- Title: Modern Leader
- Author: JeVon McCormick
- Where to buy: Amazon (affiliate link)
- Genre: Business Leadership
- Would I recommend: Absolutely. If more leaders espoused McCormick’s views, the workplace could be a lot better for all of us.
Synopsis:
When did our leaders become followers?
This is a time for responsibility. If you’re not going to finish this book, don’t start it.
The unique business problems we face today have rendered the old corporate playbook obsolete. Without it, executives scramble for guidance, only to discover everyone around them is just as lost.
JeVon’s people-first mindset guides his service as CEO of Scribe Media, a multi-million dollar publishing company Entrepreneur Magazine ranked America’s #1 Top Company Culture. The son of a Black pimp father and a white orphan mother on welfare, JeVon’s experiences demonstrate more than the old playbook’s issues—he’s living proof that we should throw it out.
In Modern Leader, JeVon opens a conversation to all leaders who want to be part of a new evolution in leadership. Business is about people, and true people-first leadership requires moving beyond the exclusionary framework of the past.
Don’t read this book unless you’re willing to evolve.
This is a time for action. Don’t read this book if you’re not ready to take action.
If you’re looking for a playbook, you won’t find it here. This book isn’t a playbook. Because leadership isn’t a game.
My review:
JeVon McCormick, the CEO of Scribe Media, isn’t your average CEO. He didn’t grow up with the country club set, learning how to present himself and move in polite society. In Modern Leader, he shares how he got to where he is now and how his upbringing and experiences have shaped his philosophy of leadership.
I normally write All the Wordy Words about books. With this book, I just can’t. I’d have to put the whole book here for you, because it is chock full of McCormick’s hard-won insights and wisdom.
Ask yourself: Why do individuals feel the need to edit themselves to fit into our organizations?
Why don’t we instead edit our organizations to better fit individuals?
Jevon McCormick, Modern Leader
His philosophy is pretty simple (not necessarily easy to implement, but simple): Ask questions. Listen. Hold yourself accountable. Lead by serving your company, your customers, and the people who work for you. And it is working, because everything I’ve heard about Scribe Media is overwhelmingly positive. The company is growing. Clearly, his putting People First is doing something right!
If more leaders subscribed to JeVon McCormick’s ideas, work might not be such a slog for so many people. The world has changed. Is changing. Will continue to change. The “right” degree, the “right” background, those are no longer the only (and maybe not even the best) qualifications that will indicate the talent someone may bring to a role. Leadership has got to adjust and change its focus, and McCormick provides a guide that shows how to get it done.
If you’re a leader, or if you just want to improve your ability to communicate and be mindful in your interactions, you need to read this book. I’d like to gift a copy to all the leaders I know.
(Also, if anyone from Scribe is reading this, I would love the opportunity to work with y’all.)
Suggested listening: Revolutionary by Josh Wilson
