I just read an incredible new book, called "9 Things a Leader Must Do" by Dr. Henry Cloud. Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend wrote a phenomenal book in 2002, called "Boundaries: When to say Yes and when to say No to take control of your life." Both books have really helped me in many ways.

Dr. Could does a great job of breaking down the difference between leaders that accomplish their goals and those that don't. He then exposes the 9 commonalities that all great leaders share, in short (approx 10 pages each) chapters. He proves that being a great leader is not something you're born with, but something we call can accomplish in our lives.

While some of his chapters are things we all know we need to do, like "achieving big goals by taking small steps over time", other chapters really surprised me! For example, the "Earn a Black Belt in Hate" chapter at first glance appears somewhat oppositional to traditional leadership thinking. However, Dr. Cloud does a terrific job in explaining that good leaders need to know what it is that they hate so that they can be open and transparent with those around them. They succeed by "developing the ability to hate the right things well." He says "character is in part formed by what we hate, because we move to be different from whatever it is."

Other topics include ignoring popularity polls, quit self-exaggerating, don't allow negative things to take up your life, explore your heart and desires deeply, and always asking "How can I make this situation better?"

I hope you pick up a copy of this book and benefit from it as much as I did.

Ken.