If You’re New to Leadership This Year, This One Might Be for You
Leadership often arrives before we feel ready for it.
A promotion. A new role. A team suddenly looking to you for direction. For many leaders, the shift happens quickly, and the expectations can feel heavy.
Enhancing Your Leadership Skills by Professor V. K. Simon is a practical introduction to leadership for those moments. It doesn’t try to impress. It doesn’t overcomplicate things. It simply walks through the core principles that sit underneath effective leadership.
Interestingly, there is very little publicly available about the author, and the book is published by a smaller press. While we don’t know much about Professor Simon’s background, the premise of the book is sound and grounded in well established leadership thinking. Sometimes a resource doesn’t need a big name behind it to be useful.
Leadership as a Journey, Not a Title
At its core, the book defines leadership as the ability to inspire and influence others toward a shared purpose. Leadership is not confined to formal positions. It can be demonstrated at every level of an organisation and in many aspects of life.
A strong theme throughout is that leadership is not a destination. Effective leaders do not rest on their laurels. They continue to learn, adapt and grow as the world around them changes.
That framing alone is helpful for new leaders who may feel pressure to have everything figured out from day one.
What the Book Covers
This is a broad, foundational handbook rather than a narrative read. It covers many of the essential elements of leadership, including:
- Self awareness and emotional intelligence
- Communication, listening and relationship building
- Decision making and problem solving
- Vision setting, goal alignment and planning
- Building trust and leading teams
- Conflict resolution and negotiation
- Leading change in uncertain environments
- Influence and persuasion, with a strong ethical lens
- Values driven leadership and integrity
- Leading across cultures in a global context
- Personal development, mentoring and coaching
- Managing wellbeing, boundaries and expectations
The structure is list driven and practical. It’s easy to skim, revisit and dip into rather than read cover to cover.
What Stands Out
The emphasis on self awareness and emotional intelligence is consistent throughout. Leaders are encouraged to understand their impact on others, seek feedback and actively work on their own development.
Ethics and integrity are treated as non negotiable. Ethical leadership is positioned as central to trust, governance and long term success, not as a nice to have.
The section on influence is also worth noting. Persuasion is discussed openly, with a clear reminder that influence carries responsibility. Used well, it builds trust and positive outcomes. Used poorly, it can damage relationships and culture.
The book also recognises modern leadership realities, including remote and hybrid work, cultural diversity and the need for adaptability in an increasingly interconnected world.
Who This Book Is Really For
This is not an advanced leadership text. Experienced leaders will find much of the content familiar.
Where it adds the most value is for:
- First time leaders
- Newly promoted managers
- Emerging leaders building confidence
- People wanting a clear overview of leadership fundamentals
- Leaders who prefer structure, lists and practical guidance
It provides a solid grounding without being overwhelming.
A Final Reflection
This book will not transform your leadership overnight. What it does offer is reassurance and clarity around the basics.
Leadership is about people. About trust. About values and responsibility. Not about position or authority.
If you’re stepping into leadership or consolidating your foundations, this is a useful place to start.