Anthony Tjan ("Good People") asserts that the only leadership decision that really matters is good people; something which is hard to disagree with. It charts the lessons learned by Tjan during his 20 plus years in business, with almost 100 interviews conducted to dig deeper into what 'good people' constitutes and how goodness can be defined, identified and developed.

According to the author, goodness is about people's humanity, their values, the qualities inherent in their character and other intangible traits. In arriving at this definition, Tjan holds great store by the power of personal networks and the existence within them of effective mentors. Mentoring is a topic that runs like a golden thread through the book, and I think this provides a significant clue about the whole essence of 'being good'.

In an early signpost, Tjan talks about one of his most influential mentors who defined success as our 'capacity to make other people become more successful in life and leave the world a better place'. This is quickly backed up with Tjan's Good People Mantra 'put people first, seek always to improve oneself, be led by your values, base yourself in realism and practise goodness whenever you can'.

The author's general definition of good people is;

Those committed to continuously cultivating the values that help them and others become the fullest possible versions of who they are.

He supports this with a Goodness Pyramid that clearly draws on the work of Abraham Maslow: at the base is Truth, followed by Compassion and Wholeness. Each element of the pyramid contains something about mindset, practice and action.

Which is all well and good - however, whose version of the Truth will sit at the base of the pyramid?

Tjan asserts that truth comprises the values of humility, self-awareness and integrity; and this is fine, except that truth might well be a somewhat culturally-nuanced construct with a range of possible interpretations based on one's upbringing and beliefs, as well as other personal influences.

What struck me most about the book was its capacity to challenge. It asks some very fundamental questions about our beliefs and values, in a way that is simple and slightly unnerving. I have reflected on some of these questions and am struggling to give fully-formed and meaningful answers. The questions are:

• What did you especially love doing when you were a child (before the world told you what you should or should not like to do)? Describe a moment when you experienced this love and how it made you feel.
• Tell me about two of your most challenging life experiences: how have they shaped you?
• What do you enjoy doing in your life that makes you feel the happiest?
• When, and in what context, have you encountered goodness?
• Who has most fundamentally shaped who you are in life and at work?
• What was the greatest characteristic you inherited from your mother?

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About the Author

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David Evans

David is a Master practitioner of the Barrett Values suite of tools and has been working with organisations globally in a range of sectors in order to improve organisational performance through values and cultural alignment.

David is a passionate advocate of employing change management techniques in the process of affecting real, sustainable behaviour change which delivers results.