Act Like a Leader, Think Like a Leader

Your powerful strengths, not weaknesses, are actually holding you back

Good afternoon, friends! Welcome to the ReadVault Club. I'm Tom Niklas, a seasoned writer and book reviewer. Please subscribe to me and join us in reading 52 books a year together.

Today I’d like to discuss the book "Act Like a Leader, Think Like a Leader." As I mentioned earlier, this book is incredibly important – it left me in a cold sweat after reading it because it challenged many of our past beliefs.

For instance, I had lunch with a friend who remarked, "You know, the most important thing is to figure out what kind of person you want to become." We've all said that before, thinking the key is to plan where you want to go and who you aspire to be.

But this book tells us that approach is extremely dangerous. Why? Because when you're always trying to envision your ideal situation, you’ve been limited by your current state of mind. That's the cap on your current level of awareness. And that ceiling could limit the direction and speed of your life's growth. It's what we call the capability trap. Basically, the better we get at something, and the more we do it, the easier it is for us to get stuck in a rut.

Take how we define our jobs, for example. Many people use their skills and talents to describe their work, like "I'm an accountant" or "I'm a programmer." But sticking to what we already know how to do boxes us in and blocks positive personal growth. The heart of this book is flipping the script - instead of the old approach of navel-gazing, making plans, and taking baby steps, you have to start acting like a leader if you want to think like one.

The author, Herminia Ibarra, argues that goal-setting doesn't reliably motivate change, whether at work or in life, because we set goals too early.

You should do it backward: act first, then reflect. Learn from how leaders operate, and follow their actions, and then your mindset will shift as your scope expands to tackle new issues. Then you can redefine yourself from that broader perspective, instead of being constrained by your initial conception.

We naturally assume you must figure everything out beforehand – which traps people in repetitive routines, thinking "I haven't figured that out yet." You can't figure it out because you don't know how successful people actually do it. Staying in that trap, constantly thinking about the problem, won't lead to change.

The only way is to stop overthinking it and observe how others succeed, emulating their actions until you gradually understand. And just reflecting on your own isn't going to solve your real issue. Why? Because you're still thinking in the same old patterns.

As Aristotle said over 2,000 years ago, "You become a good person by doing good things." You don't become a good person first and then do good acts, but consistently doing good turns you into one.

So this book's core is that only changing your method of operating can truly change your life – it's the act-then-reflect process.

We've got to conquer three major pitfalls, and this book gives us three game-changing methods to counteract the unconscious traps we fall into daily. I'm not going to lie, reading it made me break out in a cold sweat.

Why? Because real change comes from the outside in, not the inside out. We've got to start acting like leaders, stepping way outside our comfort zones and doing things we've never done before.

So when do we start making changes in how we act?

Opportunities arise when your job brings changes and challenges. Folks who base their whole work identity on their skills and talents? They hate change with a passion.

Like if you're a rockstar engineer, an individual contributor, and your boss suddenly asks you to lead a team - you'd think, "Are you kidding me? Can't I just do my thing and be the best technician? Managing others isn't my forte nor what I want."

Now, you're missing a chance to redefine yourself as a leader. Therefore, the next time life throws you a curveball, that's your chance to reinvent yourself as a leader.

This book outlines three simple steps to act as a leader: first, Redefine your job. Next, Rebuild your network. And then, change how you operate.

Redefining your work

Let's dive into redefining your work first. To dodge the capability trap, you must recognize that sticking to what you're already great at can be addictive.

First-line managers are often promoted from top individual contributors. But many stagnate because they only believe in solving problems - "Come to me with any issue and I'll fix it." The book shares a case study about Jeff, a guy who loved resolving his employees' problems so much that he was always swamped.

His team eventually drew a pyramid representing Maslow's hierarchy of needs, but at the base, they added "Solve Problems" - Jeff's most primal drive, more essential than survival!

When you're that entrenched in a base need, you're hopelessly trapped in your capabilities. The more adept you become, the more you cling to it. No one dares to promote you since you're indispensable in that role, limiting your team's growth to just what you can oversee.

So how should a true leader's work be defined?

An insightful concept is that great leaders connect their organization to the outside, not just internally.

There are two models: the centralized leader who sets team goals, assigns roles and tasks, monitors progress, manages performance, facilitates meetings, and fosters a positive climate - basically planning, organizing, coordinating, and supervising like typical managers. When caught in the capability trap, you become the organization's linchpin - everyone calls you to solve their issues since you're the internal connector, keeping you perpetually buried.