Act Like a Leader, Think Like a Leader

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Herminia rekindles a fabulously personal story about her time at INSEAD when she shifted from an individual contributor academic role, to one where she began leading people (other academics) at her school. She says, ‘One of the presentations that I most enjoy making is to our new hires and relates to career planning. In this chapter, Ibarra encourages new leaders to take a more light-hearted approach – observing a range of role models to create their own collage of what they can learn and try out – experimenting with new behaviours and playing around a bit with their sense of who they are rather than ‘working’ on it. Experimenting with different leadership styles and allowing your identity to change, even if it might not feel authentic at first. Act Like a Leader, Thinking Like a Leader by Herminia Ibarra was such a refreshing take on the traditional self-help/leadership style book.

Her action-orientated approach, profound understanding of networks, and wisdom about identity deliver a book that will change the way we think about the transition to leadership. Easier said than done some might argue – particularly if you are still engrossed in the demands of your current role.

What was fantastic was that members of the newly merged team from all over the world took photos of people, individually or in groups wearing the hats. Her genuine and practical voice deeply connects with readers, particularly with her insights on navigating changes and moving beyond one's comfort zone. She explains that in terms of big picture career progression, generally speaking, hierarchical ascension is being replaced by ‘jungle gym careers’ consisting more of lateral moves and that ‘hot projects’ are a key component of this type of career mapping. Some people struggle with this is they think that they're not being authentic but this is just a practical learning way. We will process the refund due to you as soon as possible and, in any case within thirty (30) days of the day we confirm via e-mail that you are entitled to a refund for defective goods.

When you've been presented the opportunity to lead people for the first time, it's best for you, your new team, your organization and your career that you have some sort of guide to assist your preparations. Ibarra argues that if we want to become leaders, then we must drive change with an outside in approach, with what Ibarra refers to as the outsight principle.

The platform can be inculcated by actions such as getting involved in projects outside your area, participating in extra-curricular activities and creating slack in one's schedule. She cautions that the way we think is a product of our past experiences, so to change our thinking we need to do different things.

In that sense, it is heretic: it argues against SMART goals and clear objectives and paints the leadership process as an emergent effort in which goals are shaped by an iterative work on one self.The book presents science-based managerial advice on the importance of networking, how to be an effective leader, and how to make sure your network facilitates your development as a leader and a professional.

In this powerful book, Herminia presents a new model for career reinvention that flies in the face of everything we’ve learned from ‘career experts’. Strong convictions based on personal experience; good, frequent communication, mostly through personal stories; a strong coherence between what they believe, what they actually do, and who they are.Herminia guided me on how to navigate the nuances of getting new experiences and exploring the possibilities of working on extracurricular activities that will help not only learning new things but also getting new contacts. When I recently asked my manager to recommend a book, he gave me a few choices to choose from that he had read while he was completing his MBA program. It has maybe one or two decent things to say about leadership - although it's nothing that a halfway intelligent person wouldn't know before picking up the book. They need to learn by doing just as much as we - to develop our leadership skills - must learn to lead by leading.