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Quiet Leadership

Six Steps to Transforming Performance at Work

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Quiet Leadership

By: David Rock
Narrated by: Pete Larkin
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Summary

Improving the performance of your employees involves one of the hardest challenges in the known universe: changing the way they think. In constant demand as a coach, speaker, and consultant to companies around the world, David Rock has proven that the secret to leading people (and living and working with them) is found in the space between their ears. ""If people are being paid to think,"" he writes, ""isn't it time the business world found out what the thing doing the work, the brain, is all about?"" Supported by the latest groundbreaking research, Quiet Leadership provides a brain-based approach that will help busy leaders, executives, and managers improve their own and their colleagues' performance. Rock offers a practical, six-step guide to making permanent workplace performance change by unleashing higher productivity, new levels of morale, and greater job satisfaction.

Business Communication Career Success Leadership Management Management & Leadership Personal Development Stress Management Business Employment Human Brain
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Fresh off of finishing Your Brain at Work, I was keen to dive deeper into David Rock's work. As a first-time people manager, I'd hoped that a practical approach and steps to improving thinking would be useful for me. Ultimately, I found that Quiet Leadership was far less memorable than Your Brain at Work, while covering many of the same themes.

The continuous reference to the PDF attachment was also distracting. I prefer audiobook productions to go the extra mile to ensure a good audio experience vs. just a direct reading of the text.

In terms of narration, I found Pete Larkin's performance to be adequate, if a little bit dry.

If you're looking for some new direction on 'thinking about thinking', this is 7 hours well spent, but I think you'd be better served by putting in the extra three hours and going for the much more satisfying Your Brain at Work.

Rock's Vision is Best Heard Elsewhere

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The most interesting aspect of this book is in it’s explanation of the brain and how it relates to our thinking and overall experience. I am glad I chose the book for this reason.
I’m sure the principles to apply in the book can work in some situations, as long as the “quiet leader” is faced with positive individuals with self awareness to see their current reality for what it is. Sadly, there are too many situations where some people we are charged with leading, are either unaware of their behaviour, or have an altered perception of it. The only insight into such situations is when David Rock writes about applying the principles to teenagers. Even here , the example given is with one who is unbelievably compliant when approached by a sanctimonious and patronising parent.
I also struggle with the closed question format of “asking for permission.” There could be a sting likelihood when asking “I’d like to talk to you about x, is it okay to do this now?,” to get the response “no.” Better to ask “how about we talk about x?” That will get a better response.
Getting people to do their own thinking is a good idea, but so is getting people to talk about their feeling, or their beliefs about a current situation, and that element is conspicuously absent from Rock’s approach.
I’m afraid I found the narration of Pete Larkin as described above: patronising. If my manager spoke to me with the tone he uses, I would think: “so you have swallowed a textbook.” It doesn’t sound sincere, and tone in coaching conversations is so vital for success.
Overall, a book with some useful insight. Not a panacea of course.

Some useful tools

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I bought this audiobook after listening to 'Your brain at work' which was fascinating. Quiet leadership was also very inspiring, but it required more concentration to listen to. I usually listen to audiobooks in the car when I am driving and this book needed a bit more focus. There are quite a lot of exercises to put into practice what you are learning about, but I think I will need to listen to it again at home and make notes to get the best out of it. Definitely worthwhile though, and very thought provoking.

Inspiring, but needs attention

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recommended this book during business coaching. Some great ideas and concepts for those trying to develop their leadership skills. However I did find it to be more an academics book and rather more suited for those who do the coaching than receive it.
Certainly he seems to be very well renowned in the field as the creator of the SCARF model, so you can be reassured of his pedigree in the field. I just felt in the end it to be more theoretical than operationally sound
Also one bit of warning I don't think anyone on the planet loves David Rock as much as David Rock, so if this type of individual sends you the wrong way I would give this miss

more for the professional than the layperson

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Easy to follow, great content and super practical things to try in ‘real life’. Tues in really well with coaching methodology and makes the link to leadership and high performing teams

Loads of great content

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