Many (many!) moons ago when I was 12 and just starting to learn Science our teacher asked us which would be hotter in a few minutes - a cup of tea without milk or a cup of tea with milk added.  I answered correctly that one with milk would be hotter.  He was surprised that I knew the answer and asked me how I knew - to which I replied that I had read it in a book.  Of course the truth is that this was one of these unusual things that my mother had observed and used to tell us at home.  When I told them at home that I had got this question right but that I had said I read it in a book - I was given hell for years about this.  "Oh, I suppose you read that in a book as well".  I had some sense of what poor St. Peter felt like when he denied Jesus three times - if you know that biblical story!

More recently the same mother was listening to the radio to an author (Chris Lowney) talking about his book - titled - Heroic Leadership.  She thought the ideas in the book sounded great and bought me a copy. It lay on my bookshelf until recently when I picked it up to see what it was all about.  I could not put it down until I had it read!  Credit when credit is due for the source of this wisdom - it was the mother - no denial this time!!

The author was a Jesuit seminarian for 7 years but then joined J.P. Morgan, holding pretty senior positions on three different continents in the latter before he left.  The book essentially brings his understanding of the best practices on leadership from the Jesuit organization (a company that is over 450 years old) and details how they are very simple but rock solid.

I am tempted to give you my summary of the book - but that might bias your reading - so in this case I will leave it to you to read or not - and let you get your own value from the book.

If you are responsible for leading a project or you are interested in learning how to lead yourself better then this is a worthwhile read.  If you are a history buff then you will also like this book.  You can read abstracts on Amazon.  I suggest you buy a copy and leave it on your bookshelf until you are ready to read it - for $12 you can not go wrong!  If you do get to read it do let me know what you think.