Before introducing "Horizontal Leadership", it is necessary to recommend another book of the same kind - "Managers' Reference: Leadership Improvement". This book comes from ManagerReads, which covers many concepts and skills of leadership, and is very valuable for those who want to comprehensively improve their leadership. However, for those who do not have direct subordinates, it is more suitable to read the book "Horizontal Leadership", and I will take you to read this book intensively.
Leadership is a very important career skill, whether in a managerial or non-managerial position, leadership can help people better coordinate their teams, drive their work and achieve better results. And for those who do not have direct reports, how to improve their leadership? The book "Lateral Leadership" provides some very practical advice and strategies to help these people improve their leadership level in horizontal relationships.
In this article, we will give an in-depth introduction to the main theories and content of the book "Lateral Leadership", and how to apply these theories and strategies to practical work.
The concept of lateral leadership
The author of the book "Horizontal Leadership" is Roger Fisher, a well-known American leadership expert and professor, in which he proposed the concept of horizontal leadership. Horizontal leadership refers to how those without direct reports lead in horizontal relationships, aligning teams, driving work and achieving better results.
Different from traditional vertical leadership, horizontal leadership puts more emphasis on the importance of cooperation, coordination and influence, because these personnel often have no direct subordinates and cannot drive work through orders and delegations. As such, they need to build trust, cooperation and influence in horizontal relationships to drive work and achieve shared goals.
build trust and cooperation
In horizontal relationships, building trust and cooperation is very important as this helps to build good working relationships and promotes teamwork. The book "Horizontal Leadership" mentions some techniques for building trust and cooperation, such as:
(1) Understand the work and goals of others: To build trust and cooperation in horizontal relationships, you first need to understand the work and goals of others. Knowing about other people's work and goals can help you better understand their needs and challenges, which leads to better coordination of efforts and the development of good working relationships.
(2) Actively participate in team work: Actively participating in team work can demonstrate your ability and contribution, and can also increase your exposure, thereby increasing your popularity and influence. In addition, actively participating in team work can also help you understand the needs and motivations of team members, so as to better coordinate work and establish good working relationships.
(3) Offer help and support: In horizontal relationships, offering help and support can build trust and cooperation, and can also increase your influence. If you can help others solve problems or provide valuable advice, then you will be seen as a valuable partner, which will increase your popularity and influence.
influence the others
Leverage is very important in horizontal relationships because it helps you move your work forward and achieve shared goals. The book "Horizontal Leadership" mentions some techniques to improve influence, such as:
(1) Building a personal brand: Building a personal brand can increase your popularity and influence, thereby increasing your influence. If you can demonstrate your professional competence and values, then you will be seen as a valuable partner, increasing your influence.
(2) Leverage your network: Networking can help you build connections and increase your influence. If you can build and maintain a wide network of people, you can use those networks for support and resources to increase your impact.
(3) Utilize negotiation skills: Negotiation skills can help you achieve better results in horizontal relationships. If you can use some negotiation skills, such as listening and understanding the needs of the other party, and making valuable suggestions and solutions, etc., then you can better influence others and promote work.
resolve conflicts and problems
Conflict and problems are inevitable in horizontal relationships. How to effectively resolve conflicts and problems is very important. To this end, the book "Horizontal Leadership" puts forward the following suggestions:
(1) Find common ground: When resolving conflicts and problems, it is first necessary to find common ground between the two parties and establish a cooperative relationship based on common ground. This increases mutual understanding and trust, leading to better resolution of conflicts and problems.
(2) Use communication skills: Communication skills are the key to resolving conflicts and problems. If you are able to use effective communication skills, such as listening and understanding the needs of the other person, expressing your own views and opinions, etc., then you can better resolve conflicts and problems.
(3) Seek third-party coordination: If the two parties cannot reach an agreement, they can seek third-party coordination and assistance. A third party can provide neutral viewpoints and suggestions to help both parties find solutions and solutions to problems.
Overall, both "Lateral Leadership" and "For Managers: Improving Leadership" are excellent guides to leadership development. In contrast, the book "Managers' Reference: Leadership Improvement" is more comprehensive. If you are a person without direct subordinates and want to improve your leadership, then the book "Lateral Leadership" is a very good choice; if you want to have a comprehensive understanding of leadership concepts and skills, it is recommended to read "Manager See: Leadership Development. No matter which book you choose, it can help you become a more successful and effective leader.
Summary of "Lateral Leadership"
Horizontal Leadership helps readers build trust and cooperation, increase influence, and resolve conflict and problems in horizontal relationships by providing practical advice and techniques. In today's workplace environment, lateral leadership has become an essential competency. If you want to succeed in the workplace, it is very important to improve your lateral leadership. And "Managers' Reference: Leadership Improvement" is also a good book about leadership improvement. This book provides many practical advice and tips on leadership, such as how to motivate a team, how to build an effective team, how to manage time and resources, and more. These tips and tricks apply not only to superiors, but also to leaders in horizontal relationships. If you want to improve your leadership, then this book is very worth reading.