嘉越．飛越

This book focused on the characteristics of leadership by “thriving leaders”. As the name suggests, thriving leaders are leaders that bring new ideas to the organization, who always keep themselves as well as the business evolving. Not all leaders are thriving leaders. They must possess a clear mindset that knows the purpose well, have the ability to connect with others, and have the agility to inspire others. There are some famous examples illustrated in this book. Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom was one of the thriving leaders. There was a historic visit paid by the Queen to Ireland in 2011 since Irish Independence. During the trip, the Queen delivered a speech that connected people in both countries. Even though she had no formal political power, she showed leadership and demonstrated what a thriving leader should do to bond the people. That also explained why she was the most respectful icon of the British royal family.

Having a clear purpose is important as a leader. To illustrate this, the author listed three archetypes: the Human Compass, the Horizon Hunter and the Committed Servant, each with a leader example. The Human Compass defined purpose and direction for the team to follow. The Horizon Hunter predicted the impacts in future. The Committed Servant strived to serve others and impacted them positively. After reading the chapter, I asked myself, which type of archetypes do I belong to? As I am not used to taking the lead in a group, I am not the Human Compass. I am more comfortable with predicting changes and serving others. I feel more like a mix of Horizon Hunter and Committed Servant. To be a powerful leader, I have to learn how to be a Human Compass and it will be the next goal I have to accomplish in order to be prepared for future challenges.

In other chapters, the author also illustrated the power of vitality and agility through different archetypes. Through labelling these archetypes, readers can have a concept of how to be a thriving leader. The content of the book is inspiring and I suggest you read this book to find out which archetypes you are. After identifying the archetypes, reflect on yourself and work hard in areas that require improvement. Eventually, there will be changes to your life and career.