Leading From The Back: To Achieve The Impossible Book by Harry Paul and Ravi Kant

In this world of organisations with fast-moving marketing strategies, a rush of adrenaline to do something big and a hurry to be a winner… companies are paving their mark on the treadmill of profit without giving cognisance and due credit to human effort or emotions. All the business talk about "Leading from the Front and “Walk the Talk” has left numbness in the humane domain of the organisation, leading to burnt-out employees.

This book took the courage to talk about leading from the back. The leadership model, “Leading From The Back”, looks simple, uncomplicated, easy to use and understand and promises impressive results. The results are not directly related to short-term wins and profit, but look forward to long-term commitments and bonding.

The methods described in the book are simple to read. The book tells the leadership mantra, which is simple but seeks constant practice from those readers who are consciously committed to working on their leadership skills to become a leader from the back. The rules apply to people who are working in companies or at home or, for that matter, anywhere.

This book reminded me of the lessons from Arthashastratri Chanakya. The book tells that a leader requires courage to be the one who stands at the back to support her/his team, letting the team make the decisions while steering them in the required direction without hindering the team's creativity or ideas. The leader from the back readily accepts the blame for any failure but applauds his team for its success.

Without sharing the book's content or the concept, in my view, the book is a winner as this business book is written in simple Indian English and showcases the Indianized situations. The book has aptly divided the chapters for easy understanding and letting the reader absorb the concept.

The book offers a refreshing perspective on leadership that challenges traditional notions.
Leading from the back is a more sustainable form of leadership in a vocal new generation that is no longer shy about sharing its own thoughts and ideas and is ready for heavy loading. The book is a definite thought-provoking read.