When Execution Isn't Enough: Decoding Inspirational Leadership

I teach leadership and Organizational Development, and read many books and articles on the topic. This is one of the clearest, most practical and usable books on developing a winning organization through inspirational leadership. Well researched as well. A must read!

I wanted to learn more about how a leader can inspire others. As a manager, I had already intuitively recognized that inspiring others to action is one of the most powerful tools in a leader’s toolbox. This book is the first I read on this topic explicitly and I believe it is an excellent starting point. First, the subject is decomposed into its subatomic components such that every piece can be discussed individually, then you get a map of the territory and ideas on how to navigate it to go where you want to go. Finally, there's good advice on how to use this power for the greater good. There's a lot of references at the end of every chapter with ideas on how to go even further on the subject, and these also constitute a positive aspect of this book because this means the authors are basing their advice in a lot of related research on the topics discussed in every chapter. Finally, the book presents a fictional use case where some of the ideas learned in every chapter are put into action and it really helps to make these concepts stick into your mind a little longer. However, this book does not seem enough to me to consider that I have learned what I need to become an inspirational leader. The book is short and lacks practical advice to implement these ideas. I still don't see clearly how I can use this knowledge to gradually grow into this inspirational leader they portrait in the book. So, this book needs to be complemented with others and I will continue my exploration of the topic. This weakness manifests in some sections of the book that are simply too short as if the author didn't have enough insight to flesh them out, leaving me with the feeling that they could have been a little longer if some topics were expanded and covered in greater detail.

I got this book after reading his last book and was not disappointed. Very interesting read and good continuation on his last book.

In “When Execution Isn’t Enough” Claudio Feser takes a unique approach by combining various interwoven elements: research and evidence to demonstrate the value and power of inspiration, entertaining storytelling to illustrate the case as well as frameworks for action and lots of practical tips and hints. The result is an easy-to-read and yet very profound book. For those familiar with research in the field, the theoretical parts might by repetitive. More importantly, the book contains a great deal of practical guidance. Claudio Feser provides a wealth of immediately applicable ideas, based on his rich and comprehensive leadership and counseling experience. Notably Claudio Feser applies his own medicine. He is not trying to evangelize somebody to a certain doctrine but wants to inspire and offer a powerful way of looking at leadership. The fact that he does so with down-to-earth thinking and examples makes the book highly valuable.

I really liked this book. It does a good job of weaving a related story into a "how to" approach. It provides some really good practical steps to understanding why inspirational leadership is so important and it also explains how to improve with it.

I always love books that combine fiction and great content. One can learn while following the story of James Robinson, the fictional CEO in this book. It reminds me a little bit of Russ Roberts' books or Michael Lewis which illustrates complex economics concept in an enjoyable fashion. Those are always among my favorite books. This book does not pretend to provide all the answers to inspirational leadership but rather offer clues and frameworks to adapt one's attitude and behavior in different situations. I personally learned a great deal from the What Are People Like (WAPL) model for instance and even applied it to my day-to-day job. Claudio Feser's first book The Serial Innovator was a success but this book tackles successfully an even more difficult topic and deserve therefore an even bigger praise.

Wow!! What an amazing book!! It's insightful and entertaining at the same time. Absolutely recommend this book to anyone keen to learn more about executive leadership development!!

Great book! Engaging, profound, practical.