• Why Leadership Sucks tm

  • Fundamentals of Level 5 Leadership and Servant Leadership
  • By: Miles Anthony Smith
  • Narrated by: Miles Anthony Smith
  • Length: 4 hrs and 38 mins
  • 4.0 out of 5 stars (65 ratings)

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Why Leadership Sucks tm  By  cover art

Why Leadership Sucks tm

By: Miles Anthony Smith
Narrated by: Miles Anthony Smith
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Publisher's summary

What is ethical leadership? Is there a difference between leadership vs management? What is strategic leadership? What is the most effective leadership philosophy? Do you wish your company had leadership coaching and leadership courses, or are you frustrated with executive leadership? Do you long for more participative leadership? You are not alone.

So why does leadership suck?

It sucks because real leadership is hard, requires selfless service, and because the buck stops here. Servant leadership or Level 5 leadership is uncomfortable, humbling, self-denying, painful, and counterintuitive; nonetheless, participative leadership is the only kind of leadership that brings lasting results, genuine happiness, and true self-fulfillment.

The book is divided into four parts:

  • Part 1: To serve or not to serve. Educational leadership requires servant leadership.
  • Part 2: Do what's best for your organization. Discusses various aspects of organizational leadership and culture
  • Part 3: Humility 101. Leadership principles of self-examination, apologies, authenticity, controlling and displaying emotions, and handling adversity are examined.
  • Part 4: Specific management situations, focusing on business leadership competencies.

Here is the leadership training and leadership coaching you will learn from Miles and experience in Why Leadership Sucks?

  • Why servant leadership is a superior leadership philosophy and a better long-term strategy.
  • Develop executive leadership skills with practical action steps.
  • Learn from real world examples from the author's educational leadership experience.
  • Quotes on leadership help highlight and introduce sections within each chapter.

To discover why ethical leadership is frustrating and learn strategic leadership principles for your leadership journey, download a sample or purchase Why Leadership Sucks now.

©2012 Kompelling Publishing (P)2013 Kompelling Publishing

What listeners say about Why Leadership Sucks tm

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Excellent Review of Existing Books

Mr. Smith’s book is an excellent synthesis of existing popular management books ranging from classics like “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” to more recent works such as “Blue Ocean Strategy.” There is no groundbreaking information presented, with many of the works mentioned as required reading in many MBA programs. However, this audiobook is a good review of basic communication concepts that many forget after B-school. Right from the start, this book contains a very heavy, explicit religious bent throughout that may be off-putting to many readers. Laced with bible verses and references to “ultimate” rewards for being a good leader/manager, Mr. Smith implies a very particular and narrow moral high ground for many of the expressed opinions and practices.

The stand-out quality of this book is its fantastic production and excellent narration by the author.

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8 people found this helpful

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Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown...

Stan Lee is often credited with the statement, “With great power comes great responsibility.” “Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown,” said Shakespeare in Henry IV Part II. Either statement is perhaps an apt synopsis of the book, “Why Leadership Sucks: The Fundamentals of Level 5 Leadership and Servant Leadership.” The book does an excellent job of detailing the price, the frustrations, the rewards, and the responsibilities that go with leadership.

Far from an aggressive battle cry, the author creates a thoughtful portrait of what it truly takes to be a leader and why the big corner office may in fact be the last place you want to be. He also paints an honest picture of the rewards of leadership as he interweaves the key suggestions of numerous other popular-press management books and adds insights based upon Christian theology. To his credit, the author takes pains to carefully cite his source material, and near the end of the book he even lists his sources and suggests additional readings.

Some might be tempted to criticize this eclecticism of influences as derivative. However, here the combination works. Plus, in only a little over four and a half hours, you can gain the key insights of more than 30 hours of books. I know. I’ve listened to or read the majority of his source material previously.

Appropriate to the tone of the material, the author/narrator does not employ a forceful motivational speaker tone. This is not to say he will put you to sleep, but this is not the audiobook to keep you pumped up for a long drive.

All in all, this audiobook is a good choice for the aspiring executive, or the proven one, looking for an efficient way to gain the key insights of much of the current popular-press management literature. It’s worth the time.

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Bible not leadership lessons

What would have made Why Leadership Sucks better?

This book, like most religious works, is a list of should's and ought's without much "how when it's tough." I have no problem with the author or his message. I would appreciate packaging that clearly presents this as being a work based on one man's faith and not research.

What could Miles Anthony Smith have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Warned those who have had enough Bible for one lifetime that there are more references to Jesus than Buffett (or anyone else).

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Miles Anthony Smith?

James Earl Jones

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Why Leadership Sucks?

I'm not the target audience. I respect deeply religious people who take their cue's from Jesus and the Bible. For those of us looking for different leadership role models, help save our time and money focusing on different courses.

Any additional comments?

I respect everyone's beliefs and am 100% OK with anything Mr. Smith wants to believe. I would appreciate if Audible.com would classify this as religious and not business because there is more applicable to salvation than servant leadership.

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3 people found this helpful

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  • CC
  • 02-24-15

No One Said It Was Easy At The Top . . .

I really enjoyed this read as someone who is getting ready to make her move for a corner office in the next six months, I read anything that will give me a leg up. When I started reading this book I realized that I was listening to the Voice of Experience with respect to the information.

Whether Author Smith gleaned this knowledge from living it or watching it he got the system and the pitfalls down pat. I enjoyed reading of his personal experience and his subtextual thoughts on everything it takes.

True some of it is personal choice but . . . it is backed up with antedotes and musings from a corner office veteran. The structure was conversational vs preachy and you could almost see him leaning in your office doorway from time to time. For a folksy chat about corporate structure and motivation.

Overall the price of the ticket was well worth the ride I recommend this audio to all levels of management and want to be management. Great commute time, make it work for you.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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What a Great Listen!

Would you listen to Why Leadership Sucks again? Why?

Yes! "Why Leadership Sucks" is a great audiobook! It addresses the difficult to discuss topics when in a leadership position, as well as provides guidance on completing tasks when these topics hinder production in the workplace. The author does not hold back! It is very straightforward and discusses common and uncommon topics that leaders in any organization deal with.

Who was your favorite character and why?

This audiobook isn't based on specific characters nor based around a particular story. This audiobook addresses real life situations from a leader's perspective.

What does Miles Anthony Smith bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Miles Anthony Smith does not hold back when it comes to addressing the issues that leaders in a workplace face. This author establishes these issues and provides guidance to addressing them.

Any additional comments?

I would certainly recommend this audiobook!

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    5 out of 5 stars
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A great introduction

What made the experience of listening to Why Leadership Sucks the most enjoyable?

You get a real insight into the great leaders of the past and how they can effect you in your management style, not always meaningful to your management but a skill that needs to be learnt to progress in other areas of leadership.

What did you like best about this story?

This shows we are all leaders, and by ignoraing that we do not doo ourselves or our colleagues justice

What about Miles Anthony Smith’s performance did you like?

You really get a sense you are in a small group discussing the subject, a really personal approach that allows you to reflect more.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made me calm and reflective, it is a boom to make you think about you and how you portray yourself in your life

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Great Intro to Leadership Culture

Would you listen to Why Leadership Sucks again? Why?

I would not read this book again. However, it is not because it is not good. It is a good intro book for those who have never read a book on leadership. The leadership beliefs of the author are in line with common leadership gurus like John Maxwell. If you are looking to begin the process of reading about the collective theories on leadership, this is a great place to start.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

The book starts out very cogent with master themes about leadership. It ends with "campfire stories" as one reviewer put it. So, you have to reorient your expectations towards the end of the book as multiple short stories and allegories about leadership. All good nuggets of wisdom.

What about Miles Anthony Smith’s performance did you like?

He puts himself out there and is very transparent in his own journey through learning these principles. By no means does he make you think "he has arrived" and you are not as great as him.

Any additional comments?

If you are a person heading into your first middle management job: director or even vice president, this is a great place to start for you. If you are heading to the executive suite, this book may contain principles you have already read before.

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Campfire stories from a veteran leader

What made the experience of listening to Why Leadership Sucks the most enjoyable?

Miles Smith interweaves personal introspection with the wisdom from great leaders in order to urge each of us to do better at work and at home. This is not a photoshopped picture of leadership. It is genuine. It is direct and honest.

What did you like best about this story?

Many leadership books are only applicable to people already in an official business position. This book understands that everyone is a leader on some level. It can help improve our caliber of leadership while better understanding the strengths and/or weaknesses of those leading us.

What about Miles Anthony Smith’s performance did you like?

Miles shares his book as if he were sharing campfire stories about leadership with his friends. Some triumphant tales - some ghost stories - all useful to anyone wanting to be a better leader.

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Well written but too many Biblical references

What did you like best about Why Leadership Sucks tm? What did you like least?

I received a free Audible audiobook in return for a review through LibraryThing's Early Reviewer giveaway.

Started off well, but I was somewhat shocked when the author started using verses from the Bible as his references.

For people new to management textbooks, this book is probably as easy to read as most, but one issue to these "newbies" is that there isn't any real explanation of levels 1-4 of leadership while the book is about level 5.

There are some very good discussions (e.g. management vs. leadership and envy vs. jealousy) but far too many references to the Bible for my taste. If you don't find such a sneaky attempt at indoctrination into Christian beliefs offensive, add an extra star onto my rating.

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Inspiring audiobook!

Any additional comments?

Learn what it takes to become a level 5 leader, also called servant leadership. Leadership is hard. Do you have what it takes to be a leader? Can managers be good leaders too? This audiobook will inspire you to become a better leader!

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