Leaders Eat Last? They Should Start with a Bowl of Business Acumen

Review of the Book Leaders Eat Last 

As an expert in the world of talent development, not a week goes by without someone – a client, a participant, a colleague, or the person sitting next to me on the transcontinental flight to London – asking me if I have read the new hot leadership book du jour.  I usually only read about 5 good business books a year but regularly pour through the journals, newspapers, magazines, and our own Advantexe research for the material we use to develop our Business Acumen, Business Leadership, and Strategic Business Selling simulations and learning content.

This past weekend, I finally finished a book I had on my Kindle for over a year called “Leaders Eat Last” by Simon Sinek.  This book has been recommended to me by several people I respect, so it made it to my “must-read-during-the-summer list” (last summer).  The book is very good and provides interesting thinking and practical insights about leadership with the main theme being that great leaders create a team oriented, safe culture where the leader puts their people first at all costs.  Mr. Sinek suggests that modern day leadership isn’t about authority, responsibility, or being in charge, but rather creating a culture where people feel “protected” from the dangers that live inside and outside their companies and jobs. By doing this, employees should be able to concentrate their energy and attention on the big opportunities that they should be focusing on.

While this is a noble and thought provoking notion that makes people happy and protected, I think there is a significant short-coming with the approaches Mr. Sinek presents.  I specifically point out the disconnect between the value proposition and strategy a company presents to its customers and the leadership needed to execute that strategy.  Without a strategy as the guiding force, you can have protected employees who are not aligned and not delivering the right value to the right customers.

I say instead of leaders eating last, leaders should eat a big delicious bowl of strategy first!

Here are some of Mr. Sinek’s leadership ideas from his book and how I see them through the lens of Business Acumen and Business Leadership.  Many of my thoughts and comments come from watching participants learn and develop leadership skills in our computer-based business simulation workshops and then successfully taking them back to their jobs.