put in there, why it didn’t go so well
Pick the right pond. What kind of environment helps you succeed? Is it a nonprofit? Or do you prefer a large corporation? Knowing where you can achieve will help you be successful.
