Inside Out Leadership offers the reader that important gift of recognising what is already inside of each of us, and how we can harness that in the leading of others on a journey of discovery, and connectivity.
Throughout the book Bailey pulls together a myriad of learning from other business and leadership studies and publications to create a compendium of fascinating insights into the world of leadership, and providing clear guidance on where to next?
While not much of the information in the book is necessarily revolutionary, or new, it is the presentation of the information that is where the real benefit to this book comes from. Bailey, herself, explains the book as more of a celebration of leadership than anything else.
The book is split into four parts, Know You; Your Big Picture; Your Why; and Your Journey. Each time there is a focus on the individual and the outreach that leadership can provide. Particular note must be made to the practicality of the book. A dip in style approach where voluminous pages of other books are condensed and the goodness of the knowledge is extracted and presented in short, almost bite sized approaches to the learning.
So often these leadership books are about 200 pages long and contain so much padding that they probably could have managed 20 solid pages of information. That’s the real gift from Bailey, the ability to pack a lot in, without the fluff of so many self-help books.
The tag line for the practical ‘how-to’ guide is ‘Why leadership starts with you’ and really encourages the reader to look inward to consider their own position, and where they are headed in their journey. It is only then that true leadership can be made. In adhering to the tenets of the book, it is easy to see how it can be a roadmap for success for practitioners.
Growth and development can be life changing, and there is a real zest and drive from Bailey as she encourages others to take these disciplines on board and use them to their advantage in business and, indeed, in life.
Overall, the book is a great reminder for leaders to be mindful of the vast literature that exists around the skill and approach required for leadership. But first, above all else, the leader must recognise themselves in the mis and take steps to ensure there is clarity and authenticity in their own approach.
A solid, enjoyable and highly practical book that is sure to get dog-eared from repeat reading. Inside Out Leadership does encapsulate much of the learnings from all kinds of source material and presents it with clarity and with a compelling writing style.
Reviewer: Chris Reed