The Four Vs of Leadership [Paperback]

"This is a management book with a difference; it acknowledges you might want a life outside work!" (PQ Magazine, September 2006) "…punchy, clearly written, thought–provoking and optimistic read." (Public Service Magazine, September 2006) "...helpful, down–to–earth and honest...its personal, anecdotal flavour makes for very easy reading...school leaders will find value in it." (Times Educational Supplement England, October 2006) ′I would place this book in the first division of works about leadership and coaching...′ ( Training & Cocaching Today, November 2006) “There is much to admire in the painstaking, accurate reportage of conversations and interviews and the detailed analysis, which produces some gems…”. ( Manager, March 2007) “Is it worth adding to my bulging management library? Definitely.”( Personnel Today, March 2007)    "Shaw has a wealth of experience on which to draw…he identifies some essential principles of good leadership…I would recommend this book". ( Edge, March 2007) “…as I read, I found myself constantly reassessing my own hopes, fears and ambitions in a new role against his thought–provoking, but always optimistic, template.” ( Credit Control, April 2007)  

"This is a management book with a difference; it acknowledges you might want a life outside work!" ( PQ Magazine , September 2006) "…punchy, clearly written, thought–provoking and optimistic read." (Public Service Magazine , September 2006) "...helpful, down–to–earth and honest...its personal, anecdotal flavour makes for very easy reading...school leaders will find value in it." ( Times Educational Supplement England , October 2006) ′I would place this book in the first division of works about leadership and coaching...′ ( Training & Cocaching Today, November 2006) “There is much to admire in the painstaking, accurate reportage of conversations and interviews, which produces some gems…”. ( Manager, March 07) “Is it worth adding to my bulging management library? Definitely.”( Personnel Today, March 2007) "Shaw has a wealth of experience on which to draw…I would recommend this book". ( Edge,  March 2007)  “… I found myself constantly reassessing my own hopes, fears and ambitions in a new role against his thought–provoking, template.”  ( Credit Control, April 2007)

Focusing on the 4 Vs of vision, values, value-added and vitality can reshape your life. The 4 Vs are the corners of a diamond which taken together are the essential ingredients of effective leadership. In combination, the diamond they create will light up both your work and personal life.

The 4 Vs have resonated strongly with leaders in very different worlds because:

· They are easy to remember
· They are dynamic
· They link together personal and organisation priorities
· They are relevant at any age or stage in your career
· They provide a framework for major decisions about priorities.

The 4 Vs will help you:

· Become more focused in your personal vision and potentially equip you for more senior posts
· Become more explicit in defining your values and in reassessing your life priorities against those values
· Become clearer about your value-added contributions and enable you to delegate more effectively
· Reassess how you use your energy enabling you to spend more time on activities that are most important to you which will raise your vitality.

What has caught the imagination is that the 4 Vs cut right across personal, work, family and community priorities. Working through the implications of the 4 Vs has covered economic, physical, emotional and spiritual wellbeing. It has provided individuals with the framework and the space to make new decisions about their future.

The 4 Vs do not impose an external philosophy or world view. Their purpose is not to advocate a particular set of values, or vision, or way of adding value, or sources of vitality. They have enabled individuals to define where they stand more clearly and the next steps on their journey.

Working through the 4 Vs could lead to radical next steps:

· Does your personal vision need to change? Maybe it is too vague or too rigid
· Do your values influence you in the ways you want?
· Is your value-added in different spheres needing to change?
· Is your vitality a bit squashed or randomly directed?

Working through the 4 Vs could lead to a whole range of different next steps. It could be:

· Taking forward specific aspects of your personal vision
· Focusing on two or three key values and looking at how you apply them across each aspect of your life;
· Being much more precise about defining your own value-added and what difference you want to make in a range of different contexts;
· Being much more self-aware about the reasons for your own levels of vitality and how you are going to grow specific sources of vitality which might sometimes involve activity and sometimes the complete absence of activity.

In his foreword David Normington, the Permanent Secretary at the Home Office, says that the book, ‘will bring wisdom and stimulation to people at all stages of their lives and careers: to those who are moving up or moving on at work or are seeking new challenges in their personal lives, or are looking for new sources of ideas and energy.’

Peter Shaw