Each page contains life-giving truths that I needed to read as I prepare to lead an organization that’s been ravaged by leadership lacking emotional agility.
I am confident in my abilities as an emotional agile leader and am excited to implement the practical applications from this book into the mode of operation within our organization.
Brian SchafferAs a young man: The Emotionally Agile Leader contains a wealth of information that all young people should read, digest, and practice.
Rather than learning by mistakes, a young reader of this book should be able to navigate the dangerous minefield of developing into a successful leader of people and organizations.
If read properly the book becomes a “how to” book to accelerate one’s leadership development.
My only problem is that as a young man I did not think I needed this type of book. It would have seemed too “old fashioned.” But, it is exactly the type of read that I should have undertaken. I don’t think leadership is natural…rather, our natural bent is more aligned with bad leadership. Your perspective would have helped me a great deal.
As an old man: The Emotionally Agile Leader reminds me to be intentional as I interact with my colleagues
(professionally and personally). Old dogs sometimes fall into bad habits and your book is a strong reminder
that one should never stop working at becoming a great leader.
Resonating: The leadership style you promote, aligns very closely with the way I try to model and deliver leadership. I share the belief in nearly every element you called out. We could likely talk for hours on this subject and I can give first-hand accounts (good and bad) of almost every situation.
Challenging: I think this style comes more naturally to some than others. People tend to lead based on their own strengths (and weaknesses), what they see modelled and what they deem as “success”. I don’t believe the concepts in The Emotionally Agile Leader is overly prevalent in corporate America. It is more about achieving “hard/quantifiable” outcomes (e.g. financials, dates, reductions), than “soft/non-quantifiable” benefits (people care, navigating change, focus). Senior corporate leadership is often abstracted and insulated from the rank-and-file and do not relate well to their concerns/challenges.
Who should read: Less experienced leaders will get a lot from this book. Mostly as food for thought, and they will be more open and less set in their ways early on. Existing leaders that are failing; maybe they will embrace a change and make a change for the better. Established self-aware leaders that realize that they do some things well, but want a fuller set of criteria for self-development.
Additional thoughts: I suspect The Emotionally Agile Leader will become more needed/prevalent with Millennials (and future generations with different priorities) entering the workforce. There has to be a reason to stay with a given company and compensation is just a part of that equation. Direct leaders have a huge impact on how we enjoy our day-to-day jobs and if we stay. Companies are dependent on their people (employees) to deliver the best products and services, and those people (employees) deserve the best leadership!
A must read… Kevin has beautifully revealed essential keys to maintaining a strong ability to lead in today’s chaotic world. It strikes me that His Emotionally Agile approach is essential to maintaining good health and balance. We are in a battle and often it’s within ourselves!
Everyone leads in some form or fashion and Kevin has offered an approach to life in general. Every single reader will undoubtedly benefit. I’m excited to get this book into the hands of everyone on the team at Rose and in my family at home!
No surprise that Kevin has offered a deep and thoughtful piece on his concept of Emotional Agility. This book is a must read as it explores concepts that go way beyond leadership, and are critical for a us to achieve a peaceful mind and longer life.
Sometimes it seems we go to battle every day, leading our teams and fighting our competition. In a wonderful way, Kevin delivers the map to peace and success for all who read this book and take action.
There is a fitting use of military quotes leading the reader into each concept!
Kevin has delivered a leadership development piece containing wonderful, thoughtful therapy and specific actions for leaders. Take advantage of that rare combination!
The book is engaging at all points….even when I felt like it was punching me in the gut. The analogies make it easy to digest, I am used to your writing style from your articles and this book did not disappoint.
This book is about becoming the best version of yourself as a leader, when facing any given situation, to serve your people through a relevant approach.
This books gives you a play by play on what emotions to look for and what to do to make the best of them.
This book is about people.
This book is a glossary of emotions any leader will want to be able to identify. It helps you understand what those emotions are and how they show up in yourself and in others.
This book gives you an idea of how to harness and use those emotions to achieve goals.
This book can help you understand your value and responsibility as a leader. This is applicable to anyone who wants to lead regardless of industry, tenure, or limitations.
Roger CantuThis is a really impressive effort on your part. It is both a thorough overview on leadership as well as a deep dive into individual components of being a successful and important leader. Because of that, it is valuable to the reader whether he or she chooses to carefully read through it word for word or to skim through the pages looking for topics that stand out. And regardless of the approach, every reader will find one or two or many things that resonate in their own past experience or, more importantly, that they can apply in their current experiences.
This is a real handbook for recognizing what kind of leader you are and for identifying steps you can take to improve your approach, effectiveness, and ultimately your satisfaction as a leader.
I will certainly need a copy to occasionally pull off of my bookshelf to assess a situation or to loan to a developing or struggling leader who truly desires to reach a fuller potential.
I thoroughly enjoyed the read. It was easy to follow and very informative. It was an easy read and caused me to think about myself as a leader and a person. These are keys that I can use in development of other leaders in the church and other areas that I serve in.
The information shared was enlightening and encouraging. The information was presented in a way in a way that was logical and easy to follow. It was a joy to see some of the things that both helped and could hinder a leader.
The perspective on how to handle some of those more difficult attitudes and minutes were very refreshing. The ideas expressed where ideas that every leader should aspire to connect with in their lives.
Your insight into the subject truly was reflected on the pages of this book.
As I read, I could feel Bowser painstakingly peeling back the veneer of my years filled with mediocre leadership practices. His insights made me most uncomfortable, but his prescriptions for application made me finally aware of how to become a truly effective leader.
Filled with common sense anecdotes and drawing from brief observations of some of history’s most recognized leaders, Kevin Bowser connects the enormous challenge facing leaders today (that is, remaining dynamically relevant and effective) with the crucial task of laying a reliable foundation of skills stressing the value of the person, not the profit.
Great read. You have taken a vast amount of material and boiled it down to key points of application. Early in my career I was floundering because my leaders were fixed on themselves. I needed someone to take the time to walk me through materials while developing an implementation plan. You have provided an example of this in your book. I could follow your premise, apply the material through your examples and laugh at my own failures as you shared some of yours. The practical nature of apply Emotional Intelligence to leadership describes what I craved early in my career in education.
Facing the twilight of my career, you reminded me to make sure that I leave the field of education and ministry better than I found it. You provided succinct and practical steps for me to engage today, so tomorrow’s leaders advance where we have progressed to today. Thank you for the challenge, methodology and focus on results. I will use this in my planning and evaluation of the coming school year.
Whether in my work with students, or with faculty and staff, this frame will allow us to bring the best to our instructional focus.
The book takes a more direct approach to leadership. It cuts out some of the gray that we tend to live in. I believe doing this raises the accountability factor for current leaders or people looking to become leaders.
I believe defining technical leadership & agile leadership provides additional clarity on leadership styles and are often mistaken for each other. Your book definitely speaks to what companies are experiencing in todays economy. As companies constantly realign to meet client demands, leaders need to possess the emotional intelligence needed to lead their teams through our changing economy.
Leaders should be in a constant state of learning requesting feedback from other leaders and their staff on a regular basis. (you reference this point many times and I like it. – its a great reminder).
Your conclusion is strong. You mention several different stories that are real life scenarios that tie it all together. I think people will be able to relate to them.
There are other great pieces in here as well. Triggers, strategies and coping mechanisms sections all speak as reminder to current leaders and people looking to become leaders.
I think what is especially nice about your book is that the material applies to work AND home. Your book can be a real call to action for those looking to take greater accountability in their personal and professional life.
“The Golden Rule playbook for business leaders and what should be considered when making decisions”
I can’t put my finger on what the benefit would have been earlier in my career unless someone had really cared about my EI. So it’s a moot point at this stage of my career. I didn’t take to training all that well so… The benefit today is that I have a blueprint to do the following:
1) Enhance and Improve my emotional agility
2) Understand how to work better with different people, personalities and styles while realizing that I am attracted to the “influence” aspects vs power and authority driving change
3) Kevin has delivered a timeless blueprint that allows those who struggle to cement a legacy;
He shares the most meaningful way to impart success for others is to bring them into the idea generation process — a multiplier effect that is as immeasurable as it is applicable to any organization, as well as, your family and homelife.
Having been a captain both on ships and in business, I can honestly say that this writing addresses the performance qualities necessary when your footing in the chaotic world is constantly changing underneath your feet from moment to moment. Have your basic skills solid (learning), keep your head about you (emotionally stable), and lead… don’t manage, don’t boss around, don’t yell, and don’t scream and shout… lead confidently and intentionally. Why do we want to lead this way? Because people depend on you to do so; when in the tumult they are the most affected and confused. They need their leader to maintain that firm yet flexible hand at the helm, making constant adjustments and corrections as needed. This book will help to be that leader.
“In a world full of grey between leaders and followers, Kevin Bowser cuts through the fog, showing us that people matter most, and since people are all different, the emotionally agile leader must seek first to understand, all the while remaining courageous enough to attack waves of conflict head on to minimize damage. Counterintuition is rampant in Bowser’s philosophy, and for that we are grateful.”
These past couple of weeks have been chaotic as I transitioned to my new position. Reading your book was the one thing that helped me through without losing my mind and managing situations out of my control.
YOUR BOOK WORKS. And know that at least one person has been positively impacted by your writing. I have read EI 2.0 but this provides a better way of applying the concepts. So far, it has given me tools that I know I will use in my current position and as I grow professionally.
Each page contains life-giving truths that I needed to read as I prepare to lead an organization that’s been ravaged by leadership lacking emotional agility.
I am confident in my abilities as an emotional agile leader and am excited to implement the practical applications from this book into the mode of operation within our organization.
Sandy MargerAs an avid reader, rarely is a picture so well etched in your mind at the forward that the reader is given the opportunity to recall this image for reference throughout the read. Refreshing is a thought as we’ll balanced and brought together as this. A must read for any leader with a desire to grow!
I read it straight through and I found it not only interesting in prose and deliberate in content, but also insightful and inspiring. The book coaches you right through the different sections with Intentionality that is refreshing and drives home the purpose of different sections with memorable stories that lends clarity to the message.
I found myself feeling proud that I had executed successfully in my leadership roles according to some of your precepts and then also feeling regret that I hadn’t been as successful in other areas of my leadership facets.
I found the writing to be clear, easy to follow, complimentary to one’s knowledge & experience all while being instructive without being pedantic.