Donald Macrae Gordon

From Technocrat to Leader 2019 Donald Macrae Gordon

This compelling book provides practical and ethical guidance to all people who are on the path to becoming leaders.
The author focuses on the foundations of leadership - trust and care. All other aspects of successful leadership rely on the successful application of these fundamentals.

If you are to succeed as a leader your people need to trust you; this trust frees them to accept the care that you as their leader want and need to provide.

The author has woven through the book many stories of the sometimes-difficult lessons he had to learn about leading, plus examples of the joyous and deeply rewarding experiences he has had through being trusted by his people and caring for them.

The book covers in depth how to build trust, and rebuild it if lost. It details behaviours and attitudes that can destroy trust. It lists many ways to show care for your people, and the benefits a leader will derive from showing care.

There is discussion of the particular challenges that technically-trained people face in becoming leaders, and how to overcome these challenges.

There are practical exercises at the end of each chapter to reinforce the learnings from the chapter and to allow the reader to reflect on their own achievements and developmental needs in that particular aspect of leadership.

Here is one review of the book, by Emeritus Professor Gary Martin, CEO of the Australian Institute of Management WA:

'If you have ever been thrust into that difficult situation of having to take on a leadership role for the very first time, and with little understanding of what that role entails, here's a book that has just come to your rescue.

'In Technocrat to Leader, Donald Macrae Gordon explains the difference between technical skills and people skills, and highlights how the ability to build trust, the capacity to develop an effective workplace culture and being able to empower others is central to becoming a great leader.

'Whether you are teacher moving into a principalship, a salesperson about to take on the position of sales manager, or even a lawyer who is about become a managing partner, this book will boost your chances of a successful debut in your new role, and will allow you to fast track the development of a range of critical attributes and capabilities which are often neglected by leaders and managers new to their roles.'