BOOK REVIEWER
“ How can you be a good leader if you don ’ t know where you are going and what you are trying to achieve ? A question that seems so obvious but one I haven ’ t stopped to work out – I ’ ve just been busy assisting my executive and getting his goals achieved ”
CASEY HYLAND
Heartfelt Leadership by Kerry Swan
My interest in reading and reviewing this title relates back to my very fast climb from receptionist to EA for a managing director . I was in the right place at the right time , we connected well and I worked extremely hard to prove myself . Since then , I ’ ve learned leadership by observing my bosses . These have all been strong , successful , and seasoned CEOs or managing directors … But they ’ ve all been men . Men , who by their very nature , think differently , are more task-oriented and can be very direct . By reading this book I wanted to view leadership from a female perspective ; to bring more ‘ heart ’ into my role and hopefully add a few new skills to my leadership belt .
It ’ s not a particularly big read and once you start there is quite a bit to unpack but I did enjoy the simplicity of the book . It was easy-to-follow and I had many ‘ a-ha ’ moments while working through the nine principles . Each had examples and activities that helped me make a connection to my situation .
The main takeaways for me were principle four – having difficult conversations ( I was nodding my head throughout the whole chapter because too often we go back and forth in e-mails when a simple conversation could quickly resolve an issue ) and principle seven – feed your team their favourite food . The message around ‘ sharing the doing ’ isn ’ t a new concept but it ’ s so relatable and encouraged me to rethink what I ’ ve been doing with my team .
Something new I ’ ve learned from the book ? Well , when I ’ m the office I don ’ t tend to move from my desk . People will come to me but other than my initial good morning chat , my head is down and I ’ m working . I ’ ve always thought that was a sign of a good boss – leadership by example – but this book has highlighted the importance of the little incidental chats with your team throughout the day .
I ’ d recommend this book to other EAs – and note that you don ’ t have to be managing a team to put some of the lessons to good use . Our role is also to assist with managing the wider team ’ s expectations when it comes to our execs and there were some helpful tips which could also be used here .
I ’ ve been able to refocus on what kind of leader I want to be and I ’ ve integrated a few of the principals into my day-to-day . The most thought-provoking part of the book for me was this : ‘ A heartfelt leader plans for the best but expects chaos and makes necessary adjustments along the way ’. My mind was shouting ‘ Yes ! yes ! yes !’”
Casey Hyland is head of administration and human resources at ARA Australia
Winter Issue 2022 | Executive PA 65