Breaking the Trust Barrier: How Leaders Close the Gaps for High Performance

By J.V. Venable

Barrett-Koehler     2016

189 pages     Nonfiction

The Shortlist

From the summary of Breaking the Trust Barrier: "On the ground or in the air, from line supervisor to CEO, we all face the same challenge. Our job is to entice those we lead to close the gaps that slow the whole team down -- gaps in commitment, loyalty, and trust. Every bit of closure requires your people to let go of biases and mental safeguards that hold them back." 

By the time most people complete a career, they have worked for and with many diverse types of leaders, each of whom has his or her own leadership style. Venale asserts that in work teams, trust is a component that is often missing. Leaders, then, must create an environment of trust that will bridge the many gaps that can emerge when trust is not present. He presents an eloquent argument for creating trust. He has seeded his points with insightful illustrations about how trust can transform a work environment.

Venable is a retired Air Force Colonel, a Top Gun. He commanded the USAF Thunderbirds as well as over 1000 men who flew combat aircraft. His research on leadership comes from that career experience. 

Breaking the Trust Barrier is an insightful book with many valuable lessons to be learned. I received a review copy from the publicist, and I will definitely recommend it to my business students for use as a reference as they prepare their papers on leadership.

You can find J.V. Venable's website here.

Leading at the Edge

By Dennis N.T. Perkins

New York, American Management Assoc., 2012

Second Edition

256 pages     Non-Fiction

The Shortlist

Dennis Perkins is a consultant and an expert in effective leadership, coaching, and team development. He and fellow consultants Margaret P. Holtman and Jillian B. Murphy have written a fascinating study of leadership through the lens of Shackleton’s Antarctic Expedition--Leading at the Edge.

I read the account of Shackleton’s adventures with great interest. Perkins outlines the goals for the journey, and the ensuing trauma that unfolded as they attempted to reach Antarctica in 1914. The adventure began with an advertisement in the London papers. Would you answer this ad?

"Men wanted for Hazardous Journey. Small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in case of success."

Shackleton believed in the power of the team and he used his natural ability for team building and leadership to guide his men on their journey. The hazards expressed in the hiring came true in ways far worse than could be expected, but two years later, Shackleton and his men were rescued—all of them alive.

Perkins and his consultants extracted ten leadership traits from this remarkable adventure. What makes Leading at the Edge a valuable tool for people in leadership positions is that while the reader is engrossed in the adventure, she is also learning skills that can be transferred to business, industry, education or wherever leadership is practiced. Perkins backs up each leadership trait with examples from the Shackleton adventure as well as with examples from modern day business. A set of questions at the end of each chapter encourage the reader to find ways to modify each leadership trait for their own benefit. 

Very skillfully written; very motivating; very interesting.

An interesting video review of the book:  http://www.barenakedcommunication.com/?p=53

Information about the book from Perkin’s business, The Syncretics Group: http://www.syncreticsgroup.com/book.html