LEAD YOURSELF FIRST

From the title alone, Lead Yourself First: Inspiring Leadership Through Solitude, looked like a title I could solidly get behind.I've said it before: I'm an introvert and a very reflective person besides, so material on how to draw strength from such characteristics has always been welcome to me.

That said, I can't really say that authors Raymond Kethledge and Michael Erwin necessarily offer any particularly compelling insight through their book.

It's hard to dispute the proposition that everyone needs a little alone time every now and then. But the promise of Lead Yourself First is that it aims illustrate how solitude is even more important for individuals in positions of responsibility. Whether the authors are successful in this regard is a matter of interpretation.

On the one hand, the approach used in the book–a qualitative one, which suits the subject matter–allows Kethledge and Erwin to present various cases where solitude contributed to effective leadership. Some of these cases are well known, such as T.E. Lawrence's maneuverings during the First World War, or Winston Churchill's opposition to the Nazi annexation of Czechoslovake, or Martin Luther King's pivotal role in the American civil rights movement. Others are less prominent but nonetheless substantial, typically stories of ranking officers from the U.S. Armed Forces (owing, no doubt, to Erwin's own military background). These are inherently interesting stories, which Kethledge and Erwin use well to illustrate exemplary leadership.

On the other hand, the book's qualitative approach also gives the impression that the authors have pieced together soundbites in support of their thesis, "telling" readers rather than "showing" them and leaving it up to their audience to draw conclusions. As such, I couldn't help but feel that Kethledge and Erwin missed an opportunity to develop and delve deeper into their thesis.

Notwithstanding this, Kethledge and Erwin do provide an interesting framework for contextualizing the role that solitude plays in leadership. They submit that solitude provides leaders with opportunities to achieve clarity, tap into creativity, strike emotional balance, and build moral courage. The various stories they impart throughout the book are in support of each facet of leadership; yet it's hard not to be critical and note all this amounts to the obvious point that everyone needs some "me-time" to "find their center."

One passage of note in Lead Yourself First can be found in the introduction written by author Jim Collins, to wit:

"Productive solitude involves working your mind–not passively, but actively, as you would a large muscle–as you break down and sort and synthesize what is already there. When that process of work and isolation is successful–and when done honestly, it usually is–the result is an insight, or even a broader vision, that brings mind and soul together in clear-eyed, inspired conviction. And that kind of conviction is the foundation of leadership."