Unleashed: The Unapologetic Leader's Guide to Empowering Everyone Around You

Robert K. Greenleaf (1904-1990) is generally associated with the concept of servant leadership. Here is a brief excerpt from one of his essays, first published in 1970: "The servant-leader is servant first...It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. That person is sharply different from one who is leader first, perhaps because of the need to assuage an unusual power drive or to acquire material possessions...The leader-first and the servant-first are two extreme types. Between them there are shadings and blends that are part of the infinite variety of human nature.”

In TouchPoints: Creating Powerful Leadership Connections in the Smallest of Moments (2011), a book co-authored with Mette Norgaard, Doug Conant shares valuable insights on effective servant leadership in the workplace. He observes that “each day is an elaborate sequence of TouchPoints: interactions with one other person, a couple of people, or a group that can last a couple of minutes, a couple of hours, or a couple of days. Those TouchPoints can be planned or spontaneous, casual or carefully choreographed. They take place in hallways, on factory floors, in conference rooms, on the phone, and via e-mail or instant messaging. Some deal with straightforward, relatively minor issues, while others involve complex challenges with wide-ranging effects.

"Sadly, leaders often see these interactions as distractions that get in the way of their real work: the important work of strategizing, planning, and prioritizing. Only, these touch points are the real work. They are the moments that bring your strategies and priorities to life, the interactions that translate your ideas into new and better behaviors. How do you do that? By infusing each TouchPoint, no matter how brief, with greater clarity and genuine commitment.”

I share all this with you -- no doubt testing your patience -- because I want to establish an appropriate context, a fame of reference, for the wealth of invaluable information, insights, and counsel that Frances Frei and Anne Morriss provide in Unleashed.

They nail it in this passage: "Your job as a leader is to create the conditions for the people around you  to become increasingly effective, to help them fully realize their own capacity and power. And not only when you're in the trenches with them, but also when you're not around, and even (this is the cleanest test) after you've permanently moved on from the team."

Whatever their size and nature may be, all organizations need effective leadership at all levels and in all areas of the given enterprise. Throughout history, most of the greatest leaders seem to have had a "green thumb" for "growing" leaders from among those entrusted to their care. Consider my favorite passage in Lao tse's Tao Te Ching:

"Learn from the people
Plan with the people
Begin with what they have
Build on what they know
Of the best leaders
When the task is accomplished
The people will remark
We have done it ourselves."

According to Frei and Morriss, the practical definition of leadership used in this book is that "leadership is about empowering other people as a result of your presence -- and making sure that impact continues into your absence. Your job as a leader is to create the conditions for the people around you to become increasingly effective, to help them fully realize their own capacity and power."

Throughout their lively and eloquent narrative, they stress the importance of this orientation as the scope and depth of one's leadership mandate increases.

These are among the passages of greatest interest to me, also listed to suggest the scope of Frei and Morriss' coverage:

o Empowerment leadership (Pages 12-14 and 165-192)
o Trust (31-58)
o Love (59-87)
o "Ten Ways to Set Higher Standards Tomorrow" (78-80)
o Belonging (89-127)

o "Ten Signs Your Organization Is Stalling" (92-94)
o Attracting diverse talent (95-104)
o "How to Attract Great Women" (98-101)
o Make sure everyone has an equal opportunity to thrive (104-114)
o "How to Create Spaces Where LGBT+ People Feel Like They Belong" (110-113)

o "Why We're Often Skeptical of 360-Degree Reviews" (117-119)
o The right strategy for when there is an absence of direct, hands-on leadership (135-163)
o What is culture? (166-172)
o Do you have a culture problem? (172-179)
o Culture Change Playbook (182-185)

Obviously, no brief commentary such as mine could possibly do full justice to the abundance of valuable information, insights, and counsel that Frances Frei and Anne Morriss provide in this volume. However, I hope I have at least indicated why I think so highly of them and their work. Ultimately, however, the value of the material can only be determined by these three factors: how well a reader absorbs and digests it; how carefully they select whatever is most relevant to their organization's specific needs, interests, resources, and objectives; and finally, how effectively the reader and their colleagues apply the material to enrich the given enterprise.

Had it not been for the COVID-19 pandemic, more than $70-billion would have been spent this year on formal and informal leadership development programs and much (if not most) of these efforts would have either failed or fallen far short of expectations. Why? Reasons vary but perhaps the most common reason would again be a lack of focus on helping people to accelerate their personal growth and professional development [begin italics] by helping others to do so. [end italics].

In this context, I am again reminded of this African proverb: "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together."

This book resonates the important message of empowering people in organizations and how to do it right. It presents a straight to the point discussion on what it means when you empower everyone to be at his/her best.

While many leadership books talk about the development of the leader, this one pushes the envelop by discussing how does a leader make a long lasting impact even on his/her absence.

I really like that the book narrates really well and has the fluidity of a normal conversation. Every chapter ends with “gut check” which serves as a good point to reflect on the leadership realities of the reader in light of the insights just provided.

Frances Frei and Anne Morriss did it again! After the profound wisdom they shared with the world in Uncommon Service: How to Win by Putting Customers at the Core of Your Business, they are now disseminating a revolutionary idea about leadership – it’s not about you! Rather, they believe that it is about unleashing and empowering others both in your presence AND in your absence. Breaking leadership down into its essential elements, Frei and Morris use various and differing examples of companies and leaders (including their own experiences) to diagnose the challenges of being a good leader and offer actionable solutions and frameworks for growth. They convey their concepts and frameworks with humor and ease, in a way that reads more like a fireside chat than a formal leadership discussion. Certainly if you enjoyed Frances’ TED Talk on trust, you will immensely enjoy this book!

Frei and Morriss offer an abundance of valuable information and insights to provide fodder for an even larger discussion on leadership. I cannot recommend this enough:

This book is a page-turner and an absolute must-read for everyone!

I've been using this model, which comes from an article about Integrative Leadership called "A Pebble In The Pond: How Integrative Leadership Can Bring About Transformation" by Adam Perlman MD et al, in my community college course since 2017. The original article was published in 2014, long before these authors supposedly came up with the idea.

Hands down, the most informative and practical book on leadership I have read. Frei and Morriss have leveraged decades of experience and research with leaders and organizations across the globe and industries, unlocking the tools leaders need to truly empower everyone around them. I have already incorporated lessons from this book and I'm so grateful.

Really appreciated the way the book was set up - very easy to read and filled with great information. Helpful for any type of leader

As an executive with decades of hands on experience - THIS IS the book to read! It teaches and motivates. It makes you learn, feel, think and reflect. Unleashed meets you where you are and takes you where you need to be. Thank you for inspiration!

Improving in today’s corporate world is about empowering other people around you—and this book teaches you how to do that and assess your own effectiveness of doing so. I’ve found so much value from this book and would recommend it to both seasoned and aspiring leaders.

This book has inspired me to be a better leader, not only in my business, but in my life. Not just "inspire" in a "rah rah" way, but by actually giving me tools to do so and to understand the deeper opportunity that lies in leadership for your own development as well as that of others. Frances Frei and Anne Morriss are brilliant. Highly recommended!

Be prepared to stretch.

From the first chapter to the last, you are invited into a leadership journey of transformation that promises to increase your capacity and those who come into your circle of influence. Seeing leadership as service to those around you is one of the most powerful shifts and lessons for corporate leaders, today.