I absolutely loved this book. I opted to read this book as a part of NetGalley and then forgot to download it. But I found an audiobook on Scribd and was able to read this GEM!

Whether you're a small business owner who is stuck and wants to expand, or you're an executive in a big organization, this book has huge lessons on how you can be a better leader. It has a clear roadmap with proper exercises that if done, will help you get a fair bit of mental clarity, and most importantly, peace. As a leader, you have to realize that your role is more than getting things done. Your role is holistic and actually impacts more people than you know. In such a case, making sure you're a leader who is kind and impactful is NECESSARY.

Many times, even when we're in leadership positions, we can't bring ourselves to mentally adapt to that level. This causes a lot of stress. Stressors can be related to overwork, improper delegation, lack of processes, or simply overcomplication. Sorting these out mentally can ensure a healthier lifestyle for us and for the people who work for us.

This book is powerpacked with learnings and I will definitely be re-reading it again to glean more insights.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. To be honest, I skimmed this more than outright reading. I liked what I read enough that I have my own copy to read now. Seems like the author made some good points.

This book came along at the right time. I recently began a new job as a manager, and as a first-time manager I've gained a lot of insight into the leader I want to be.

A fair amount of material on my reading list are books written by leadership consultants and executive coaches. This is certainly deliberate on my part, as I’m always on the lookout for insights to be more effective in the organizations for which I’m responsible.

It’s not always the case, however, that the books I read make me feel like I just underwent a coaching session that helped put some important things into perspective. Yet that’s exactly how I felt after reading Amy Jen Su’s The Leader You Want to Be: Five Essential Principles for Bringing Out Your Best Self—Every Day.

What’s refreshing about Su’s point of view is that she espouses a “whole-person approach to leadership.” While it’s understandable for many leadership scholars to focus on the technical aspects of the matter, Su makes the necessary case that effective leadership entails taking care of one’s whole person. She writes:

Ultimately, effective leadership must attend not only to a leader’s external world of effectiveness—things like results, progress, and output—but also to the leader’s internal world—drivers, motivations, and influences. Any leadership approach that will sustain you over the course of your career as you continue to grow and take on bigger roles requires a deep, honest look inward as well as an outward gaze to remain mindful of your impact.

Thus, the leadership framework Su presents in The Leader You Want to Be is one that involves self-care, self-awareness, and personal agency in order to transform individuals from leaders of tasks, to leaders of teams, and ultimately to leaders of leaders.

Su has a lot of interesting nuggets to offer readers keen to see leadership in a new light, such as the five “P’s”—Purpose, Process, People, Presence, and Peace—that are central to her leadership framework and around which the book is organized. As these are best appreciated by reading the book itself, suffice it to say that The Leader You Want to Be would be a valuable addition to any aspiring leader’s toolkit.

I like the approach this book took to not be yet another collection of productivity tips, but how to focus your work, and the work of the team you lead, on the five principles that make you want to succeed.

I would say that one of the most important resppnsibility of a leader is that of oneself. One cannot be an effective steward of others lives if he or she is failing to recognize the need to develop oneself.

This book helps leaders to anchor the principles of purpose, process, people, presence, and peace. Readers would benefit on the ideas as well as the practical exercises given in every chapter.

If there is one thing that I would like this book add, that would be more stories. I would like to experience more of the stories of people who exemplify the principles of this book.

The Leader You Want to Be would be great for managers starting out or new business owners. There is some good information and advice.

This is an interesting read about taking control of yourself and being a leader, but due to the examples and references it is suited to the corporate or business environment rather than a wider sphere. I didn't find a lot of new material but I have read a lot of books in this area. It would be a great book for young managers just starting out on their career path. The author is very knowledgeable and the book is easy to read. A good book for a specific market.

Very thoughtful book and great content. This is the book I would recommend reading, taking notes and reflecting. Building a leader within own self takes time and effort, takes guidance, tries and errors. I like the stories in the book. They are very interesting and engaging and helped my a lot to look back at my own situations and re-think differently. Thank you for ARC!