Act Like a Leader, Think Like a Leader

Herminia Ibarra, a professor at the business school INSEAD, reverses the usual advice to think first and act later. Leaders change, she argues, through action and experience rather than introspection, and the book is based on her flagship executive education program at INSEAD. She asks managers to make small but crucial changes in three areas: redefining their jobs to contribute more strategically, widening their networks to learn from more stakeholders, and loosening their attachment to a familiar leadership style. The result is what she calls outsight, the external perspective gained from direct experience and experimentation, which then reshapes how a leader thinks. Self-assessments help readers pin down their own leadership challenges, and the material addresses new and seasoned leaders alike.

Deal'n founder Nadia Al Sheikh found it a simple, interesting read that pushes people not only to work on themselves but to put themselves out there, learn from leaders and figure out what kind of leader they are.