It’s so tempting to dive in to the “latest and greatest” theory about leadership and team building. It seems that every few months, another book is released that flies off the shelves for a few months, only to be replaced by a new book and a new paradigm shortly thereafter.
This onslaught of new terminology and sometimes divergent information can be confusing – especially if you’d just like some decent advice about becoming a better leader or a better team member.
Fortunately, there’s no need to wade through the “New Releases” in the non-fiction section every weekend. In fact, many of these texts are riffs off of familiar themes long ago discovered and written in classic texts.
A great book leadership and team building
One such text is The Art of Worldly Wisdom by Balthasar Gracian. Gracian was a Jesuit priest who wrote 300 maxims for living at peace in a group setting, such as a monastery.
Don’t think that this bit of advice only applies to the reflective and spiritual life of a monk. Remember that 400 years ago, the Church was a major political force. This advice isn’t just how to live peacefully in a group, but how to get a group to follow your lead and support you as well.
Imbued with subtle humor and fully applicable to modern-day business and group settings, The Art of Worldly Wisdom contains such gems as:
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When to end a discussion
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How to create a desire for more of your companionship
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How to inspire a team to follow you
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When to be a good follower
If you haven’t read it, please do pick it up. It’s two dollars as a download on Amazon – and I promise, no one will finish the book without improving their leadership (and follower-ship!) skills.