A friend of mine gave me this little gem by John MacArthur for my birthday.  I had a couple of hours one evening and read The Book on Leadership cover to cover.  The premise of the book is how the Apostle Paul demonstrated 26 leadership principles while evangelizing Jesus.  MacArthur, in typical form, uses scripture liberally to underscore his points and support each principle.  The principles are spot-on and relevant regardless of the reader's religious beliefs.   The principles are as follows:

1.  A leader is trustworthy
2.  A leader takes the initiative
3.  A leader uses good judgment
4.  A leader speaks with authority
5.  A leader strengthens others
6.  A leader is optimistic and enthusiastic
7.  A leader never compromises the absolutes
8.  A leader focuses on objectives, not obstacles
9.  A leader empowers by example
10. A leader cultivates loyalty
11. A leader has empathy for others
12. A leader keeps a clear conscience
13. A leader is definite and decisive
14. A leader knows when to change his mind
15. A leader does not abuse his authority
16. A leader doesn't abdicate his role in the face of opposition
17. A leader is sure of his calling
18. A leader knows his own limitations
19. A leader is resilient
20. A leader is passionate
21. A leader is courageous
22. A leader is discerning
23. A leader is disciplined
24. A leader is energetic
25. A leader knows how to delegate
26. A leader is Christ-like

When you talk about groundbreaking books that have fundamentally changed the
landscape of how we as professionals work and live The Seven Habits of Highly  Effective People jumps to the top of the list.  I had the pleasure of not just reading the book but also going to a five-day boot-camp where many of Stephen Covey's concepts were re-inforced and applied to us as managers.  Even though that was almost 20 years ago the concepts still are highly applicable today and are every bit as important as they were when Covey first penned them.  Super powerful stuff.

The foundational element of the book centers around the Seven Habits Paradigm, which progresses from dependence to independence to interdependence as follows:

Flight of the Buffalo is another ground-breaking book for me which pointed out to me how to be a better leader.  After I read the book I was completely blown away by harsh reality that I was exactly the type of leader I didn't want to be.  Talk
about your cold dunk in ice water...

Flight of the buffalo puts leaders into two categories:  buffalo leaders and goose leaders.  Buffalo leaders love to be in the middle of the fray and work 12+ hour days to keep up.  The buffalo leader's staff is trained to follow the direction of the buffalo leader and will not make a move without the leader knowing about it.  Lastly, buffalo leaders take responsibility for solving other people's problems. 

Goose leaders, on the other hand, transfer ownership, responsibility and accountability to his/her team and foster an environment where the team can flourish.  Goose leaders coach the development of their team and ensure team members feel the ownership of their work.  Lastly, and most important IMHO, the goose leader learns fast and encourages those around him/her to learn fast as well.

Attributes of a buffalo leader

Plan
Organize
Coordinate
Command
Control

Attributes of a goose leader
  
Transfer ownership
Create a responsible environment
Coach development
Learn faster and encourage others to learn

Zapp! The Lightning of Empowerment was one of those books that was fundamental in shaping me as a leader.  Prior to reading this book, I severely confused empowerment with delegation and thought that if I didn't do everything myself I was by default empowering others.  This book helped me to realize how much I stunk as a leader and that I needed to change my ways if I was going to be anything better.

Zapp! tells a light story about Joe Mode's journey from being an overworked an ineffective micro-manager to a highly effective empowered leader.  The book uses the term "Zapps" as actions which empower a team and "Sapps" as actions which dis-empower a team. 

Examples of what Sapps people

Confusion
Lack of trust
Not being listened to
No time to solve problems
Bureaucratic office politics
Someone solving problems for you
No time to work on bigger issues
Not knowing whether you are succeeding
Across-the-board rules and regulations
A boss taking credit for others' ideas
Not enough resources to do the job well
Believing that you can't make a difference    
A job simplified to the point that it has no meaning
People treated exactly the same like interchangeable parts

Examples of what Zapps people

Responsibility
Trust
Being listened to
Teams
Solving problems as a team
Praise
Recognition for ideas
Knowing why you're important to the organization
Flexible controls
Direction (clear key result areas, measurements, goals)
Knowledge (skills, training, information, goals)
Support (approval, coaching, feedback,
encouragement)
Resources readily available
Upward and downward communications

My wife and I were browsing a bookstore recently.  I wandered upon this book by Charles Fishman and was intrigued enough to buy it.  It outlines not only the history of the Wal-Mart empire but also delves into some of the social and economic issues that the world's largest retailer has to contend with.   

The Wal-Mart Effect is a pretty light read (I got through it in about four hours) and has some pretty interesting stories about Wal-Mart and the sky-high expectations it places on its suppliers to deliver the absolute best pricing to its customers.  It not only talks about the positive impacts to the consumer but also the negative and sometimes disastrous impact it can have on employees, suppliers, and competitors.  Following is the table of contents: