In Unusually Excellent, John Hamm writes compellingly, convincingly, and accessibly about the time-worn bedrock principles of leadership. Peppered with sports analogies and sprinkled with germane and interesting business anecdotes, Hamm shows us time and again that the most successful leaders are committed to a personal set of core principles that generate power--and a following--through authenticity. It's a reminder to all of us, regardless of whether we hope to helm a Girl Scout troop or a Fortune 500 firm, that having a strong moral compass--and committing to the direction that that compass points--is a timeless lesson we'd all do well to heed.
Unusually Excellent certainly is that, but it also happens to be unusually engrossing, enlightening, and entertaining. I wholeheartedly recommend it. Unusually Excellent: The Necessary Nine Skills Required for the Practice of Great Leadership
This is fundamentally a practical guide for leaders to realize their full potential. This book packages diagnosis, case studies, and actionable tools for leaders to achieve their best. It's a fabulous read - inspiring & exceptionally useful. Highly recommended.
My mentor and a fellow CEO sent me a copy of Hamm's book. Hamm's career allowed him to see many of the technology industry's "unusually excellent" leaders up close, and in this book he shares a practical framework for great leadership.
It's a quick read and the framework is useful to understand the core qualities that separate average leaders from unusually excellent leaders. Hamm's model notes that competence is only 1/3 of the battle, with credibility and consequence rounding our the model. Self-awareness, trust, a compass to navigate challenging decisions, the ability to share and empathize...are all EQ level traits. Pure competence, IQ, is not enough. Lehman, Enron, AIG....all companies full of high IQ people who lost their way and operated without a compass.
Hamm's book celebrates self-awareness and authenticity as key tenets of leadership. It's worth reading.
In Unusually Excellent, John Hamm aims to provide a reference book rather than some glitzy and shallow airport biz book. He hits a bullseye. The back to the basics approach is perfect. This book is logically organized, well stated and supported with memorable real-life examples. Unusually Excellent is on my "must read" recommendation list for colleagues, friends, and any recent grad starting a career.
Many leadership books ignore the necessary practice of management, and management books ignore the essentials of leadership. Hamm's model considers both simultaneously.
At times, our strengths and weaknesses as leaders can blind us to the whole tapestry of leadership/management requirements and skills. We focus on what we are particularly good at (or bad at) and forget about the other critical elements, or the context of legacy. The Unusually Excellent model is straightforward and complete, and a great framework within which to consider personal strengths and weaknesses.
Even though I wouldn't know a one wood from a putter, the golf and other sports analogies worked for me, and clearly were authentic for Hamm. The model is grounded with compelling stories that bring out the "color" behind the model.
The observations in the book match my own experience as a leader. Several times, I made notes in the book as I read along, only to find that point was coming in the next paragraph! The real-world business examples - successes and failures - were also very compelling.
Unusually Excellent is an engaging read that will give you new insight into the totality of skills necessary for the integrated discipline of leadership and management.
I believe that John Hamm's book, Unusually Excellent, exposes an unmet need for today's top executives who are facing unprecedented and unpredictable challenges. They are continually in the pocket to use a football metaphor and are just not thinking as clearly or seeing the broader picture. This is the point in time where they are most in danger of doing something stupid and where, as John puts it, they need to be able to habitually do the basics of leadership well (a la the 9 leadership essentials). Practicing the coaches tips contained in Unusually Excellent to strengthen their leadership muscle memory when in the pocket would be priceless and seen as a smart decision.
Unusually Excellent is a must read for every student and practitioner of leadership. This very well organized book is based on John's incredibly diverse background -- as an operating executive, a start-up CEO, a venture capitalist and a leadership coach among others. These experiences have given John a unique point of view on the practice of leadership which he brings together in a compelling and practical manner in "Unusually Excellent".
I am one of the fortunate few to have benefited from knowing and learning from John. I am delighted that he has decided to write this book and share his insights and experiences with a wider audience. This book has already found a prime spot in my personal collection of classics on management and leadership. Highly recommended.
I purchased Unusually Excellent last month off of Amazon and after reading it have ordered and given away another 10 copies. This is a text book on the practical study of leadership. I have found it helpful to re-read chapters to make some of the lessons and observations stick! I hope many many leaders in business and government read and learn from this book. It would also be great if it found its way into some B-School classrooms!'
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