The Leadership Code
Five Rules to Lead By
Dave Ulrich, Norm Smallwood and Kate Sweetman
Harvard Business Press, $26.95, £15.99

W hen authors persuade distinguished colleagues to provide advance praise for their new book, it usually tells you either that the writers have genuinely come up with something new and different, or that they have an impressive network of loyal friends.

This new book comes ready-wrapped with strong endorsements from academics, gurus and businesspeople. One offers a serious accolade: it is “not just another book on leadership”. Is this an accurate assessment?