One of my favorite books about leadership asks its readers five powerful questions, putting aspiring leaders to the ultimate test of what it takes to be a true leader. The best thing about this book is that if you pass the test you can skip reading many of the mountains of other leadership books on the market today.

The book is Timothy R. Clark’s The Leadership Test and it forces you to do some valuable soul searching.

Don’t be fooled by the book’s conversational writing style and story-telling approach, or by its compact 100-page size that you’ll read through in less than an hour. Because, the message is powerful and the test is revealing.

That test, which comes at the end of the book, consists of five questions, each important — and successfully passing each becomes a collective must to ensure leadership success. Once taken, the test is your personalized assessment that you can use to chart your course for becoming a better leader.

Clark told me that overwhelmingly, most people struggle with question four in the test, “Take The
Oath.”

In the book’s introduction, Clark states, “all too often we see leaders intoxicated with power, thirsting for adulation, vaunting themselves as if we were lucky to have them.” He says, “This type of leader leaves remains of indulgence, greed and corruption.” A true leader leaves a legacy.

For less than $10 and an hour of your time, read “The Leadership Test.” Make it the next leadership book you read. And, pass the test!

Timothy R. Clark, Ph.D. earned a doctorate from Oxford University, was a Fulbright and British Research Scholar, a former first-team Academic All-American football player at Brigham Young University, and is the CEO of TRCLARK LLC.