Author Description

What does it take to be an exceptional leader, or even simply a good one? Leaders in government or the public sector are missing out on a crucial ingredient if they only look to the private sector to answer this question. That ingredient – a strong inner core of character, integrity, ethics and values – is key to being a truly effective leader in government: one who gets the job done in a way that shows genuine respect and concern for everyone involved. While leadership resources abound for the private sector, that is not the case for the public sector, where a leader's actions and decisions must be guided by the public good rather than profit or self-interest. Practical and easy to read, Essentials of Leadership in Government gets to the heart of what it takes to be an effective government leader, including the necessary behaviours, aspirations, skills and commitments. The BASICS framework used to describe these concepts is both easy to understand and comprehensive.The book is based on extensive research of business, academia, government and public-sector leadership, combined with decades of on-the-job experience by authors Darryl Plecas (a University of the Fraser Valley Professor Emeritus, two-term MLA and Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia), Colette Squires (a sessional faculty member at the Justice Institute of British Columbia and instructor at Trinity Western University) and Len Garis (Fire Chief for the City of Surrey, British Columbia and an adjunct professor at the University of the Fraser Valley). Anyone seeking a pathway to long-term leadership success in government or the private sector should add the Essentials of Leadership in Government to their reading list.