INTRODUCTION

My goal with this little book is to share with you many of the ideas I’ve devoted hundreds of pages to in my earlier (and considerably more lengthy) works about leadership. This time however my intention is to try and say as much as possible in as few words as possible. Which is going to be something of a challenge, given that I have a hardwired habit of using entirely too many words.

This book can therefore be considered an updated pocket version of my first two books; ‘The 5 Challenges of Leadership’ and ‘Needs Supportive Leadership’ (translated from the Swedish titles). I do not, of course, want to discourage you from reading either of these two fine books but I also recognise the limited amount of time many leaders and managers have to delve more deeply into literature about leadership.

So my hope with this book is that it will be more easy to digest and give you all the information you really need. And nothing more.

This book is primarily based on the Full Range Leadership Model (FRLM), which is one of the most researched and respected leadership models around. It also incorporates some work and organisational psychology research centred around motivation and goals, as both of these phenomena are central to leadership. The book’s main target group is managers and leaders and it has been presented (I hope) in a concise and easy-to-use format. All because I want it to be a handy reference guide for those of you who already have work calendars overflowing with other things to do. However, for those of you that want a more complete overview I recommend further reading on leadership at the end of each chapter.

Leadership is a complex and complicated phenomenon. Not least when it comes to any practical application that at best should be built on a sound foundation of knowledge. Any attempt to try and concentrate all the knowledge of leadership found in work and organisational psychology into some sort of concise formula, to-do list or users manual is only destined to fail. Especially in a book as small as the one you’re holding in your hands right now. My idea, therefore, is not to present a ‘step by step’ guide. The interpersonal interactions that define leadership are probably better served by a basic understanding of the psychological mechanisms that cause and promote motivation and well-being rather than by simplified cause and effect analyses. This book, in its own small way, is therefore all about the former.