Inspiring Leadership

Many books on leadership are dry and theoretical. This one is different. It comes from the experience of a lifetime of leadership from a special man, Jonathan Perks. His understanding of leadership isn't learned from a book, although he is very well informed about theories of leadership. It comes from his earliest experiences with his father and has been honed in the crucibles of army life and business. What Jonathan has to say about leadership is from his heart as well as his head. It is about what leaders need to 'be' as well as what they need to 'do'. That's what makes it so succulent and practically useful.

As the author says early on, ‘what really matters is how people show up in life.’ This audio book explicitly outlines what the reader needs to do in order to ‘become more effective with other people with less effort.’

Perks introduces a very convincing leadership model and describes it authentically to the listener.

Each chapter is rich with stories, examples and advice gained from personal experience. ‘Unfortunately,’ says Perks ‘most of us take much longer to become wise than we do to become old’. In my view, this book is the guide to becoming wise for people who cannot wait that long.

He introduces many helpful techniques for a leader to use. As a professional expedition leader I have found myself using these. For example 3 questions I now carry whilst I am working with groups: Am I inspired? Am I creating an inspiring environment for others? Am I truly enabling others to release their full potential? Simple, I know, but for a leader in the moment, also effective.

Perks reads this book with humility and authenticity and I recommend it to anyone who is interested by the subject.

I loved every bit of this book. Jonathan Perks has a fantastic way of telling stories and speak so you really listen. I would recommend this book to everyone interested in Leadership. This is a masterpiece in the leadership litterature.
Thankyou Jonathan Perks.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading the paperback version of this book, so much so that I now own the audio version. The Compass model developed by the author is a superb personal developmental navigation tool for anyone in or aspiring to be in a leadership role regardless of the company or organisation, business or military. Anyone reading or listening to Inspiring Leadership will easily see a marked improvement in their own leadership skills as well as an increase in personal and corporate success. This is a must read.

A great read.

Fully recommended to anyone aspiring to move up the corporate ladder.

Jonathan Perks's everyday life examples really bring a personal touch to everyday truths. Additionally, the colourful examples in the audio book make the listen both entertaining and informative.

Well worth purchasing.

I am so happy that at last I am able to label my leadership style, so firstly Jonathan, Thank you!!!

I have listend to it 3 times cover to cover, and find so many areas of the book inspirational, and reinforce in me the importance of sticking to who you are as a leader rather than who you are expected to be.

I spend 10 years in the Royal Engineers, served in the Gulf War and left as an NCO at the top of my game as a minewarfare and counter IED instructor at the School of Infantry. I joined the Fire and Rescue Service as a firefighter and found that I was not reaching my potential fully so from day 1 set myself the goal of rising through the ranks.

I found that the leadership principles you speak of such as 'Serve to lead' and the age old military adage of 'Proper Planning and Preparation Prevent P**s Poor Performance' drove me onwards. It is only after listening to your book that I realised that this was the case.

I completed my probationary period of 2 years in April 2001 and found myself promoted albeit temporarily to Leading Firefighter in the July of the same year, well that was the start. Cutting a long story short I moved through a number of differing roles within the Fire Service and 13 years later I am working in the Chief Fire and Rescue Advisers Unit within the Department of Communities and Local Government as a seconded expert in fire safety enforcement as an Appointed fire inspector for Crown Premises and the Lead Officer for ensuring compliance in English Prisons.

Your Audio book has refreshed my ambition and I have started exploring the power of Coaching and feel that I am starting to find meaning, and if I had taken heed of the 'old hand' firefighters on my first fire station who said things like 'why are you bothering, things will never change' and 'you wont get promoted unless you do it the fire brigade way' I would have found myself in an unhappy place. The spark has been rekindled.
Thanks again.

A couple of years ago I was lucky enough to attend a brief leadership course being conducted by the author. Whilst the course was brief, its impact on me has been quite profound and enduring. When I saw this book in audio format I bought without hesitation and during the last few weeks I have listened to it over and over again whilst out running. The experience moved me, for the first time in my life, to write to an author to thank them personally for such a wonderful piece of original work. The book is indeed inspiring, insightful, practical and hugely thought provoking and I highly commend it to anyone.

"Inspiring leadership" is a philosophy with an incredible sense of applied reality. The author of this audio is clearly not just a writer with great concepts or ideas, he actually is a leader whose experience has something to teach anyone about him/herself. Being a leader is not about scale, about greatness, about recognition, it is about helping others to realise themselves by being yourself, pushing yourself and always being true to yourself... Thanks Jonathan for this virtuous mix of experience and in-depth knowledge that makes it the perfect tool to help anyone with a purpose in life succeed.

This audio book was inpiring as Jonathan uses very relevant and personal experiences to provide leadership lessons. The mix between business and army life is very balanced and the leadership tips are very relevant to all readers. Well done Mr Perks, looking forward to the next edition - John Ennis, Wincor Nixdorf.

By chance I found an audiobook that really got me! Half ways in chapter two I had to stop listening, I was so moved I almost cried. I have been working as a leader since I was 15 yrs. old. In the Scouts, in church, in non-profit organisations, as a teacher in leadership. I become so touched of the message of Jonathan Perks, a unknown englishman (I am a swedish clergy man). “We lack inspiring leader in the Swedish Church, we lack inspiring leaders in Sweden and I want to be one!” Was the thoughts I got listning. Yes I become inspired by what I heard. I have listen to the whole book two time driving to my job, 60 km away. The audio inspirers me, but I had to buy the paper book so that I could study it! There is lots of good questions, good quotes, lots of thing to contemplate on. A audio book don’t work that out so well, (that why I gave it only four stars). I found Perks down to earth, but well grounded in research and pedagogics I bit to manny military and business abbreviation for me as a clergy man in the Swedish context. My problem is how to transform Perks ideas to work in a non-profit organisation, with lots of volunteers, with almost no chain of command. But I am really inspired to try!