Training for Leadership - Brig.Parmodh Sarin(retd)

I was asked to read this book and give opinion before my dept go ahead and buy this for the employees. I had a weekend to complete the task.

My first impression was very poor. The books overall appeal was very ordinary. It's design, the printing , page layout , front cover etc very not something which makes the casual surfer to take and leaf through, if kept in a book shelf.

When you get started, you are hit with a series of pages such as , Preface , foreword , acknowledgement, definitions,prologue and introduction before you get going.

The book is written by a person who was with the Indian Army and not from our walk of life ( so called current generation of sales / IT people).
These days it is a fashion to find management and leadership wisdom from all walks of life. From FISH! market to car sales agency, Ice cream maker to classical music ( here and here) , we are offered with variety of choices from all parts of life.

However, what impressed me about this book was the way it was organised. I found this very structured and crisp. Though he covers the often talked about topic ( for a regular reader of management and leadership books) and quotes the same Jack Welch , Peter Drucker and other management gurus, it still has a style and vision in accordance with his experience.

I am still not very happy about some of the languages used such as subordinate development et all. I found them in appropriate to use for your colleague in the current business scenario ( at least the industry I work in). He also discusses the Quality Circle concept, which I though is already over the hill. There is a important discussion on the difference between Manager and Leader which is worth mentioning here. According to him "Manager works with things and numbers. Leaders work with people and their feelings".

There are no clear and final answer to leadership and team management. Here is another book in this already over crowded space.

Training for Leadership
Brig.Parmodh Sarin(retd)
Manas Publications
236 Pages
Rs495