The Practice of Adaptive Leadership, by Ronald Heifetz, Alexander Grashow and Marty Linsky (Harvard Business)

As an independent advisor, you must exercise leadership. Adaptive Leadership is full of practical steps to develop your vision, flexibility and interpersonal skills, so others will follow your guidance.

But first you have to figure out where you're going and why. This book focuses on times of change, which are confusing by nature. According to the authors, the most underused skill among leaders is diagnostic-the ability to detect what's really going on. Hence the book is larded with exercises to help you observe and diagnose the changes around you, so you can adapt and lead effectively.

For instance, they suggest watching for signs of staffers' "premature push for closure," such as skipping diagnostic questions and leaping for solutions. Then ask, "What bad things could happen if we don't make this decision today? What else might we learn if we wait?"

The authors emphasize that organizations—whether large firms, sole proprietorships or nonprofits—are subject to a lot of inertia. We get used to looking at the world our way. Adaptive leadership requires stepping out of your everyday vantage to observe carefully, rather than making an intuitive leap. And then go forward.