Improving the performance of your employees involves one of the hardest challenges in the known universe: changing the way they think. In constant demand as a coach, speaker, and consultant to companies around the world, David Rock has proven that the secret to leading people (and living and working with them) is found in the space between their ears. "If people are being paid to think," he writes, "isn't it time the business world found out what the thing doing the work, the brain, is all about?" Supported by the latest groundbreaking research, Quiet Leadership provides a brain-based approach that will help busy leaders, executives, and managers improve their own and their colleagues' performance. Rock offers a practical, six-step guide to making permanent workplace performance change by unleashing higher productivity, new levels of morale, and greater job satisfaction.

Customer Rating:
Summary: Handbook of Vision and Respect
Comment: In the interest of full disclosure, I just finished a training seminar taught through David Rock's agency because I first read the book. The seminar, in fact, changed my view of the book. That is because The Art of Quiet Leadership is quite dense. In some respects, it speaks to two different readers. One reader is the "in the trenches" leader who is looking for methods that will yield powerful results but be easy to apply. In speaking to this reader, acronyms and easy models create applicability. The problem, however, is that some concepts did not fit neatly into categories. And then some categories had some sub-cagtegories which overlapped with yet other categories. To wit, I finished the course and I still can't state with clarity what these 6 steps are. The other reader audience is comprised of those who seek sound theory pegged to more scientific vetting. The mention of brain science correlates to the methods but doesn't necessarily prove their efficacy. Nonetheless, the concepts and approaches, regardless of category or blind studies, are extraordinarily powerful. The reality is that most people in positions of leadership did not study leadership theory nor do they have the time and patience to figure out how to apply it in complex, real-world situations. This book does provide the tools to keep leaders focused on vision and getting people to come along in a respectful way. If you are looking to walk away with one simple shift in perspective, this may not be the book for you. If you want a manual for very effective use in the field, this should be on your bookshelf and well-annotated.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Leadership Results Coaching
Comment: David Rock presents a six-step approach to coaching for results. His methodology is sound. He offers clear sets of coaching questions at each stage of a process that uses leadership coaching to transform results. The tools in this book facilitate learning and practicing leadership skills that take performance at work from good to great.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Involve Them in the Conversation
Comment: When telling does not work, "Why not try asking questions?" might be another way to describe the "Quiet Leadership" approach advocated by training and coaching consultant David Rock in this book that describes his performance coaching methodology of leadership. Designed to get the other party to think, rather than react to your thinking, Rock presents his Six Steps to Transforming Performance as the six sigma of performance coaching. Others might describe the process as respecting the individual (looking for the positive and the possibilities) and using an active listening process to help them get clear on the issues, constraints, and possible solutions. However you say it, the thinking behind the coaching process is solid as a `Rock' and any leader interested in developing the potential of his/her people might pick-up some useful tips from reading this book.

Dennis DeWilde, author of
"The Performance Connection"

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Excellent Leadership Book
Comment: Quiet Leadership provides guidance for leaders who have busy schedules but still want to be able to provide valuable, effective guidance to their staff in an efficient manner. Many times, we don't teach people how to work out problems and how to think outside of the box, this book gives leaders and managers guidance on how to change their behavior to accomplish this task in an easy, non- threatening manner that is efficient an effective.

The book is designed to assist people who have busy schedules, but still want to provide effective, high quality feedback and professional development for employees. The techniques are based on research on how the brain functions and how to make the changes become permanent.

I found that the brain-based research helped me to understand why these strategies help leaders change their staff's behavior through listening, talking through an issue, allowing the staff member to come up with a solution that works and finally through following up with the staff member and ensuring accountability. This book is an excellent resource for people who have personalities that are fairly laid back and wants encourage others to attain their full potential.

I liked the fact that the author advises the leader to stop giving advice, rather ask questions and listen to the other person to truly understand the issue and work collaboratively to come up with a solution that will work. In addition, the book explains how to do all of this in a non-threatening manner that encourages collaboration in the workplace.

The book is designed to read over a long period of time and the author expects that the reader works to include the activities into their daily life to embed new habits into the reader's behavior patterns. The activities are very valuable and eye-opening to do. The principles in the book are even more effective for busy people because the author teaches you how to effectively provide guidance and leadership in very shirt periods of time, no more than 30 minutes per session.

I liked the fact that the author addressed issues relating to students and working in groups. I am a teacher and also manage a staff for after school programs. The book goes into some detail about how to use these principles when working with unique groups which is a very helpful thing.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: The Leading Edge of Leadership
Comment: Quiet Leadership is the best book I have read for tying the most recent advances in neuroscience to leadership behaviors, particularly coaching. Having worked with leadership and coaching for a long time, and just recently starting working with neuroscience, I am personally thrilled to see all of these tied together. I strongly believe that the use of neuroscience in all aspects of business will grow rapidly, so this is a very timely contribution. It is worth reading just for the first sections.

However, the coaching methodology of the Six Steps is too complex for me -- too many steps and substeps. These sections still have some value, particularly the ties to neuroscience, but I would recommend skimming those sections.

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