Sustained Leadership WBS

Despite the many books, college degrees, and numerous think tank and institutes dedicated to leadership we still seem to be sorely lacking in those who truly understand leadership and can appropriately lead a team, a company, a city, a state, a government, a charity, or a charitable institution. Each seems to be in the news daily with another story of a failure which when finally understood is a failure in leadership. Throughout the world people have failed to be leaders.

Using project management disciplines and applying them for the first time on how to “build” a leader, The Sustained Leadership WBS (Work Breakdown Structure) provides a comprehensive assessment and project tool to permit anyone to improve their leadership capabilities and opportunities. The Sustained Leadership WBS will inform, coach, and persuade people to embark on their personal journey of leadership development.

The author, Tom Reid, has written four previous books along with more than two dozen articles related to business, contracting, government, and leadership. He holds a BA, JD and MPA and has over 35 years of experience in leadership. The current work is devoted to the subject of developing yourself as a leader, a subject the author has taught for many years and demonstrated in the many leadership roles in which he has performed.

A simple Amazon search under “Leadership” shows that nearly 200,000 books on the subject are currently available. Each takes a very narrow view of just one or a few of the many aspects of leadership. Almost all are of limited scope, in part dictated by the conventional view of limiting the number of words a reader will absorb. The Sustained Leadership WBS provides both the comprehensive “big picture” and the bite-sized parts for proper consumption.

There are books covering nearly every aspect of leadership. Treated in isolation they provide a very incomplete picture of what it truly takes to develop yourself (or your team) into leaders. While we have access to the leadership secrets of George Washington, Colin Powell, Abraham Lincoln, the Founding Fathers, Attila the Hun and even Santa Claus, none of them provides a comprehensive view of all of the many aspects of leadership. Unfortunately, failing in any one of the key areas of leadership, defined in The Sustained Leadership WBS as Character, Competence, Compassion, Communication, and Commitment, will result in the ultimate downfall of the person, removal from the leadership position, and occasionally even incarceration.

Using project management principles, this volume provides a comprehensive view of leadership, detailing all 229 elements of the “project” of building a leader. Rather than the 10 things every leader should know, or the three secrets of successful leadership, provided here is a complete inventory of things leaders must do, be, and accomplish. It is set up as a workbook that provides the complete work breakdown structure of leadership, the WBS dictionary that explains what each element addresses, and a self-assessment chart. If the reader feels that they need to improve in a particular area, additional resources are provided along with a space for the reader to provide specific actions and deadlines. With this tool, the reader has a complete project plan to improve their leadership potential. The leadership need is ubiquitous. Individuals, corporations, and institutions of all sizes will benefit from the Sustained Leadership WBS training model.

There is no greater need. There is no larger audience.

There is a great need for quality leadership in all aspects of life. People are constantly seeking ways to improve themselves. Having a detailed project planning tool for improving themselves and making them feel good about themselves addresses the two primary motivators for embarking on the leadership journey. It reduces the pain of a stalled career or unemployment or lack of leadership opportunities, and makes people feel good about themselves as they improve themselves and their contribution to society.