The 5 best things I learned from “Great Leaders Have No Rules” (Kevin Kruse)

I don’t necessarily agree with the “contrarian” or “no rules” description but the lessons here are extremely valuable. Anyone can learn from them. In fact, I particularly liked the way in which the author provides a section called “The Takeaway” at the end of every chapter. These takeaways are specifically tailored to managers, sales professionals, sports coaches, military, parents, and individuals. Basically, there’s something here for everyone. It’s well worth a read.

Sometimes it feels like the author is name-dropping and at first that annoyed me. However, I started to see that by drawing on a wide range of leaders, the author is able to present a more meaningful summation of good leadership thinking.

There’s so much here that everyone will take something different from the book. For me, the five best lessons the author presents were:

Be more intentional about open door and closed door office times. This will allow you to increase productivity while still be accessible. “If your door is always open, even figuratively, you never know what your day is going to look like. In contrast, keeping the door open only during limited and preset times allows you to keep control and prevents others from interrupting your flow” (p. 13).

Schedule everything. Everything. “Live from your calendar, time-block family dinners or homework or reading at bedtime, and ensure that your time matches your values” (p.117)

Don’t be afraid to treat people differently. Reward the high achievers; don’t spend too much time on the troublemakers; help people find and use their unique talents. That’s fair. “In a misguided attempt to be objective and fair, too many managers treat all their team members the same. That’s an extremely unfair way to treat your best performers” (p. 135).

Love people, be transparent, and forget about being liked. Measure yourself against how well you adhere to your values, not the opinions of others. “Some of what I value: transparency, treating people fairly, making decisions objectively, caring for my team members. Those are the standards that I’ll measure myself against, not whether or not the people at work like me” (p.75)

You’re leading. All the time. Even when you don’t realize it. Will you be a positive or a negative influence? “Leadership, with its endless definitions, is most often boiled down to one word: influence” (p. 183).

An Unexpected Win: Work-Life Balance

Although there’s something here for everyone, there’s a particularly big benefit for leaders who are also parents. I didn’t anticipate the valuable insights on work-life balance and how to be a more effective parent. Definitely an unexpected win!