A step-by-step guidebook to developing and strengthening leadership skills.Lanik's self-help book immediately stakes out an unusual approach. Ordinarily, such books are seminarlike, containing lectures, loads of information, followed up by questions, work sheets, and the like. Lanik largely dispenses with this slightly cumbersome model, opting instead for an approach based on the idea that successful leadership is an accumulation of good habits rather than an overarching philosophy, learned by rote. The author calls his approach the Leader Habit Formula, in which you take one leadership skill that you wish to developsuch as active listening, delegating tasks, or communicating clearlyand engage in quick practice sessions every day, devoted specifically to that skill. Lanik reminds readers that not all habits are bad; many are beneficial, and his Leader Habit Formula is designed to create good habits through repetition. He breaks 22 core leadership skills into component parts that he calls "micro-behaviors," and pairs them with daily, five-minute exercises intended to make them into habits in short order. As the author explains, this is a variation of a process called "chaining," in which large, complex tasks are divided into discrete, smaller components and taught in sequence. In clear, accessible prose, Lanik stresses that the key to his Leader Habit Formula is constant practice, and he warns that readers who buy the book hoping for a one-stop solution will be disappointed. Instead, he says, one must practice locking in various micro-behaviors as often as possible, preferably while keeping a record of one's progress. Ultimately, the book provides a refreshing counterpoint to the standard idea that some people are simply gifted with good leadership skills, instead shifting the emphasis to daily attention.An engaging program that demystifies leadership skills with bite-sized exercises. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.