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The Connected and Committed Leader

Laura Lopez
Living Leadership Press (2008)
ISBN 9780979867316
Reviewed by Lisa Heidle for Rebeccas Reads (3/08)

In “The Connected and Committed Leader,” Laura Lopez, a fifteen-year veteran with The Coca-Cola Company as a Marketing Vice President, pulls from her experience as a mother to impart important leadership lessons from home that allowed her to get better results at work.

Ms. Lopez has created a leadership guide that exemplifies the abilities working parents bring to the table and has tapped into the importance of not only using the knowledge gained in the workforce, but experience from all areas of life to help people be more effective supervisors. The author explains, “I saw how parenting was the ultimate leadership experience because it epitomized the tenuous line we all tow as leaders—how to influence and guide behavior without resorting to command and control.” The skills that Ms. Lopez has gained while parenting are offered as Essential Leadership Insights: Believe and Let Go, Be Curious and See Everyone, Be Humble and Keep Your Ego in Check are just a few of the ideas she proposes in “The Connected and Committed Leader.”

Ms. Lopez’s unique concept, using skills learned through parenting in the workplace, proposes a new perspective to an old argument: Do emotions and personal connections belong in the world of business?  The author addresses both sides of the debate. “I came from a generation of both men and women who learned that hearts did not have a place in business. Showing any emotion was a sign of weakness; there was no place for it in the board room.” The counterpoint, “Business is extremely up front and personal. People do business with people they like. People relate to and want to help other people they enjoy. People build trust with others who don’t let them down. Business is very personal,” offers a more modern and timely view on the discussion. With global competition at levels never before seen, offering more of yourself in a business relationship might be the very thing that sets you apart from others in your field.

It is easy to see how many people could misconstrue the message Laura Lopez is trying to impart: allowing the heart to enter the door. Anyone who has sat next to a co-worker who droned on and on about the argument they had with their boyfriend or how much they hate the boss will be reluctant to the idea of sharing more in the workplace. “The Connected and Committed Leader” does not advocate gossip or inappropriate work discussions. The book is about inserting the human equation into the work place and allowing it to replace the rigid, unyielding cognitive rules that have become standard in the world of business. Ms. Lopez says it best when she explains the importance of inspiring others through proper intimacy and finding common ground with colleagues, “With connection comes trust. With connection comes hope. With connection comes confidence.  With connection comes security to take risks. With connections comes growth. And with connection comes freedom to be ourselves.”

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