Many organizational leaders are inspired by management books, and quite a few have gone to the extremes of ordering the books for their leadership teams. Some even start book clubs or go through each book chapter by chapter in their meetings.
I’m an avid reader and have gone through a lot of management books in my time. Books on principles of leadership, leading without authority, team management, creativity, reward and recognition, communication, accountability, you name it, it’s out there.
Which brings me to a bright idea that I’ve been kicking around for a while. I should write a book. I can write inspirational stories that highlight Lean Six Sigma as the way to go… oh wait, that’s been done. OK, I can write a technically awe-inspiring tome chock full of statistical methods and applications… oh wait, that’s been done. Well, then I can write about Lean Six Sigma in a way that’s accessible to the general public… oh wait, that’s been done. Still, I think I could write a book. What might be the recipe for success?
I’d have to start with a great title. Now, many of the books that have caught the eye of leaders have numbers in them. For example, the one minute leader. Level three leadership. The four obsessions of leaders. The five obsessions ofleaders. Six thinking hats. Seven habits. Eight essential steps. Nine strategies. Ten principles. Twelve pillars. Twenty-two ways to develop leadership. 101 Management tips.
Another word in the title that catches the eye is theleader-oriented noun,as demonstrated in the titles above. Strategy, precept, pillar, principle, step, action, theory, law, science, practice, experience, philosophy, trait.
Then, it’s essential to have “leader” somewhere in the title; and preferably, a sub-title that explains what the book is really about.
And, the name of an inspirational leader or group is very popular. Jesus, Sun Tzu, Lao Tzu, Colin Powell, the Marines, the Navy, Captain Kirk, Ghengis Kahn,Wooden, Churchill, Patton.
So, here’s my proposal for a great book title.
“The 27 Lean Six Sigma Leadership Secrets of AbrahamLincoln: Uniting your organization to a common purpose.”
That sounds pretty great to me. Now, all I have to do is… write the book!
