SHORTLISTED: Business Book Awards 2022 - Leadership
Find out what makes great leaders tick, learn what it takes to be credible and read about the things that they'd do differently if they had to do it all again.
The Nine Types of Leader introduces some obvious and some not so obvious types of leader through stories, anecdotes and insight garnered from hundreds of encounters with world-class leaders. Featuring interviews with industry titans including Jean-Francois Decaux of JC Decaux, Michael Rapino of Live Nation, Zhang Ruimin of Haier, Gavin Patterson of Salesforce and Isabelle Kocher of Engie, it explores how the leaders of tomorrow will improve their game by borrowing from the very best of the nine types of leader that exist today.
Renowned journalist, James Ashton assesses the strengths and weaknesses of each leadership type, highlighting where and when they are best deployed, whilst helping you identify who you are and how you can improve performance. As the world seeks to recover from drastic disruption and uncertainty and the most acute test of leadership in living memory, it projects how future leaders can learn from what has gone before.
About the Author
James Ashton was city editor and executive editor at the London Evening Standard and Independent and before that city editor at The Sunday Times and chief city correspondent at the Daily Mail. During this period he covered some of the biggest economic and corporate stories of recent times.
Today he regularly writes columns and interviews for several national newspapers including the daily and Sunday Telegraph and The Times on business, leadership, technology and investment. His podcast, 'Leading with James Ashton', features bosses from the worlds of business, charity, the arts and sport, swapping stories about how they learnt to lead.
Industry Reviews
"This is a very well researched and uniquely observed encyclopaedia of leaders and leadership. A must-read for all current and aspiring leaders." * Dame Cilla Snowball, Wellcome Trust Governor, GREAT Private Sector Council Chair and former Group CEO and Group Chairman of AMV BBDO *
"Every successful business is the result of successful leadership. However, there are wildly different types of leaders, with different strategies. Different markets, organizational cultures and industries require different leadership. And your own abilities and style determine your own leadership. James Ashton has produced a fresh, thoughtful, modern look at business leadership that will provide key insight to leaderships everywhere." * Reid Hoffman, LinkedIn Co-founder, author of Blitzscaling and host of Masters of Scale podcast *
"I've always said life is 50 per cent luck and 50 per cent what you do with it. James Ashton's The Nine Types of Leader captures the luck and actions of CEOs around the world, and then turns it into an opportunity for you to look at what you've been given and use it to shape the leader you will become." * Ajay Banga, Mastercard Executive Chairman *
"From interviews with a who's who of global business glitterati, James Ashton's new breakdown of nine types of leader is purposeful, authentic and delivered with his trademark readability." * Stevie Spring, Chairman of the British Council and the mental health charity Mind *
"James Ashton has managed to produce a book about leadership that stands out in a busy field and cuts through management waffle. Pin-sharp analysis of the different types of leader, insightful commentary about the many leadership personalities he has interviewed over the years and vivid storytelling. As you read, you can't help but think about the type of leader you are yourself (and secretly hope it's the Human one). A great read - thoroughly enjoyed it." * Rita Clifton, CBE, portfolio chair, non-executive director and author of Love Your Imposter *
"Business leaders are peculiar and brave. Few aspire to it; even fewer succeed. James Ashton has shrewdly tabulated his own butterfly collection of this exotic breed. Long on narrative, short on jargon and very entertaining." * Sir Peter Bazalgette, ITV Chairman and former Chair of Arts Council England *
"James Ashton has a knack for unpicking how leaders' motivations and methods develop over many years. This book neatly compiles a range of different approaches and suggests where leadership goes next as modern corporations and stakeholder demands evolve." * Gavin Patterson, Salesforce President and Chief Revenue Officer and former Chief Executive of BT Group *
"The world needs more great leaders, and James's thoughtful taxonomy points the way towards better leadership. Career-minded executives should pick it up." * Dambisa Moyo, global economist, author, 3M and Chevron Board Director and former Board Director of Barrick Gold and Barclays *
"Packed full of fascinating real-world examples of the leaders that James Ashton has spent years researching and interviewing, this entertaining book shows how the different personality traits of leadership can play out in the human beings running some of our biggest businesses." * Chris Hirst, Havas Creative Global Network Chief Executive and author of No Bullsh*t Leadership *
"A very readable book about the types of modern business leadership, sprinkled with great personal anecdotes and inside stories. If you only buy one book on leadership this year, make it this one!" * Brian McBride, Trainline Chairman, Standard Life Aberdeen, Wiggle and Kinnevik Non-executive Director, former Chairman of Asos and former Chief Executive of Amazon.co.uk *
"A timely book - definitely one for the Davos crowd." * Sarah Sands, former BBC Radio 4 Today programme Editor and former Evening Standard Editor *
