Leader Interpersonal and Influence Skills - In-Depth Leadership

In this review of Leader Interpersonal and Influence Skills, the edited volume by Ronald E. Riggio and Sherylle J. Tan, the bottom line is clear: this book is for scholars, practitioners, and advanced students who need a research-driven account of leader "soft skills" and practical guidance for developing them. The editors gathered chapters from a focused leadership conference, producing a collection that emphasizes communication, persuasion, political savvy, and emotional abilities. Readers seeking evidence-based approaches to how leaders influence followers will find the volume especially valuable.

Key Features

• Conference origin: Draws on presentations from the 21st Kravis-de Roulet leadership conference, which concentrates the work of top scholars and provides a cohesive research foundation for the topics discussed.
• Focus on interpersonal skills: Examines communication and persuasion skills in a way that links theory to observable leader behavior useful for training and assessment.
• Political savvy and influence: Offers conceptualizations of political skill that help readers recognize and develop leader tactics for navigating organizational dynamics.
• Emotional abilities: Discusses emotional competence and its role in motivating and inspiring followers, supporting development plans for leaders at multiple levels.
• Edited volume format: Brings together diverse research perspectives to present state-of-the-art work rather than a single-author narrative, useful for researchers and curriculum designers.

Who It's For

This book is best for graduate students, leadership researchers, executive coaches, and HR professionals who require a research-based exploration of interpersonal and influence skills to inform study design, training programs, or leadership development curricula. Its emphasis on measurement and conceptual models makes it a solid reference for academic work.

Practitioners looking for quick how-to scripts or entry-level readers seeking basic leadership tips should look elsewhere; this volume assumes familiarity with leadership research and aims to deepen conceptual understanding rather than provide a short primer.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Consolidates contemporary scholarship on leader interpersonal skills into a single resource, useful for sustained study and citation.
• Connects research on communication, persuasion, and emotional abilities to practical implications for leadership development.
• Includes discussion of political savvy and influence, broadening the typical focus of leadership texts on only charisma or decision making.

Cons

• As an edited academic volume, it is less suited to readers seeking concise, actionable checklists or step-by-step coaching tools.

Specifications

Title	Leader Interpersonal and Influence Skills
Editors	Ronald E. Riggio, Sherylle J. Tan
Origin	21st Kravis-de Roulet leadership conference
Primary topics	Communication, persuasion, political savvy, emotional abilities
Format	Edited academic volume
Audience	Researchers, graduate students, HR and leadership development professionals

Our Verdict

Leader Interpersonal and Influence Skills is a focused, research-rich collection that rewards readers who need deep, evidence-based perspectives on how leaders influence others. It is good value for academics and development professionals who want state-of-the-art conceptual models and measurement approaches rather than a quick how-to manual.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this book suitable for classroom use?
Yes. The edited chapters and research focus make it suitable as a graduate seminar or as core reading for advanced leadership courses.

Does the book provide practical exercises for leaders?
It emphasizes research findings and guidelines rather than step-by-step exercises, so practitioners may need to adapt concepts into exercises themselves.

Who edited the volume?
The book is edited by Ronald E. Riggio and Sherylle J. Tan and is based on a focused leadership conference.