Leading with Character and Competence

Moving Beyond Title, Position, and Authority

By: Timothy R. Clark

Narrated by: Wayne Shepherd

Our leadership development programs teach necessary skills, yet we often train individuals who do not have the character to lead, which is a weakness because a leader with skills but no character can be dangerous. But a leader with character but no skills is useless. In this book, author, consultant, and entrepreneur Tim Clark shows how anyone can develop both character and competence.

Clark lays out his model of the "core" (character) and the "crust" (competence) to explain how we can rethink leadership. Most importantly, this model makes no allowance for job title, formal authority, or position. Almost anyone with the right character can learn competence, but Clark makes clear that the formula rarely works the other way around. For each aspect of leadership, he shares a series of mini lessons taken from his research and experience. Clark's book will be a key personal growth tool for anyone anywhere ready to step up, regardless of external labels or job description.

©2016 Timothy R. Clark (P)2016 Timothy R. Clark

A must-read for any student of leadership

I've listened to 48 books since December 2021 on topics associated with leadership, and this is a book I feel is worth reading if you only had to read 1 or 2 books on leadership to truly grasp the fundamental concepts of understanding leadership.