The Leadership Gap: What Gets Between You and Your Greatness

This was an insightful book and an easy read. The gaps were a good lessons for all leadership archetypes described by Daskal

After reading the Leadership Gap, I felt like Lolly was my own personal leadership coach. The leadership framework she presents in the book really brought to life the strengths and weaknesses anyone has experienced trying to lead other people. I’m more clear than ever on what I need to improve about myself to reach my full potential, easier said than done but I’m more confident having read Lolly’s advice.Here are my three big takeaways from the book and why I recommend giving this a read:1) All leaders face the same challenges. Whether you’re leading a small church group, run your department at work or lead a Fortune 100 business, you’ve got undeniable strengths and weaknesses to be aware of. The weaknesses are your leadership gaps, as Lolly calls them, are directly connected to what makes you a successful leader. The framework for identifying what you have and what you lack as a leader is universal as Lolly has spent one-on-one time with all different types of leaders and chronicled the patterns she’s seen first hand.2) Lolly’s framework is highly actionable, which is refreshing. There’s useful theory in the book about why leaders act they way they do, but most importantly her suggestions are able to be put into action. The multitude of examples of all different types of leaders in the book brings life to each aspect of her framework. Learning how others have triumphed and failed due to their strengths and weaknesses as leaders makes her advice more accessible.3) I greatly appreciated the simplicity and clarity of the writing used throughout out Lolly’s book too. I’m quickly turned off by business jargon, buzzwords and overly academic language, which was not the case with this read. I’m a fan of conversational books like Lolly’s, where the word-choice and sentence structure is focused on driving home the point of an argument in a smooth and concise way. It was clear from the beginning that it was Lolly’s goal to keep her advice and the leadership framework simple to remember. With all the information we’re taking in every day in 2017, I liked that Lolly named the entire framework RETHINK as it’s much easier for me to remember and reference on the fly.If you’re looking to improve as a manager, politician, supervisor, business owner, executive or otherwise, than I highly recommend picking up a copy of the Leadership Gap. It quickly became one of those books I’ve referenced again and again, which isn’t common for me as I typically read books once.

Lolly Daskal’s The Leadership Gap stands out among the large pack of contemporary leadership-focused books.Rather than offering advice similar in nature to that found in other works – as is so often the case in today’s library of leadership-related offerings – Daskal examines important personal attitudes and behaviors that humans often do not detect within themselves, but which can lead to professional self-sabotage.Specifically, The Leadership Gap explores the shortcomings that reflect the downsides of the positive characteristics that have helped people achieve success and assume leadership roles; the book helps readers to identify the factors and behaviors that serve to sabotage their own treks towards greatness. Often, Daskal points out, people tend to ignore their own deficiencies, and, instead, address difficult situations in manners that worked for them to resolve prior issues – a strategy that is doomed to eventual failure. As is true in nature, adaptation is absolutely critical to reach one’s potential in today’s ever-changing world.The Leadership Gap explores seven archetypes of professionals – explaining how each of the seven exhibits both amazing skills and corresponding growth-blocking “gaps” – and providing readers with guidance as they seek to identify both important positive and negative traits within themselves. Armed with such knowledge, readers gain greater clarity into both the strengths and weakness of their leadership styles, as well as into how to better adapt and pursue success as leaders.Daskal’s book is based on the substantial knowledge and extensive experience that the author accumulated over the past 30+ years coaching executives, entrepreneurs, and other leaders – including high-profile folks whose success stories have become the subject of articles and books. I have personally benefited from Daskal’s coaching, and I strongly recommend learning from the wisdom that she shares in The Leadership Gap.

Lolly has taken the time to think through and identify seven different archetypes that leaders identify with, and their opposite stumbling blocks that interfere with our success and achieving greatness. Her approach is solid and relatable. Her book is loaded with so many excellent takeaways, it was difficult to put down because I was engaged and energized. My only disappointment was reaching the end because I wanted to read more. Lolly hits the nail on the head with The Leadership Gap! By yourself a copy, and a few more that you can give to your friends, because it will definitely be a greatly appreciated gift! I can't wait for her next book.

At long last (for me) a great book to read that kept me mentally entwined with its pages, chapter after chapter. Well laid out, allowing me to formulate new plans for my way forward. Areas of leadership I never considered (maybe just a different perspective, but don't we all need that). Never be afraid to mark a book with parts that strike a cord with you, to repeat is to flattery. Will be reading again so most of what inside sinks in. Thank you.

This book gives you a huge potential to find what kind of leader we are or can be.A masterpiece that helps every leader to recognise the gap that hold us back.

Good value and service,purchased as a gift for my daughter who follows the author." very pleased with her gift "

Great read! Highly recommend!

I liked the stories in the chapter which were quite relatable and insightful too.I would recommend this book to people who want to explore the unknown-unknown of the Johari window for themselves as well as for others.Thinking about the leadership archetypes and gaps and superimposing them on the characters I know helped me better understand the source of their behaviour.The book is an easy read and can be finished quickly.I really likes the tool at the end of the book and a few more basic tools could have helped the book earn a few more stars.