It's Good To Be King

It's Good To Be King by James M. Kerr is an exceptional leadership book presented in an easy to read business parable form. You can think of it as this year's Who Moved My Cheese. Anyone who has read Kerr's previous business books or any of his articles published here on M-I.com or in his weekly Inc. column, already knows that he has a way of making complex topics a whole lot easier to understand. He does not disappoint in his latest book, either.

It's Good To Be King tells the story of King Joe, who has just inherited the throne of Candyshire and has no idea what it will take to lead his people to glory. Assisted by his trusted advisor the Wizard Gumdorf, we see how King Joe transforms himself into an extraordinary leader - one that we would all do well to emulate.

I must admit that I'm not one to typically seek out business parable books. I find many to be trite and lacking much punch. But, It's Good To Be King is different. Kerr was able to weave a story together that is fun and quick to read and one that provides some wonderfully realistic leadership challenges along with suggestions for how to overcome them.

In fact, Kerr provides a running list of over 60 key leadership tips at the end of each chapter. This simple, yet effective device ensures that the reader walks away with dozens of important takeaways from the book that they can use as a guide for leading others.

While business professionals of all types will find It's Good To Be King an important book - much like Who Moved My Cheese was decades ago, this book is NOT ONLY intended for the business reader. Rather, it should be read and appreciated by all kinds of people who just want to become better leaders in their everyday life. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to learn how to be a better coach, volunteer, municipal or religious leader. In fact, I intend to get a few copies to give to my colleagues and friends.

To be sure, I would nominate It's Good To Be King for consideration as the book of the year on the topic of leadership.

John Baldoni: John is is an internationally recognized leadership consultant, coach, and author of more than dozen books that have been translated into 10 languages.