What makes this book different from the many other books on leadership?  This second question in our recent interview with Kogan Page made us think about both the obvious and the uncommon aspects of the book.

The most obvious answer is that the book is structured around our own framework which addresses 5 relatively common leadership themes.  But what’s really distinctive is that each of these explores an uncommon insight, designed to help leaders think differently, and to help them build a competitive advantage.

Although perhaps the real question should be:  did managers and leaders find the book different and if so, how?  Well, in time-honoured fashion we’ve tested it on a few managers before committing it to print, and here’s a summary of some of their feedback:

• The cases and examples were singled out as especially helpful.
• The balance of scholarship and a practical toolkit has worked for readers so far.
• A Harvard academic described the book as ‘a tour de force of the experiences and lessons learned from seasoned, successful leaders all integrated into a fascinating intellectual package’. (We’re proud of this one!)
• One manager even said she couldn’t put it down … (we’re even prouder of this!)

So we think the book has much about it that is different from other books.  Although we’d love to hear what our other readers thnk!